These aren't your traditional cookies... or are they?
Until recently I had no idea that these breastfeeding biscuits were actually a thing. I had some friends using them and recommending them so I had a look at what they were.
At first glance they tick all the boxes:
Gluten free
Dairy free
Natural
Organic
Made in Australia
Lets take a closer look...
First of all, I'm not entirely sure what is in these cookies that make a mother produce more milk.
Secondly, would you just look at all of those ingredients!
The first one that stands out is the soy - soy products have been shown induce puberty earlier in females and later in males. It is a hormone disrupter that mimics estrogen.
The second one is sugar - raw sugar and brown sugar along with dates. Sugar is sugar, regardless of the source. Whatever the mother consumes, the baby consumes. Sugar intake causes the babies pancreas to produce more insulin at too young of an age, leading to blood sugar abnormalities and potential weight discrepancies later in life.
Thirdly, maize starch - also known as corn starch, it comes from corn (obviously) which is often GMO. Corn isn't a vegetable either, it's a grain.
I don't have any children of my own and I certainly have not breastfed anything for that matter so some people reading this may say that I'm not an 'expert' or that I should 'wait until it's my turn' to comment on this. However, I have looked into ways to increase your milk supply and other ways to trouble shoot problems associated with breastfeeding, and not once did any milk cookie make the list, but here's what did:
Ensure you have adequate water throughout the day
Increase your consumption of green, leafy veggies - if this upsets baby, you can simply add liquid chlorophyll to your water
Take a good quality magnesium supplementation in the evening - I personally use GabaMag from Trilogy Nutrition
Consider using herbs that can increase milk supply - goats rue, milk thistle, alfalfa, thyme or dill.
When sourcing herbs make sure you know where they come from.
As always, check with your doctor or health professional before starting on any supplements, especially when pregnant.