Great News for New Moms: Organic Diary and Meat is Linked to Better Quality Breast Milk

A recent study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that consuming at least 90% of organic diary and meat products increases levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). In plain words, the breast milk of mothers consuming organic diary and meat contains higher levels of beneficial fatty acids and has an overall improved quality compared to those mothers who pursued conventional products. The study shows that “breastfeeding mothers can influence the supply and quality of fatty acids for their infants, by eating a diet with organic dairy”.

This news is probably not surprising for many of us but it definitely piles up in proving once more that consuming organic products links to better quality of life. By consuming organic not only improves the quality of the breast milk in mothers but improves the quality of life and strengthens your health by reducing the exposure to dangerous pesticides. It may add a substantial amount on your paycheck every month but if you are wise and willing to search for better prices, it will all add up in the end. I compared the prices for organic and conventional products a while ago, and except for meat, they're converging. The price difference is small enough to convince me to buy organic products. (Of course, I may have to shop around to get to the best prices).

Here are some tips to eating healthier:

• If you are a meat lover look for sales of organic meat; it is better to keep it in the freezer for a while than consuming the conventional ones.

• Consume more chicken; not only it is a healthier meat but the organic chicken is not very expensive compared to the conventional one. However, even the conventional chicken is better to chose over other conventional meats because the FDA does not allow the use of hormones in poultry.

• The organic diary products cost in average 10% more than the conventional ones; if you consume milk everyday, it is worth. I buy the diary products from Trader’s Joe and Whole Foods (in the area I leave) and for most of them there is no price difference (Safeway, however, is more expensive). If you cannot afford organic, choose nonfat dairy. The more fat a conventionally grown product contains, the more toxins are found in the food, because many toxins concentrate in the fat.