While it is a well-established fact that breast milk is the best form of nutrition for infants, have you ever wondered what does breast milk tastes like? Many women often ponder the question to determine if their baby is getting healthy breast milk. It is also believed that changes in breast milk’s taste may affect the breastfeeding baby’s appetite. This post carries answers to your questions regarding breast milk’s taste, factors affecting it, and whether it is okay for you and your partner to taste breast milk.
What Does Breast Milk Taste Like?
Human breast milk tastes sweet and creamy and a lot similar to cow’s milk. This interpretation, however, varies from person-to-person. Some people find breast milk heavily sweetened, almost like honey or sugar water, while others recall it being sweet-salty. Whatever the perceived taste, the vital point to note is that breast milk does have a peculiar taste. But if that’s the case, you may wonder how does breast milk gets its taste?
What Gives Breast Milk Its Taste?
Human milk’s flavor relies on its nutritional composition, greatly influenced by what you eat during the lactation period. Evidence suggests that a mother eating a well-balanced diet containing foods from different food groups exposes her young one to varying flavors from a young age. It could impact your baby’s food choices later in life since they would be more likely to accept foods with a familiar taste (1) (2).
Factors That Affect Breast Milk Taste
Below are some of the significant factors that could affect the flavor of breast milk.
Can Adults Consume Breast Milk?
An adult may try their or their partner’s expressed breast milk. You must avoid trying or letting your partner try breast milk if you can transmit any infection through it. Some people wish to try someone else’s breast milk, but doing so can be potentially dangerous since it could cause the transmission of dangerous pathogens, including HIV and hepatitis viruses.
