Food Taboos

2870 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Argumentative topics about breastfeeding

Food Taboos

“Would You Eat Breast Milk Cheese?” (Hamm, 2010). I have shown this headline to multiple people and have received the same reaction from everyone. Most of these people I work with at a daycare. We all handle and serve breast milk on a daily basis. Also we watch mothers nurse their infants. Yet, the reaction did not surprise me, even with this comfort level with human breast milk. This reaction falls along the line of disgust and shock. One person even reacted with a sharp reply of “I DID NOT NEED TO SEE THAT!” There is something about the thought of consuming human breast milk that makes people squirm.

Human Breast Milk is touted as the perfected food for infants. There is extreme pressure placed on new mothers to nurse or feed expressed breast milk (EB) elusively for the first six months of life. The extreme of this can be defined by a group called La Lache League International.

Exclusive breastfeeding takes place when you give your baby nothing but your milk; that is, the baby's only nutrition and hydration is milk suckled directly from your breasts. A normal healthy baby does not need water, other liquids, or solids during the first six months of life. The healthiest gift you can give your baby is to exclusively breastfeed him for the first six months of life. Breast milk is sufficient for nutrition and hydration. (LLLI, 2010)

Those who are able to do so are proud to tell you how they are glad to not have to use formula. Yet, if you asked her if she would drink it herself, she would probably “no way!” Yet, this article expresses a lesser known and curious prospective.; it opens the door for the question, of: “Is human breast milk as an acceptable food for adults?” It (what?) features a well known New York ...

... middle of paper ...

... point. But they don’t need to cause strife. Some taboos may be shocking or even scary to people when it is a need concept for them. If we are able to allow and foster differences and to be allowed them to live side by side, we can live in a better and more accepting world. There will continue to be shock and disbelief when our central core beliefs are confronted and challenged. Who knows? Maybe you would even eat breast milk cheese!

Works Cited

Hamm, L. (2010, March 29). Would You Eat Breast Milk Cheese. People, March, 94.

Food Taboos: It's All a Matter Of Taste. (2004, April 19). Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com

LLLI | Breastfeeding: An Optimal Way to Space Babies. (n.d.). LLLI | Home. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct08p4

Show More
Related

  • The Carnivores Dilemma, by Nicolette Hahn Niman

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Niman, Nicolette H. "The Carnivore's Dilemma." Food. Ed. Brooke Rollins and Lee Bauknight. 1st ed. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead, 2010. 169-73. Print.

    Read More

  • Infant Lifespan Development

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    The rapid physical growth of an infant which we talked about earlier is fueled by the nutrients that the infant receives. Without the proper nutrition,infants cannot reach their physical, and cognitive potential. It is important to breast feed your baby until they turn one, but if that’s not an option bottle feeding is widely accepted as

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Breastfeeding

    1995 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Commercially prepared infant formulas are a nourishing alternative to breast milk, and even contains vitamins and nutrients that breastfed infants need to get from supplements (Pearl, E., 2015). Breastfeeding is proven to strengthen the immune system for children of all ages. While a mother nurses the infant, the mother passes down nutrients and antibodies from the milk the babies drink while nursing. Like immunizations building invulnerabilities for people destructive illnesses, breast milk gives additional antibodies to infants to help them. Nursing sessions are less demanding to retain and process the formula since it contains living development elements, hormones, and chemicals which help an infant to effectively process all healthy intake from each feeding (The Office on Women’s Health, 2012). Further, in creating nations, scientists found that for newborn children who were not breastfed have danger of dying from irresistible infections, in the primary month is six times more prominent than babies who were breastfed (Chen and Rogan, 2004). Children that are breastfed have less problems with digestive systems due to the breast milk, a standout amongst the most essential advantages of breast milk is the containing living parts, for example, contamination battling antibodies, white platelets, red platelets, and hostile to viral components (Taylor, 2013). All which are essential to the growth of a newborn's digestive system that formula does not

    Read More

  • Breastfeeding in Public

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people don't particularly like seeing a woman breastfeed. It makes them feel "uncomfortable". Woman are asked to leave the room or to stop breastfeeding by those who feel uncomfortable. Breasts are viewed as sexual items rather than a natural way of providing nutrients and comfort for a child. Some people are against public breastfeeding because they don't want to explain what is going on to their child. Woman are often told that their child is to old to be breastfed. It is no ones business but the mothers how...

    Read More

  • Infant Choking While Breastfeeding

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some mothers complain that they do not produce enough milk for their babies. Ironically, others have an oversupply of milk that their babies choke on it. To help your baby deal with this problem, position your baby's head above your nipple's level so that she is doing “uphill” nu...

    Read More

  • Concept Analysis: Breastfeeding

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mulder, P. J. (2006,). A concept analysis of effective breastfeeding. JOGNN: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 35, 332-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2006.00050.x

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Breastfeeding

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Breastfeeding is a highly debated topic amongst mothers across the world. Every mother has the choice to breastfeed or bottle fed their infant. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion and choice, it is scientifically proven that breast milk is more beneficial for the infant’s health and development and the mother. Breast milk contains extremely beneficial vitamins and nutrients and also has the ability to change according to the infant’s growth and development. Formula companies try to mock breast milk to the best they can, although it cannot be completely composed the same. “Breastfeeding offers immunological and allergy protection to the infant, is economical and convenient as it is always fresh and the right temperature, and provides a great opportunity for the mother and infant to bond” (p. 1052, Potter & Perry, 2011). Research has proven that breast milk is the most

    Read More

  • To Breast Feed or Not to Breastfeed

    3262 Words  | 7 Pages

    Women do not breastfeed long enough. Although healthcare workers try to promote the breast method, many women do not continue with it. Breastfeeding does come with challenges; however, the phrase “breast is best” is the role of the nurse in conjunction with education. A mother a...

    Read More

  • Milk and Cookies

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    mother’s milk to draw a crowd. As more and more mothers are choosing to breastfeed over

    Read More

  • Breastfeeding Essay

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Breastfeeding is the most protective, nutritional, and natural way to provide nourishment to infants.  Human milk contains several nutrients including: vitamins, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and minerals. These nutrients are imperative for an infant’s developmental growth. Human milk also reduces the risk of developing morbidities, especially within premature infants. Premature infants, who are more prone to infection due their immune systems, benefit from human milk. Compared to artificial formulas, human milk provides antibodies and other beneficial nutrients to help with the development of the infant.

    Read More

  • Mothers and Children Benefit from Breastfeeding

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is there any food on earth that can provide the PERFECT nutrition to a human? Yes, and it is breast milk. Breast milk is the perfect nutrition. This superior food contains hormones, live antibacterial and antiviral cells and essential fatty acids (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). All of which are helpful in protecting against any harm. Sicknesses in infants are lowered by the help that breast milk gives. Breastfed children are sick less often than children who aren’t breastfed (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). Breast milk contains all the nutrients that an infant needs as it continues to grow. When the child is brought into the world it has no way to fight off any d...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Breastfeeding

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    Similarly to the previous article, the authors found a men 's opinion toward breastfeeding hosted a significant association between a mother 's choice to breast, or bottle feed her infant. Like mothers, a strong correlation between social conditions, including ethnicity, country of origin, education, and socioeconomic status, was found to have a sizeable impact on the father 's opinion of feeding method. This study, like many others, confirmed that breastfeeding ideals are often formed long before conception. Increasing the focus of breastfeeding to men and women alike through the use of the media, high school curriculums, and programs such as WIC could help make breastfeeding acceptance more widely spread across multi cultures, and also promote it as a socially acceptable

    Read More

  • The Slow Food Movement

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    POPHAM, PETER. "Slow Food’s Carlo Petrini on Biodiversity, Food Politics and Home-cooking." Colorado Table Web. N.p., 10 Dec. 2009. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Breastfeeding is the Best-Feeding

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the arrival of a newborn, parents are immediately faced with myriad of decisions. Should they use cloth or store-bought diapers, co-sleeping or a crib, and what parent gets what shift during the night are just a few. However, one of the most important and more personal choices is between a formula based diet or breastfeeding for their baby to receive his or her required nourishment. It has been proven time and time again that the benefits of breast milk over formula are numerous: they include health, emotional, mental, and financial benefits with the convenience of non-preparation. Breastfeeding is not only the most natural way to provide nutrition for a baby it’s also the most complete way. These benefits do not only benefit the baby, but they benefit the mother as well.

    Read More

  • How Many Cultures Are Not Likely To Eat

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every culture around the world has distinct beliefs that lead them to either consume certain type’s foods, or restrict them from enjoying others. An example of this would be countries on the Eastern hemisphere such as Mongolia, China and India have diverse diets, in comparison to countries in the West hemisphere such as Canada, The US, and Mexico. This is partly attributed to the fact that different regions have different cultures, beliefs and traditions. Many people usually attempt to stay in the culture they grew up in or one who shares many of their similar beliefs and traditions. One of the main reasons cultures also differ in what they consider edible is due to the economic differences people from uncommon cultures experience.

    Read More

More about Food Taboos

Open Document