Ways of eating idlis

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 During my trip down South, I had the opportunity to watch common people enjoy traditional southern foods. Idlis are one such popular food items that can be consumed anytime of the day. They can be had during breakfast, lunch, or dinner or anytime in between.  Idlis are traditionally South Indian delicacies. They are rice and lentil cakes that are steamed. They are usually salty but in Mauritius, you will find sweet varities as well in small shops and restaurants there.  Idlis are healthy food items and are a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. They have minerals and vitamins and have the goodness of fermented foods too. They are served with sambhar (curry made of dal) and chutney (coconut, tomato or the like). Some also savour them with yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) or spice mix (podi).  Idli pizza A modern twist to idli dish has been as idli masala (idlis usually small-sized covered with spices), idli fry (idlis usually small-sized that are...
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Human Milk Banks and Ethics!!! Should human milk donating mothers be compensated?

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Human milk banks have cropped up in various countries of the world because studies showed that mother's milk was better than formula milk for preterm babies. It prevents necrotising colitis in children. Cochrane analysis has also shown similar findings. But in this, donor mothers spend their time and efforts to make available the milk for other babies. So the question is that should these mothers be compensated for it? 

Pros of compensation for donating mothers

Mothers who are donating their breast milk for other babies are taking out time out of their busy schedules to do so. Besides, there are efforts and sometimes pain involved in pumping breast milk. It is a sort of sacrifice that the mother is doing and she is doing some good deed. So it is very important that she be compensated for this work she is doing for society and other mothers and their children. It cannot be just put as a form of nobility and sacrifice and merely lauded with no monetary appreciation.

Human breast milk donation [Source: What to Expect]

 

Money has an important place in the life of everyone and hence money given to such mothers could be used in places where she finds it necessary. Besides, the introduction of monetary compensation would motivate more mothers to come forward and donate her breast milk for other babies. This would lead to sufficiency of breast milk for such babies and the human milk banks would be able to meet the demands adequately. Mothers so compensated would not feel cheated and depressed that their breast milk is being harnessed for other babies. 

Cons of monetary compensation

Some people who are skeptical of providing money as a motivation for such mothers talk about altruism and its use in breast milk donation. Karleen Gribble, PhD, an adjunct associate professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University in Australia told: 

“The reasons are centered around altruism. They want to help somebody,”

“But if you put money into it, then you’re adding something. You know, you have quite a different motivation.”

A healthy baby [Source: Mothers Milk Bank]

Some fear that the motivation may end up with greed and some mothers might give away more milk and this would lead to starvation of their own babies. There are also chances of adulteration of donated breast milk with water or cow's milk due to the same factor. Pediatrics journal had published a study that showed that 10% of such donated breast milk samples had cow's milk in it. But does this element of greed not happen with other forms of donations such as blood, organ, tissue, sperms but the monetary package still continues in those cases!

The situation in the USA

In the USA, non-profit organizations and institutes do not pay the donors but the for-profit human milk banks do pay the donors. Such money is also exchanged during the direct sharing of milk amongst mothers. 

Besides, the non-profit human milk banks in the USA charge the recipients $5 per ounce of milk donated. This is to meet the cost of screening, processing and storing of the donated human milk. Dr Lawrence Noble from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York said: 

“Although the milk is donated, there are expenses, such as milk processing, milk distribution, and buying of pasteurizers, freezers, and bottles,”

Donated breast milk and preterm babies [Source: Mothers Milk Bank]

Some of these recipient mothers have insurance plans that make the payments on their behalf. There has been a controversy raised on this as well that says that milk should be given based on the medical necessity and not on the financial capacity of the mothers. 

Everything said and done, the mothers who donate breast milk should not be taken for granted and made to donate based on talks of altruism and nobility. Besides, all priceless commodities carry a price tag and human breast milk is also one of them!!! Proper supervision and monitoring would prevent misuse of this useful donation and when a sperm donor, blood, and an organ donor is compensated, why not a human breast milk donor??? Let us stop putting anything related to a mother in the socket of nobility!!!

Also, read https://lifensocietyblog.blogspot.com/2020/11/new-study-italy-origin-covid-19.html

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