True Confession: I Used to Buy Leftover Breast Milk for Workouts
There are somethings in the world that should just be left unsaid, but those who know me should realize that I have zero shame whatsoever.
It all started back in college.
I had a couple of bodybuilding suitemates by the names of Dane and Armin who introduced me to the idea of using breast milk for nutritional purposes. At first, I thought this was the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. Consuming milk that came from a human? Absolutely not, no way in hell.
Eventually, I caved and tried a little from a supply they had and added some Hershey's syrup to make it more bearable and in all honesty, it wasn't all that bad.
I was hooked and was all in on this strange yet trendy fad in the world of fitness.
My thought process to all of this was simple: if breast milk helps with the growth of a baby, then why can't it be continued to be used as an adult for muscle gains? Silly, I know, but it was quickly ensconced into my fitness regiment and I wasn't turning back now.
According to MensHealth.com, "One cup of breast milk contains about 170 calories a cup (20 more than whole milk), 10 grams of fat, 16 carbs, and 2 grams of protein (5 less than whole milk), as well as vitamins and minerals."
If you're someone who is super into counting macros, and can use these nutrients to substitute or add onto your diet, then I see no harm in doing so. After all, it's all-natural, what's the worst it'll do to you besides make you gain a little bit of weight? It's science and everything adds up.
However, speaking of adding up, the price of breast milk was getting to be a little much and a bit on the expensive side. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America states that the average amount for just an ounce of breast milk is $1.50. Do you realize I was paying $5 on the street for this? Talk about getting ripped off, but if it helped out the mother then I had no problem paying for something that I assumed was beneficial.
To this day, I'm still on the fence if it was a good idea or not, but the past is the past.
For anyone who thinks I'm an absolute monster for taking breast milk from babies, you couldn't be any more wrong.
First of all, the milk I was purchasing was from friends only, no strangers were involved in the bartering transaction of breast milk. Secondly, I would only purchase milk that was in abundance or overstocked. In other words, once the baby was finished drinking breast milk and didn't require it anymore, instead of it going to waste I would buy it to help out the family while getting my nutrients in after my workouts.
Finally, I will say this: I do realize that some women can not produce or have trouble producing enough milk for their babies and require help from milk banks and other moms. I'm not here to take away from any baby. I make sure that the mother is comfortable with selling her own supply.
After all, it's her body and her choice as to what she wants to do with it. If she decides to donate it, that's great, but if she decides she wants to make a little money on the side and sell her breast milk, then I'm not going to stop her from doing so.
So, there you have it, a short story of the days when I thought drinking breast milk to improve my fitness and grow muscle was a good idea. As I look back on this, I realize two things: I could have saved that money toward buying a new house, and if it worked, it worked, but I'll never truly know.
It is what it is at this point, there's no looking back.