Fat On The Brain

Your breastmilk contains everything needed for a healthy baby. For extra oomph though, get our recipe for brain growth!

YOUR BABY’S BRAIN is mostly fat! The long chain fatty acids DHA and AA are the most important ones for babies. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid and AA is an omega-6 fatty acid. Other omega-3s you’ll see on food labels are EPA and the plant-based one: ALA. Apart from AA, there are other omega-6s: LA and GLA.

LA and ALA can’t be made by the body like the others can, but it remains important to take in enough of every kind of fatty acid. Of all of them, DHA is the most important. Breastmilk, which is full of DHA, will promote brain development, memory and attention span… in other words, learning ability, which has an impact for the rest of your baby’s life. It also supports eye development and immunity, says registered dietician Zelda Ackerman.

OMEGAS IN YOUR MILK

Whether you are in your twenties or forties, have one child or 10, eat a little or a lot, the composition of your milk will be broadly the same as your best friend’s milk.