The week of taste in Geneva advocates the motto “From field to plate – eating local and seasonal”. Food is fundamental to health. Taste for food is formed from an early age, particularly through breast milk. Each mother’s milk has a variable taste depending on what she eats. It is not a standardized flavor, on the contrary, morning, noon and evening, and depending on the season, breast milk has a flavor that changes. And since the taste buds in the child’s mouth are very sensitive, breast milk gives them a feast of flavors.
In addition to being tasty, breast milk contains living elements to creat a healthy microbiome, to protect the baby and to help building the baby’s immune system: hormones and antibodies, maternal stem cells and human oligosaccharides etc.
Breast milk is a local, fresh, balanced food in a nice “packaging”, the mother’s breast.
No Food waste, no garbage, no transport – it is a perfectly sustainable food – and it is pleasant to consume, just watch the baby suckle.
For more information:
- Semaine du goût (17-27 sept 2020) http://www.ville-ge.ch/semainedugout/
- Have a look at Festival Alternatiba in the Parc des Bastions on Saturday, 26 September, stand “Naîtrensemble” where you will find information on breastfeeding and early childhood.
- Research article Influence of maternal diet on flavor transfer to amniotic fluid and breast milk and children’s responses : a systematic review. Spahn JM et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2019 ; 109(suppl) : 1003S-26S https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30982867/
