Ingredients in Formula Explained
First, let’s start off by stating the obvious: it so great that we have baby formula as an option to feed our babies for families who want to or need to. I formula fed my firstborn after struggles to breastfeed, so I personally know the road to offering formula. I just wish I had educated myself a bit before walking this road.
Formula Education is Lacking
When I knew it was time to offer formula, I ended up just using whatever my pediatrician handed me and I didn’t pay much attention to the ingredients. I also wasn’t given any information to better help me understand ingredients, the different kinds of formula, or what I should look for in a formula if I could choose what to offer. While my son tolerated the formula I gave just fine, I wish I had been more educated about formula and looked into ingredients a little more. Knowledge is power, and just like there are ingredients that we may want to avoid in foods if we can, there are ingredients in formula that aren’t as nutritionally strong as others. And it’s important to know about them!
When I was pregnant with my second, I made sure to do my research about ingredients. I had decided on a formula that I wanted to try if I needed to offer some. Not only did I take ingredients into account, but I also factored in accessibility and price, too (because those are also super important!) I felt much better about my feeding journey because I had the education to make informed decisions.
So, maybe you’re casually researching formulas and the ingredients they contain in preparation for your baby’s arrival. Or maybe you find yourself in a more frantic position trying to figure out what all these ingredients in formula are, because you weren’t exactly planning to use formula, but it turns out that it’s the best thing for your family now. Whichever position you find yourself in, know that educating yourself will help you feel good about the decisions you make around formula. The nutrition we give our babies matters in the short-term and the long-term, so digging a little deeper into the ingredients in store-bought nutrition (i.e., formula) is important and worth your time.
Our registered dietitian breaks formula down for you here:
Types of Formula
The main types of formula include:
Cow’s Milk Based
Goat’s Milk Based
Soy Based
Partially Hydrolyzed
Extensively Hydrolyzed/ Hypoallergenic
Lactose Free/ Reduced Lactose
Typically, if there are no allergies or digestive discomfort symptoms, a cow’s milk formula (organic, if you’d like) is a good place to start. Goat’s milk based formulas can be a bit gentler on the stomach if needed, and are similar to cow’s milk formulas in terms of nutrients.
What is Formula Made Of?
All infant formulas are made of the following main components: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The specific sources of these components can vary and there can be other featured ingredients added such as prebiotics and probiotics. Here we list out the main sources for you in each of the components of formula:
Main protein sources: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, soy
Main fat sources: Palm oil, palm kernel oil, soy oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil
Main carbohydrate sources: lactose, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, corn maltodextrin, glucose syrup, brown rice syrup and sucrose.
Vitamins and Minerals: All formulas are required to contain 27 vitamins and minerals that are essential to baby’s growth with minimum and maximum amounts regulated by the FDA, therefore there is little variation between formulas.
It’s important to know that due to the variation of ingredients in infant formula, they are not all created equal. Some ingredients are more desired, and some are best to avoid or limit if you can.
Here is our round-up of ingredients that aren’t as nutritionally strong as others and are recommended to avoid or limit if you can:
Formula Ingredients to Avoid or Limit
Soy
Soy is an alternative protein source typically recommended for babies who cannot tolerate standard cow’s milk formula, or for families who want to avoid animal products. Unless your baby has one of the rare conditions called galactosemia or lactase deficiency, then soy formula is not indicated for use. Even if a family follows a vegan diet, we recommend considering giving their baby formula derived from cow’s or goat’s milk for optimal nutrition. Soy formulas contain soy protein isolates that are usually made from GMO soy, unless they are organic. Soy formulas are also high in phytoestrogens, aluminum, and antinutrients (oxalates, phytates, etc) that can interfere with protein digestion. (1,2)
You can check out the AAP’s stance on soy formula here.
Non Lactose Carbohydrate Sources (Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Glucose Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Sucrose)
Ideally the main and/or only carbohydrate source source in formula would be lactose. Lactose is the carb source found in breast milk and babies are born with the lactase enzyme meant for digesting lactose. The other carb sources added to formulas (Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Glucose Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Sucrose) are cheaper to make, taste sweeter and do not utilize the baby’s lactase enzyme to digest. (3) There is a rare circumstance when a lactose free formula may be necessary, but that is for a rare genetic condition called congenital lactase deficiency. Overall, lactose is the most ideal carbohydrate source, so looking for that on the ingredient list is recommended.
Palm Oil
According to The Baby Formula Expert, Dr. Bridget Young, palm oil provides a large amount of palmitic acid, similar to the fat in breast milk, so it is often the primary fat in formula. But, palmitic acid from palm oil is not absorbed as well as the palmitic acid from breast milk and sometimes the unabsorbed palmitic acid from formula can bother sensitive stomachs. (4) The unabsorbed palmitic acid can react in the intestines in a way that decreases the absorption of calcium from the formula - it is pooped out instead of absorbed. Several studies have shown that babies drinking formula with palm olein oil absorb 40% of the calcium from their formula vs babies consuming formula without palm olein oil who absorb 55% of the calcium. Breast fed babies absorb 60% of the calcium from breast milk. Formula contains more calcium to compensate for the lower absorption rate. (4) Consider avoiding palm oil as the primary fat source if baby is struggling with constipation or is premature. Instead look for a formula with a higher amount of other fat sources, such as coconut and sunflower oils.
Carrageenan
This is a thickening agent used to stabilize formula, mostly found in ready-to-feed formulas. It is approved by the FDA for use in infant formula, but is prohibited by the EU. There is a lot of research linking carrageenan to intestinal inflammation, so because it is not a necessary ingredient in formula at all (no nutritive or flavor benefits), we would advise to steer clear of it if you can! (5)
GMOs
There are so many issues with genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), but one of the main ones is that if an ingredient is genetically modified that means it was likely heavily sprayed with pesticides and/or herbicides, including glyphosate. Minimizing your baby’s exposure to glyphosate is very important for their future health and even recommended by the AAP. (6) Choosing an organic formula, if you have access to one, will ensure that none of the ingredients come from animals that were fed GMO feed and the oils and carb sources cannot come from GMO sources.
At the end of the day, finding a formula that is available, accessible and one that your baby tolerates is the best formula for your baby.
That will look different from baby-to-baby and family-to-family. Educate yourself and make the decision that’s best for you!
For more about formula brands and all the ways of feeding your new baby, be sure to check out our Infant Feeding Handbook!
Sources
Concerns for the use of soy-based formulas in infant nutrition. Paediatr Child Health. 2009 Feb;14(2):109-18. PMID: 19436562; PMCID: PMC2661347.
Burrell SA, Exley C. There is (still) too much aluminium in infant formulas. BMC Pediatr. 2010 Aug 31;10:63. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-10-63. PMID: 20807425; PMCID: PMC2939626.
Komisarska P, Pinyosinwat A, Saleem M, Szczuko M. Carrageenan as a Potential Factor of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Nutrients. 2024 Apr 30;16(9):1367. doi: 10.3390/nu16091367. PMID: 38732613; PMCID: PMC11085445.
