In the course of breastfeeding your baby, there will inevitably be times when it seems there just isn’t enough milk to keep him satisfied. It happens to everyone, but knowing this doesn’t make it any easier. When faced with constant demands to breastfeed, mothers may doubt their body’s ability to nourish their child. Usually the supply is just fine, but there are several ways to increase it.

Why Is My Baby Always Hungry?

Growth spurts are usually responsible for these back-to-back feeding frenzies. At several points in an infant’s development, he will have periods of rapid growth and his nutritional requirements will increase. He’ll nurse more often, which will in turn build up the supply. When the supply increases to the level he needs, the nursing frequency should subside. Do not supplement the baby with formula or offer cereal during these growth spurts. Supplementation will reduce the nursing frequency, but it will also reduce the milk supply.

Take Care Of Yourself

You can help your body do its job in producing milk by taking care of yourself. Get adequate rest (not always easy!), eat healthy meals, and drink lots of water. Water and rest are essential for milk production! Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Take a day off from your regular routines; spend time in bed snuggling with your baby and nursing on demand.

Express Yourself

Expressing your breast milk either manually or with a breast pump may also help increase your supply. This is essential for mothers who work away from the home or have to spend time away from the baby for any reason. If you and baby are separated, try to use the breast pump at least every four hours, emptying both breasts. If you can’t store the breast milk in a cooler or refrigerator, don’t despair about dumping it. The act of expressing the milk ensures that there will be more where that came from.

Herbal Remedies

If you feel that a little extra help is needed, there are various herbs that are useful in building the milk supply. Fenugreek is probably the best known. It comes in capsules, or in a tea. Follow the directions on the package. Don’t use more than the suggested amount or you may find that your cups runneth over! Other herbs that may increase milk supply include blessed thistle, raspberry leaf, fennel, and brewer’s yeast. Mother’s Milk Tea, available at health food stores, combines various herbs for a pleasant-tasting beverage.

Things To Avoid

If you’re trying to build up your milk supply, the last thing you’ll want to do is something that may actually work against your efforts. The most important thing to avoid is supplementation of any kind, for at least the first six months. No formula, water, juice, cereal, or other foods should be given to the baby no matter how difficult it may seem or how tired you are at 3:00 a.m. Avoid birth control pills that contain estrogen (mini-pills are safe, since they only contain progesterone), implants, or injectables. (Injectable birth control is generally considered safe, but it’s not foolproof and once injected there’s no way to stop the process.) Antihistimines can reduce the milk supply, as can various herbs such as mint, aloe, ginseng, golden seal, green tea, guarana, and ma huang.

After following these guidelines to increase milk supply, if you’re still having trouble and fear that the baby isn’t receiving enough nutrition, please consult with a lactation consultant or contact a La Leche League leader. Visit http://www.lalecheleague.org to find a group in your area.

Proponents of a raw food diet swear its benefits make it worth the switch from cooked food. However, if you’re eating a traditional diet you’re probably wondering what’s so bad about cooked food?

Well, raw foodists say that this is not a new way of eating, but the original way of eating for humans and animals. They say that food cooked above a temperature of about 118 degrees loses its nutritional benefit, and that humans are the only animals on the planet that cook their food, and we are the sickest.

While the vitamins, fats, and other nutrients remain in food after it is cooked, they are in a greatly altered state that the body cannot use as easily as when the food is raw. The molecular structure of the food has changed. In addition, enzymes in the foods are killed when the food is cooked. Enzymes are the catalysts that enable the body to use minerals and vitamins.

In the past it was believed that cellulose was unnecessary to the body because it contained no nutrition. Now we know that this is fiber and needed for digestion. Raw foodists believe that cooked fiber loses its ability to transport food through our digestive tract.

People who eat a totally raw diet have certain staples in their kitchens. A mainstay of the raw food lifestyle is a blender to grind seeds, grains, and other ingredients. Fresh spices and herbs are liberally used to give food more flavor. Another staple in the raw food kitchen is a juicer. Many foods are juiced for nutritious drinks. The pulp that’s left from these fruits and vegetables is used in other recipes. Lastly, a dehydrator is necessary for fruits and vegetables. A dehydrator is necessary to preserve food in its raw state and use later in various recipes.

Not all proponents of raw food eat raw food 100 percent of the time. Many adopt the Hallelujah Diet which is 85 percent raw and 15 percent cooked. In social situations, raw foodists tend to eat what’s being served or they offer to bring a raw dish. While most people agree organic food is better because it’s free of toxins, feeding a family can be expensive. People find a mix between organic and foods grown with traditional pesticides that they feel comfortable with.

Evidently the raw food trend is becoming popular with celebrities as well. Such people as Carol Alt, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Donna Karan, and Lisa Bonet have all sung the praises of raw food. When interviewed, they all stated that the raw food diet helped them lose weight. Other benefits noted were a general feeling of well being, clear headedness, fewer illnesses, clear skin, more energy, and less need for medication.

Many times people with chronic illnesses or allergies say their health problems disappear after a month or two of eating raw. Others say they experience improved vision. Health professionals say that this is due to getting the daily requirement of fruit and vegetables—not because they’re raw. Nevertheless, proponents of the raw food diet believe their health is derived from eating food in its natural state.