Hi A.---As a wellness educator, I have learned that cows milk/dairy is a highly allergenic food. The milk proteins are designed to make a baby cow grow up very quickly. Dairy is a leading risk factor for type 1 diabetes, as those allergenic proteins look very much like pancreatic cells and so, in a vulnerable person, can trigger that disease. Please do due diligence and check out these websites: www.pcrm.org, put dairy in the search engine; www.strongbones.org and www.notmilk.com. Another great resource for learning about the relationship between chronic disease and dietary habits is The China Study by T Colin Campbell.
Another result of the classes I am taking is the realization that we have to invest in our health, and that starts with our diet. We have to buy food that is going to give our bodies that best chance at protecting itself from disease. If we do not have enough of the right nutrients, the body will use what it gets for those things it deems most important. That means that it will ignore less vital areas, maybe like skin or nails. It means possible immune system malfunctions, like seasonal allergies.
My last question has to do with why you don't want to use soy? There is MUCH misinformation about soy, most based on faulty research. Good, high quality non-GMO organic soy can be part of an overall healthy diet. People who eat soy on a regular basis have a REDUCED risk of hormonal cancers. The weaker, non-disease phytoestrogens in soy fill estrogen receptors, keeping the stronger, disease causing estrogens out. Research shows that young girls consuming soy as PART of an otherwise balance diet, have a reduced risk of breast cancer, as well as breast cancer survivors having a reduced risk of recurrance. Chick peas and flax also have phytoestrogens in them, but you don't hear anyone warning about consuming them. Anyway, sorry about the soapbox, but the negative info about soy is just plain wrong. Now, allergies are another topic. But, you don't have to take my word for it. If you'd like documentation, I can provide it for you.
Please don't let cost deter you from a food source that may provide your DD with the nutrition she needs. She is still very young and the digestive system very immature. But if she is not getting proper absorption from what she is consuming now, because it is too hard for her to digest, you could be setting her up for health problems in the future.
The classes I am taking are taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition and teaches based on long term research. It is not a matter of the health tip of the day. Again, it is very important to invest in our health, and that includes education. That falls on us to a great degree as most physicians know nothing of the therapeutic power of food. Let me know how I can help. Good luck with your decision making. Be well, D.
