White Noise: Why Would I Breastfeed my Three Year Old? →

A practical, respectful answer.

#398: I’m tired of explaining my medical condition and food choices to “helpful” folks. « CaptainAwkward.com →

On food policing:

I think the world would be a better place if we stuck to one acceptable way of commenting on what is on a fellow adult’s plate. That way is “That looks delicious” + some variation of “Where did you get it/how did you make it/does it taste as good as it looks/smells/Is it like this other thing that is also delicious?“

[…]

If people could do that, that would solve 90% of your problem right there. You are the boss of what goes on your plate and into your mouth. Other people are the boss of what goes into their own mouths.

[…]

You’re not that person’s doctor? You’re not their nutritionist? You’re not the parent of a young child talking to that child? You’re not running a proposed dish or a restaurant by a dining companion? Then NOTHING you have to say about what they are eating is important.

(Source: plus.google.com)

Green America: Fair Trade: What You Can Do →

Download Green America’s Chocolate Scorecard PDF & use it to help shop for fair-trade Halloween candy! Get child labor out of your chocolates.

(Source: embrita.blogspot.com)

This is the documentary I just watched that got me all conflicted again about being a non-vegan — Vegucated: T. Colin Campbell, Brian Flegel, Joel Fuhrman, Stephen Kaufman. It’s a really interesting guerrilla-style documentary following three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks, learn the truth about animal welfare and the meat and dairy industries, and see how they feel about veganism at the end of it all.

I came away with two distinct thoughts: (1) I should really be a vegan. (2) I really love meat and cheese, too.

New York breastfeeding initiative: more control or more choice? | Organic Baby Atlanta →

Nothing is free at hospitals. Nothing. They charge you for drinking water, diapers, gowns, and maxi pads. The only thing that’s free to a birthing woman at a hospital is formula, which many women don’t even want. And it’s not free because the hospital is concerned about the well-being of hungry babies. It’s free because formula companies pay for it — out of their marketing budget — and give it to hospitals. Because they know that babies who have formula during the first few days are much, much more likely to become long-term customers. How is that ethical? How is that choice?

[…] In New York City, 90% of women walk into the hospital stating they intend to breastfeed. But only 39% of newborns are exclusively breastfed. That means around 50% of mothers are not succeeding in their chosen plan. They’re not formula feeding because they want to — they’re formula feeding because something went wrong.

Ask Moxie: The illusion of choice, the free market, and your boobs →

Taking formula off your bedside table does nothing to change your ability to choose for yourself. If you are not handed a formula sample in the hospital there is NO EFFECT on your ability to give your child formula when you get down to the lobby, when you get home, a week later, six months later. None. If you are given formula in the hospital we know (based on formula company research) that women are less likely to breastfeed. This means that being given formula in the hospital narrows our choices. Not being given formula, no restriction on choice. Being given formula, restriction on choice.

Breastfeeding is More Than a Choice. It is a Challenge. | PhD in Parenting →

Choice, to me, doesn’t mean pressuring moms to breastfeed while shoving formula samples in their bag.Choice means asking the mom, “How can I support you in feeding your baby?”