Homemade Formula

From The Weaston A. Price Foundation

If you are faced with challenges that make it impossible for you to breastfeed and you are unable to get breastmilk donated from a reliable source, here is a "last resort" before buying mass produced formula.

Raw Milk Baby Formula

• 2 cups whole raw cow's milk, preferably from pasture-fed cows

• 1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below) Note: Do NOT use powdered whey or whey from making cheese (which will cause the formula to curdle). Use only homemade whey made from yoghurt, kefir or separated raw milk.

• 4 tablespoons lactose¹

• 1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis²

• 2 or more tablespoons good quality cream (preferably not ultrapasteurized), more if you are using milk from Holstein cows

• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil³

• 1/4 teaspoon high-vitamin butter oil (optional)¹

• 1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil¹

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil¹

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil¹

• 2 teaspoons Frontier brand nutritional yeast flakes¹

• 2 teaspoons gelatin¹

• 1-7/8 cups filtered water

• 1/4 teaspoon acerola powder^{1, 2}

• Put 2 cups filtered water into a pyrex measuring pitcher and remove 2 tablespoons (that will give you 1-7/8 cups water).

• Pour about half of the water into a pan and place on a medium flame.

• Add the gelatin and lactose to the pan and let dissolve, stirring occasionally.

• When the gelatin and lactose are dissolved, remove from heat and add the remaining water to cool the mixture.

• Stir in the coconut oil and optional high-vitamin butter oil and stir until melted.

• Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients into a blender.

• Add the water mixture and blend about three seconds.

• Place in glass bottles or a glass jar and refrigerate.

• Before giving to baby, warm bottles by placing in hot water or a bottle warmer. NEVER warm bottles in a microwave oven.

Variation: Goat Milk Formula

Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folic acid and is low in vitamin B₁₂, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B₁₂, if preparing the Milk-BasedFormula (above) with goat's milk, add 2 teaspoons organic raw chicken liver, frozen for 14 days, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.

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Liver-Based Formula

• 3-3/4 cups homemade beef or chicken broth

• 2 ounces organic liver, cut into small pieces

• 5 tablespoons lactose¹

• 1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis²

• 1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below)

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil¹

• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil³

• 1 teaspoon unrefined sunflower oil¹

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil¹

• 1/4 teaspoon acerola powder^1,2

• Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through.

• Liquefy using a handheld blender or in a food processor.

• When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients.

• Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container.

• To serve, stir formula well and pour 6 to 8 ounces in a very clean glass bottle.

• Attach a clean nipple and set in a pan of simmering water until formula is warm but not hot to the touch, shake well and feed to baby. (Never heat formula in a microwave oven!)

Makes 36 ounces.

Our milk-based formula takes account of the fact that human milk is richer in whey, lactose, vitamin C, niacin, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to cow's milk but leaner in casein (milk protein). The addition of gelatin to cow's milk formula will make it more digestible for the infant. Use only truly expeller-expressed oils in the formula recipes, otherwise they may lack vitamin E.

The ideal milk for baby, if he cannot be breastfed, is clean, whole raw milk from old-fashioned cows, certified free of disease, that feed on green pasture. For sources of good quality milk, see www.realmilk.com or contact a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

If the only choice available to you is commercial milk, choose whole milk, preferably organic and unhomogenized, and culture it with a piima or kefir culture to restore enzymes (available from G.E.M. Cultures 253-588-2922 or http://www.gemcultures.com).

Ingredients

1. Available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333, www.radiantlifecatalog.com.
2. Earlier versions of this web page called for 1 tsp of bifidobacterium infantis and 1 tsp of acerola powder--these were typos.
3. Use only recommended brands of cod liver oil. See our recommendations here.

Instructions

Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folic acid and is low in vitamin B₁₂, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B₁₂, if preparing the Milk-BasedFormula (above) with goat's milk, add 2 teaspoons organic raw chicken liver, frozen for 14 days, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.

Makes about 36 ounces.

Our liver-based formula also mimics the nutrient profile of mother's milk. It is extremely important to include coconut oil in this formula as it is the only ingredient that provides the special medium-chain saturated fats found in mother's milk. As with the milk-based formula, all oils should be truly expeller-expressed.

For more information or FAQ about these formulas please visit the original post on The Weston A. Price Foundation website.