[Osem]

Originally Posted by Chris

The child will benefit. Or had you failed to notice the rapid increase in allergies and bowel disorders in Western countries where we feed on more artificial foods and even stuff them into our kids?

Your own offspring may well have grown up healthy, and that's great, but many more have not. Mammals are raised on milk for a good reason. Their digestive systems are not able to cope, at birth, with anything else. The only substance chemically and biologically compatible with a child's digestive system - and the only thing that will prime the immune system - is milk direct from the same mammalian species. I.e, the child's own mother, or failing that, milk donated by another human.

Formula is exactly what it says on the tin, a formula. It is chemically-altered cows milk. IMO it should be available on prescription only, for those mothers that genuinely cannot breast feed - and there are far fewer of them than you would be led to believe. Mummy's lifestyle choice should not over-ride the child's one and only opportunity to get the healthiest possible start in life.

I bet it would save the NHS a fortune in the long term.

Excellent post.