How to heat breast milk without losing nutrients?

Breast milk generally refers to the mother's milk, which is very nutritious and is closely related to the physical development of infants and young children. Of course, the temperature of breast milk is not just right. When some women secrete milk, if they cannot drink so much at one time, they can save it so that the breast milk will not be wasted. The temperature of breast milk also affects the development of the fetus, which is also related to the nutritional content of breast milk. Therefore, it is very important to preserve breast milk and its temperature. If the breast milk becomes cold, be sure to heat it up. There are special heating methods for heating it, which can also preserve the nutrients in the breast milk.

1. Heating method

Breast milk that has been refrigerated or frozen can only be rewarmed in warm water. Too high a temperature will destroy the nutrients in the breast milk. Do not heat breast milk to boiling; do not heat breast milk in a microwave, as this will destroy the immune cells in the breast milk. Heating is done to evenly layer the nutrients. After being refrigerated or frozen, breast milk will be separated into layers, with the fat floating on the top. However, because the fat in purchased milk has been homogenized, the fat has been broken down into smaller pieces and evenly distributed in the milk, so it generally does not need to be heated unless it is absolutely necessary.

2. Warm water heating method

Place the container of refrigerated breast milk directly into heated water. The water should not be too hot. During soaking, shake the container from time to time to ensure that the breast milk is heated evenly. This will also allow the fat in the breast milk to be evenly mixed. The evenly heated breast milk will appear in a vortex shape. If it is frozen breast milk, you can thaw it in a constant temperature room (it takes about 8 hours to thaw completely) or thaw it in cold water and then warm it up like refrigerated breast milk. If you want to heat it directly under a hot water tap, it is best to increase the water temperature little by little. This will damage the enzymes in the breast milk as little as possible and heat it more evenly.

3. Note

Breast milk is rich in protein, fat, lactose (carbohydrate) and vitamins. If boiled, the liquid protein particles will turn into a gel and precipitate; the lactose will break down into lactic acid, causing the milk to change its taste. In addition, the VC in breast milk is easily lost after heating, and the higher the temperature, the lower the preservation rate.