I’ve had my body tested several times for different toxic chemicals and the results are always somewhat sobering and simultaneously empowering. When I participated in the Silent Spring Study looking at a wide array of toxic chemicals found in consumer products and pesticides, I was encouraged to see that years of choosing safer products had paid off.
When I had my hair tested to understand the mercury levels in my body, I was disheartened to see that despite eating sustainable fish, I still had slightly above average levels in my body. So when I mailed off my breast milk, I was a bit nervous.
The Lactation Lab is a great company that has recently allowed me to easily test my breast milk for nutrition factors like the fat content of your milk and a few heavy metal contaminants that are naturally occurring in the environment and foods. It’s incredibly simple to use, is affordable, and the results came in within weeks.
What Lactation Lab Tests For:
You can read through the full list and descriptions here, but I highly recommend getting the premium package which tests for the following:
- Fats
- Calories
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Calcium
- Iron
- Vitamin A, C, B12
- DHA
And the following heavy metals (detection limit is one part per trillion), which are naturally occurring and can be found in foods and consumer products. I was thrilled to have “non-detect” levels of all four of these in my breast milk!
- Lead (more on lead in consumer products here)
- Arsenic (more on arsenic in rice here)
- Mercury (more on mercury in fish here)
- Cadmium
Here’s How It Works:
1 – Pump milk for a 24 hour period
2 – Mix milk together for a comprehensive sample
3- Pour 30ml of breast milk into the tube provided for you
4- Freeze the milk
5- Register online (takes 60 seconds)
6- Ship in the pre-paid envelope
Sample of my results
As you can see, the results come in an easy to understand pdf with tips for improving the nutrition of your milk!
I would encourage you to ask your employer to offer Lactation Lab to its employees, or you can purchase the kit online HERE.
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