So is formula milk UPF?

[bumgripes]

It is, right? I mean, the ingredients list certainly is. And it’s listed on the BBC website as an UPF.

Going to be interested to see if this influences the BF/FF debate now that it looks like awareness of UPF is about to skyrocket. Does it even matter when they’re only on it for about a year? Does that fact that it’s an UPF actually add any info to the pre-existing evidence on BF/FF?

Indeed. All 3 of mine were breastfed. #1 self weaned at 18 months. #2 self weaned at 3 yrs. #3 self weaned with encouragement at nearly 4.

#1 had scarlet fever requiring antibiotics. #2 had bronchiolitis and needed steroids for a while after as every cough/cold went to his chest. #3 got a temperature every time he got over tired, but didn't need antibiotics, has the constitution of an ox.

So as they say, anecdata means nothing.

Wowee! Think what he could have achieved if you'd breastfed him... 😉

In the book Ultra Processed People there is a long discussion about formula milk - it is UPF but is of course on a different level to other UPF foods because without it there are babies that would die. But there’s a very disturbing deep dive into how Nestle persuaded people living in countries without easy access to safe drinking water and with very low incomes to use formula instead of breast milk (and then increased prices once the mothers’ breast milk had dried up) and how as a result thousands of babies died. It was truly awful.

Like my 3 year old was? Not likely! He's known as Jimmy The Knife down at the local cop shop. He got off on a technicality last time but I keep telling him he needs to take his inhaler with him when he's on a job, because it's the sound of his wheezing that gets him caught

That’s very sad but not really of any consequence to a mother who feeds their baby formula. I don’t really know why people bring this scandal from years ago in a different continent up time and time again in a discussion of formula feeding. Do they want formula feeding mothers to let their children die in solidarity or what is the purpose of bringing it up?

👏👏👏

Oh not this AGAIN! I just do not get this mentality. If you breast fed your child, FABULOUS, it's a wonderful experience. But for those of you (and I have to say it is a minority, as most breastfeeding mums really do not care how others feed their children) who feel the need to use this as a tool to shame others, I can only presume that you are extremely insecure people who are trying to hide your parenting inadequacies in other areas. Formula feeding mothers know the pros and cons of breast vs formula feeding, you discuss it in depth with your midwife. You do not need to pass on your supposed superior knowledge on the subject. Love to all the mothers out there, regardless of how you feed your babies ❤

It's hardly nonsense. It's not the fact because I was breastfeeding on the toilet. I had no choice. But I'm sorry but it certainly helped in him not catching it. Antibodies did its magic.

Thank you - reading some of these posts you would think us formula feeding parents were trying to harm our babies and give them a poor start in life. We should be celebrating having a choice how we feed our babies and that we’re lucky in this country to have such an amazing readily available formula product to give our children such an excellent start in life.

It’s so boring isn’t it!! Droning on and on with their anecdotes of how breastmilk simultaneously cured all the illnesses their children have while also never having been ill in the first place because of breastmilk. Then if a formula fed baby parent comes on and says their child has never been sick they say it’s an anecdote only. I actually breastfed my child and I can’t stand this kind of nonsense.

It's relevant in a discussion about why formula advertising and marketing should be regulated, but not anything broader.

So not relevant to this thread then.

No, hence my saying "but not anything broader".

Am I the only one thinking "This is perfect example why the UPF paranoid are being ridiculous?"

So sorry, I clearly focused on the wrong bit for this thread - the book was actually very clear that formula is not to be thought of in the same way as other UPF in diets which is a concern. It was just interesting about the ethics of big food companies generally, and made me want to avoid nestle.

Formula is different from other UPF’s - it’s not an option of avoiding using it to feed babies unless you want to force breast feeding on every mother.

All children will end up with processed foods in their diet. The key thing is moderation.

Where did he get these magic antibodies from, seeing as you were incredibly sick yourself? They couldn’t have come from you via your breast milk, otherwise they’d have protected you at the time surely?

A lot of pseudoscientific nonsense being spouted as per usual on this topic.

Antibodies are only passed on if the mother is sick first, it's not infallible either. There's some absolute shite floating about the Internet about the baby's saliva being absorbed through the breast when feeding then the mothers body making antibodies for their illness; this isn't based in science at all yet people believe it! It's really impossible to know the long term health effects of BFing as there are so many variables it's hard to isolate them in studies.

I was sick and my son never caught it. I got told by a health profession to kiss baba before giving him the boob as that alerts body to produce the antibodies. Oh and my milk turned green. I freaked out at first and then realised it was the antibodies.

You have to be sick First for your body to produce the antibodies 🙄

Antibodies are in your milk if you've been poorly regardless of whether you kiss the baby first or not ffs, your body produces the antibodies to get yourself better and theyre passed on in your milk automatically due to how your body works biologically. There's so much misinformation out there and some of it so odd.

Not at the point you first caught it, which is presumably when your baby avoided it. Anyway, not going to waste anymore time arguing with someone who thinks kissing a baby leads to antibody production

So it's ok to sit on a toilet shitting while feeding a baby green breast milk? I have no words, well not polite ones.

To me this is comparable to saying gluten free or lactose free items are upf or even insulin or calpol, formula is made for a very specific reason, to keep babies who are not breastfeeding alive, so the parameters are very different to say cakes or sausages where healthy choices are being advocated, it's not the same type of choice even for those who just don't want to breastfeed. I loved bf and think it's so important, is there a part of me that thinks maybe this will encourage more mothers to give it a go, yes probably, I'm always hoping that more information means better informed choices, but I'll be telling that part of me to shut up if talking to the relevant mum groups

As someone who positively chose to use formula from day one, I knew formula is a highly processed product. Would information about upf have influenced my decision - not at all.