My favorite benefit of breastfeeding.

Well, we did it.  We ate our way through the San Francisco Bay Area. 

We've been in California visiting family for the last two weeks, and on this trip we've eaten at our favorite Afghan, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Cal/Mexican places.  My husband and I love spicy, flavorful food, and we frequently plan our outings around opportunities to stop at our favorite places.

The best part is that our three-year-old, Max, can keep up with us bite for bite.  He has a much better spice tolerance than many adults we know.  I credit breastfeeding for this.

Think about it this way:  Does formula change in flavor from bottle to bottle?  No.  Does breastmilk?  Yes.  Breastfeeding is the way we introduce our babies to the diet they will have later in life.

That may be why studies have shown that breastfed babies have fewer eating problems as older children.  An added benefit is that we never have to make special meals for our son because he's always interested in eating what we're eating.  This is my favorite benefit of breastfeeding, edging out the cancer fighting properties which I'll write about someday.

Is this a guarantee that your three year old will be eating honey-chili prawns that make his father break out in a sweat?  No.  Every child is different.  And every once in a while the super spicy Thai curry I ate while breastfeeding seemed to disagree with my son.  But as a means of introducing your baby to the wonderful world of food, I can't think of a better way to start.