European baby formulas

Lactose Carbohydrates

Natural breast milk is full of lactose as the main carbohydrate. Formulas that are abundant in lactose will be the most similar to breast milk. Even from an early age, most infants have the lactase enzyme that allows them to digest and absorb lactose carbohydrates. Infants that are abnormally sensitive to lactose can be placed on special low-in-lactose formulas that are goats milk based.

Babies that consume lactose from an early age are faster to develop healthy gut bacteria. In comparison to processed and refined sugars, lactose has a lower glycemic index, aiding in the absorbtion of calcium.

Lactose-rich formulas are more typical in European baby formulas than US formulas. You can identify a lactose based formula by looking at the ingredients list. Read the ingredients and find formulas that are based on cow's milk, "organic cow's milk," or "organic skimmed milk" to identify formulas that contain lactose.

Refined Sugar Carbohydrates

Unlike European formulas, US formulas use corn syrup, processed sugars, syrup solids, or brown rice addatives. These ingredients represent the carbohydrate component of US baby formulas, and unfortunately these ingredients are ultimately less healthy than natural lactose found in cow's milk.

In fact, processed sugar addatives are banned in European formulas due to concerns about childhood obesity. Formulas that use sugars as the carb base are considerably more processed than formulas high in lactose.

If your family has a history of obesity or diabetes, it is especially important to consider which type of carbohydrate is the best for babies.

Organic Life Start only delivers lactose-rich formulas because we believe they are genuinely healthier than sugar based alternatives.

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics help develop natural gut bacteria, and are found in natural breast milk. Prebiotics actually aren't digested by your baby's organism, but rather when consumed they help develop cultures of bacteria that "kickstart" your baby's tummy to eventually transition into eating more "adult like" foods. Baby's that are breastfed receive natural prebiotics, so it is important to consider formulas (breast milk supplements) that are high in prebiotics.

As baby's consume prebiotics, their microbiome develops and prepares them for solid foods. Many of Organic Life Start's formulas contain prebiotics. You can find formulas with prebiotics by checking the ingredients list to find prebiotics like Fructooligasaccharides (FOS) and Galactooligosaccharides (GOS).

What are probiotics?

A baby's gut is full of natural bacteria, called probiotics. As a baby ages and matures, this bacteria develops and becomes more complex over time.

Breast milk makes up about 30% of a newborns probiotics. If a baby will not be breastfed, or not breastfed for very long, it is important to consider how you will substitute for these naturally occurring probiotics. Diets low in probiotics will lead to much slower development of your baby's gut, and can increase the likelihood of food-based sensitivities later in life. Probiotics also help your baby's immune response, prevent eczema, and reduce colic. If you see the ingredients Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium then you are choosing a formula that contains probiotics.

Our opinion is that probiotics should be strongly considered when looking for a new formula, or looking to switch formulas towards a healther alternative.

HiPP Dutch products are rich in probiotics.

What is DHA?

DHA, also known as Omega 3, is a long chain fatty acid that is critical to the development of fatty soft tissues such as a baby's eyes and brain. In fact, DHA is so helpful in improved brain development that it is a mandatory component of all European infant formulas. All Organic Life Start formulas contain DHA.

Natural DHA is found in breastmilk, and is a naturally ocurring nutrient. If you are considering formula for your baby, DHA addatives should be a must-have because babies do not produce as much DHA as is required to support growth spurts and early stage mental development.

What is ARA?

Similar to DHA, ARA is another naturally ocurring fatty acid found in breastmilk. ARA helps regulate inflammation and improves the connectivity of neurological synapses.

Formulas rich in ARA are preferrable to those that do not have ARA (or those that contain very little ARA).

Preservatives improve shelf life, but can be toxic.

Synthetic prefervatives such as ascorbic palmitate and beta carotene are commonly found in US made formulas. Synthetic preservatives are often much harder for the body to digest and can build up over time, especially when consumed from a young age.

While the intent of preservatives is to extend shelf life, the reality is that these preservatives allow manufacturers to extend the time in which they can sell very old product stock. Natural formulas with dehydrated milk have equally long shelf life, but do not contain toxic preservatives. Synthetic preservatives are banned in European formulas, which should make anyone think twice before committing to ingredients they can't pronounce.

Avoid man-made nutrients in baby formulas

Early stage development is a sensitive period of time for our little one's life. Many synthetic nutrients are inherently toxic or are processed with highly toxic solvents. Manufacturers prefer to use these nutrients over naturally ocurring nutrients because they are cheaper to source and can be delivered to manufacturing facilities in quantities that will last a manufacturer several years worth of formula.

Avoid nutrients such as lutein, lycopene, taurine, L-carnitine, and L-methionine. All of these man made nutrients are banned in European formulas, but unfortunately are commonplace in US manufactured formulas.

Palm oil in baby formula

Palm oil is commonly found in both US and European baby formulas. Palm oil may cause some digestive issues such as gassiness, but if your baby experiences gassiness you can opt for a formula that is low in palm oil or palm oil free (such as HiPP Comfort). Palm oil is generally accepted as a healthier alternative to soy oil.

Soy oil in baby formula

A formula that does not contain palm oil will most likely contain soy oil. Soy oil is a bit easier to digest, there is evidence that consumption of soy oil early in life leads to severe menstural cramps later in life. Palm oil is considered the safer option between palm and soy oils.

The best formulas are inherently simple in composition.

A balanced baby diet should take similar considerations into account as you would with your own diet. The only difference is that because a baby's stomach is still developing, it is more sensitive to what you put into it.

When choosing a baby formula and reading formula ingredients lists, pay special attention to the types of carbohydrates, the sources of fats, whether a formula contains healthy supplements like as DHA and ARA, and whether a formula is free of man-made and toxic preservatives.

Give your newborn the best start in life by choosing healthy baby formulas.