Can anyone help me sort through all of the soy milk issues. I'm worried about giving my daughter soy milk because of the estrogen levels that are reportedly present. She's allergic to milk protein so cow's milk is not an option. Everything I read contradicts what I previously read. Any insight??
Thanks so much to everyone!! I have switched my daughter to almond milk although she doesn't like it nearly as much. Her pediatrician doesn't see anything wrong with the soy milk but as a mom I just don't want to take the chance. My daughter is allergic to any milk protein and I have to carry an epi-pen with me in case of ingestion. She was two years old when I found out she was allergic to the milk protein. She spent two years on several rounds of antibiotics, ear tubes, adenoids removed, lots and lots of breathing treatments and way more steroids than I would have ever liked giving her. BUT, when your baby's ability to breathe is a stake your preference for medication goes out the window. She's developmentally (physically) already a year ahead of "typical" development in all ways. She's only five now but I don't want her to keep developing at a pace that is unnatural and the thought of her developing breasts and starting her period at a very young age is terrifying. We'll just stick with almond milk and she'll either acquire the taste for it or not. Either way I'll be sure to get her all the nutrients she may miss out on otherwise.
Thanks again for all the responses!! Please continue to comment if anyone has anything further to add.
Vanilla Almond milk or Vanilla Coconut milk are great alternatives, you can even try rice milk. If you are concerned about calcium, increase her intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Broccoli is a great sorce of calcium!!
My daughter is on soy milk and I was worried as well after reading all the new information. However, I spoke with both my ob and ped and they BOTH said that MOST of this information has NOT been approved by the interternal med board. Also, she would have to be drinking more then a half gallon a day to have the level of estrogen be harmful...which would hurt anyone to be drinking that much a day.
From what I understand, you don't want to go too heavy on the soy because of the estrogen issue and also because most products are made from soybeans that are genetically modified. I think the rule of thumb is everything is moderation. Since your daughter has a dairy allergy, you may want to try out rice milk, almond milk and hemp milk to see if she favors any one of them and tolerates them well.
Wish that I could give you clearer info on this. . . .
I have heard that there is a ton of estrogen in soy milk and not to good for boys or girls. There is also tons of data saying soy is so much better than cows milk. I would talk to your daughters dr. about what milk options you have for your little one. I feel that all the research is so new that there is only contridiction.
I have heard good things about rice milk as an alternative to cow milk. Good LUCK!!!!
Too much soy is bad. Especially engineered soy disguised as milk, there are lots of artificial things going on aside from the estrogen. It's also doesn't contain the essential fats for brain development that milk does. Be sure you get lots of opinions about the allergy, doctors have a habit of saying to cut milk no matter what's going on, and it's very bad for kids. Definitely alternate other sources along with the soy so it isn't all she gets. Almond milk, rice milk, goat's milk and be sure to replace all that protein, vitamin D and calcium she is missing in milk-very hard to do, be diligent!
My son also had problems with cow's milk. He's not totally allergic, but if he had more than one cup of milk a day he got terrible gas. So rather than buying 2 kinds of milk for him we switched to soy. There is actually very little reliable information that suggests estrogen in soy milk is a problem. Our pediatrician is totally ok with him drinking soy. Now that he is older we've started to vary it a little bit, sometimes he gets almond or oat or hemp. Rice milk is fairly low in protein, so I don't give him that. (Soy and almond are highest, followed by oat and hemp.) Definitely buy organic soy milk, because it is a heavily sprayed conventional crop and if it's organic you don't have to worry about it being genetically modified. It is more expensive, but with all of the hormones that they give cows these days I wouldn't give my son cows milk that wasn't organic and then the price difference isn't so much. We get ours at Whole Foods in the aseptic quart containers, if you buy 12 you get a 10% case discount.
My son is also allergic to milk protein and after also getting a slew of negative info., (from well meaning friends) talked to my son's Ped and Allergist which they said, as the other mom's mentioned, there is no reliable and medically approved info to suggest that giving some soy is detrimental to their health! So I made the decision to give my son soy milk and he eats soy yogurt. He did like Rice milk but I also didn't like the fact that there is very little protein. The allergist also said Goat milk was not an option for him as the protein is the same/similar.
I do consider myself lucky as my son has built up his own tolerance to milk protein despite the test showing a high allergy to it, as we didn't catch it until he was 2. So I don't have to worry about the occasional pizza at a birthday or if someone forgets (doesn't know) and gives him ice cream, yogurt, ect. We were actually advised not to cut out dairy entirely as he might lose his tolerance and then have a life-threatening reaction if he does ingest some!!
Ultimately, make the decision that is best for your family!
Best of luck!
My son is also highly allergic to milk, so we ended up using soy. I was also very frustrated by all of the negative info out there and all of the people telling me I was doing the wrong thing by giving him soy milk. I discussed it in detail with his pediatrician, his allergist, and a nutritionist in the allergist's office. All three agreed that soy was our best option, as the other alternatives (rice, almond) did not contain the right balance of nutrients that he needed. In particular, rice was too low in protein. Almond was another allergy risk for him, as he tested positive to several nuts.
It's been over two full years and it still frustrates me to hear all the negative comments about soy. I really didn't feel that there was a better alternative for my son. I'm still not thrilled to be giving him soy, but all of his doctors approved it and agreed that it was best.
These days, there is just as much negative info out there about cow's milk too. It seems that, as moms, we just can't win!!!
K.
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I'm as confused are you are about soy...my daughter LOVES soybeans. My daughter wasn't allergic, but I chose to rotate through all different sorts of milk in order to expand her palate. Have you tried Goat's Milk? It is easier for some folks to digest and is almost always produced without hormones and very often with no/minimum antibiotics.
My son did soy until he was a year (for the extras in it) then we did almond milk after that. He finally grew out of the allergy around 8. He is a fine healthy 13 year old.
I figure "better safe than sorry". We do almond milk. It has just as much Vit D and calcium as milk, not as much protein.
The closest thing to breastmilk is goat's milk, you could try that as well.
Rice milk doesn't have much nutritive value, so I'd only use it as a last resort.
Yes, it's processed soy which is not the same as eating edamame for example. Anything that has been processed has lost it's value. It's like eating a chicken breast is better than chicken nuggets. I haven't read alot about the estrogen thing but I'm guessing it's not great especially for boys. We do almond milk for cooking and for drinking. Neither of my kids drinks much milk though at all.
Ok, is she lactose intolerant or allergic to the milk? Because if she just lactose intolerant you can do the Lactaid pills or Lactose free milk.
Rice milk is a good alternative. Almond milk is more expensive but super delicious, even as a coffee creamer.
I must say, stay away from soy milk. It's not good for kids, boys or girls. It is a great for menopausal women, but not for growing kids.
I'm lactose intolerant and I had to adjust my way of thinking. Drinking milk isn't really a necessity. If you are worried about calcium, milk actually leaches the calcium from the bones. Drinking more water and eating green leafy veggies is the best. As for eating cereal in the morning, ( I can see a kid's want for that) rice milk is just as good. You get used to the taste of any substitute eventually.
My daughter is allergic also to dairy. We discussed it with our doctor and she said given the alternatives to give her the soy formula. Not supposed to give goats milk to children under one so the only real other option was aliumentium (sp?) formula which is expensive and as the doctor said you are treating somthing that is not there. As my daughter is now approaching one she said that we don't need to give her soy milk (we probably will at meals) their are other alternatives. Water is ok not to mention juice rice milk etc. I strongly encourage you to talk to your peditrician though they are the only ones besides you the parents that truely know what will be the best for your child given family and her own health history.
I give my daughter rice milk instead. I was worried about the soy issues...and didn't really want to give it to her. I did decide to try it. However, I didn't even need to make the decision....soy milk didn't agree with her and made her super gassy so that made my decision.
