Homemade Infant Formulas: Next Best to Breast Milk

Homemade infant formulas are sometimes a necessary alternative to breast milk. So, we want to provide a couple of nourishing and easy to make recipes.

First, we want to clarify that when it comes to feeding your baby, breast milk is the ideal for a myriad of reasons. For example, it is rich in all the nutrients necessary for growing strong and healthy babies, which include raw cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K2 and E along with B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and the whole range of minerals and trace minerals. It is also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which includes EPA and DHA, and appropriate levels of omega-6 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats.

However, we also understand that there are times, such as adoption or inadequate breast milk supply. Therefore, we believe that homemade infant formulas made from raw milk or liver/bone broth based are the best nutrition-dense options and allow mothers to avoid feeding their babies the toxic ingredients found in commercial formula.

Commercial Formula

Many people may not fully realize that most commercial formulas contain 50% sugar, primarily from corn syrup, GMO corn and soy, lacks the high level of raw cholesterol found in breast milk and other critical fats for proper development. They are also devoid of beneficial bacterial for a healthy gut and immune system and lacks enzymes that play a very important role in digestion.

Also, commercial infant formulas pose additional concerns such as the denaturing of proteins that results from processing milk or other proteins and the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are proteins or lipids that become glycated as a result of being exposed to sugars. Glycation is linked to the stiffening of collagen in arteries as well diabetes. So, why risk creating unnecessary degeneration in babies when homemade infant formula is made in less than 10 minutes and provides superior nourishment for your little one?

Plus, commercial formulas also expose babies to hormone disruptors which can lead to early puberty in girls and delayed puberty in boys, as well as genital abnormalities (and especially when a soy-based formula, which is banned in Israel and regulated in some European countries).

So, is it easy to make formula?

Well, take a look at this video by our friend, Sarah Pope. Also, please go to the Weston A. Price Foundation for more information on homemade formulas.

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Raw Milk Baby Formula
Makes 36 ounces

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic, certified clean raw milk or organic pasteurized, non-homogenized piima milk, preferably from pasture-fed Jersey or Guernsey cows
• ¼ cup homemade liquid whey
• 4 tablespoons lactose*
• ¼ teaspoon bifodobacterium infantis (HMF Baby F)*
• 2 tablespoons good quality cream, preferably raw (not ultra-pasteurized)
• ½ teaspoon fermented cod liver oil*
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil*
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil*
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast*
• 2 teaspoons gelatin*
• 1 7/8 cups filtered water
• ¼ teaspoon acerola powder*

Directions:

1. Add gelatin to water and heat gently until gelatin is dissolved.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
3. Transfer to a very clean glass or stainless steel container and mix well.
4. (Note: If milk is from Holstein cows, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream.)

To Serve:

1. Pour 6-8 ounces into a very clean glass bottle.
2. Attach nipple and set in a pan of simmering water.
3. Heat until warm but not hot to the touch, shake bottle well and feed baby. (Never, never heat formula in a microwave oven!)

Taken from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

*Available through our office.

Variation: Goat Milk Infant Formula

Goat milk is rich in fat. However, it must be used with caution in infant feeding because it lacks folate and is low in vitamin B₁₂, which are both essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. Therefore, to compensate for low levels of vitamin B₁₂, if preparing the raw milk baby formula (above) with goat’s milk, simply add 2 teaspoons of organic raw chicken liver, frozen for 14 days, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg yolk feeding at four months of age.

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Liver-Based Infant Formula
Makes 36 ounces

Ingredients:

• 3 ¾ cups homemade beef or chicken broth
• 2 ounces organic liver, cut into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons lactose*
• ¼ teaspoon bifodobacterium infantis (HMF Baby F)*
• ¼ cup homemade liquid whey**
• ½ teaspoon Green Pasture Blue Ice fermented cod liver oil*
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil*
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil*
• ¼ teaspoon acerola powder*

Directions:

1. Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through.
2. Liquefy using a handheld blender or in a food processor.
3. When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container.

To Serve:

1. Stir formula well and pour 6-8 ounces in a very clean glass bottle.
2. Attach a clean nipple and set in a pan of simmering water until formula is warm but not hot to the touch.
3. Shake well and feed to baby.  (Never heat formula in a microwave oven!)
4. Note: It is very important to include the coconut oil in this formula as it is the recipe’s only source of antimicrobial saturated fatty acids.

Taken from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

*Available through our office.

** For GAPS babies, consider omitting in the beginning.

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Breast Milk and Homemade Infant Formulas Nutrient Comparison Chart¹
Based on 36 ounces

These nutrient comparison tables were derived from standard food nutrient tables and do not take into account the wide variation in nutrient levels that can occur in both human and animal milk, depending on diet and environment. 

	Breast Milk	Cow’s Milk Formula	Goat Milk Formula	Liver-Based Formula
Calories	766	856	890	682
Protein	11.3g	18g	18g	15g
Carbohydrates	76g	79g	77g	69g
Total Fat	48g	52g	54g	36g
Saturated Fat	22g	28g	30g	16g
Mono Fat	18g	16g	16g	12g
Poly Fat	5.5g	5.6g	5.7g	5.6g
Omega-3 FA	.58g	1.3g	1.2g	1.0g
Omega-6 FA	4.4g	4.2g	4.4g	4.5g
Cholesterol	153mg	137mg	166mg	227mg
Vitamin A*	946IU	5000IU	5000IU	20,000IU
Thiamin-B1	.15mg	1.05mg	1.1mg	.19mg
Riboflavin-B2	.4mg	1.2mg	1.2mg	1.9mg
Niacin-B3	1.9mg	2.5mg	4.4mg	14.2mg
Vitamin B6	.12mg	.51mg	.60mg	.65mg
Vitamin B12	.5mcg	1.9mcg	2.8mcg	39mcg
Folate	57mcg	236mcg	284mcg	159mcg
Vitamin C	55mg	57mg	59mg	62mg
Vitamin D	480IU	450IU	525IU	460IU
Vitamin E***	9.9mg	6.2mg	4.7mg	4.9mg
Calcium	355mg	532mg	548mg	NA**
Copper	.57mg	.38mg	.58mg	1.9mg
Iron	.33mg	1.4mg	2.2mg	5.4mg
Magnesium	37.4mg	91.3mg	96.1mg	34.5mg
Manganese	.29mg	.034mg	.12mg	.24mg
Phosphorus	151mg	616mg	729mg	344mg
Potassium	560mg	949mg	1228mg	750mg
Selenium	18.8mcg	15.4mcg	18.7mcg	31.1mcg
Sodium	186mg	308mg	320mg	NA**
Zinc	1.9mg	2.8mg	2.7mg	2.5mg

* Vitamin A levels in human milk will depend on the diet of the mother. Nursing mothers eating vitamin A-rich foods such as cod liver oil will have much higher levels of vitamin A in their milk. Commercial formulas contain about 2400 IU vitamin A per 800 calories.

** Calcium and sodium values for homemade broth are not available.

*** Vitamin E values are derived from commercial vegetable oils. The vitamin E levels for homemade formulas will be higher if good quality, expeller-expressed oils are used.

¹ Source: Weston A. Price Foundation: http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/formula-homemade-baby-formula/