Why shouldn't I give him soya????

[VeganMoominGirl]

Ok, My son is 16 months and vegetarian. Today at the baby clinic, I was advised by two health visitors to stop giving him soya. They were unable to give a proper explanation why but both mentioned something about the oestrogens in the plants mucking around with babies fertility. I asked whether they thought it dangerous to eat and drink soya products during pregnancy, as I did during Oscar's pregnancy (plus we're trying to conceive at the moment), and neither of them would commit to saying yes or no and were evasive. They're usually very supportive and have been very positive about the fact that I'm continuing to breastfeed him, so this has come as a bit of a shock, not to mention confusing! Can anyone shed any light please? Thanks xxx

[FR]

This has been discussed elsewhere on the board. Basically, plant estrogens are different than human estrogens and have no effect on the human male body. It is way more dangerous to feed a baby or young child (or adult for that matter) cow’s milk. Soymilk is a lot healthier and unless your child is allergic to soy, there is no reason to listen to stop feeding him soy-based foods. Of course, breastfeeding is best.

Just wondering, is there any reason why you are raising him vegetarian as opposed to vegan?

[tipsy]

ive heard people being advised against giving soy to young children because of the allergic possiblities of the food. its the same reason they advise against giving infants nuts.

but yet nothing against dairy.... though more than 1/3 of the world wide population is intolerant...:rolleyes:

im not sure on this one, i would consult vegan child rasing books.... if it were me.

[Yoggy]

I heard that the properties of the phyto-estrogen found in soya are still under investigation. But isn't cow milk even more full of estrogen, since it comes from a female, lactating animal? Surely if one had to choose, the soya would be the better alternative. To be on the safe side, I tend to consume soya in moderation, but I don't avoid it completely.

[FR]

Off topic a bit, I’ve read the hormones added to cow milk are so dangerous that when giving them to a newborn they run risk of developing a sexual identity crisis. So, when people say they are the opposite sex trapped inside the wrong body, that could be one of the causes.

I suppose it depends on which studies you look over, and which ones you believe.

[Tigerlily]

CC should know more about this!

[Gorilla]

i wouldn't be surprised if the hormonal problems i still suffer from are a result of the hormones in the cows milk i was made to drink as a child. of course, no doctor i've ever seen would consider the possibility of this though. apprently the fact that many women these days have hormonal disturbances is 'just one of those things' :(

[Tigerlily]

Would the increase of estrogen make women more fertile? If so, why are more women infertile now?

[Gorilla]

i wouldn't know exactly what effect it'd have, but i would've thought the introduction of unnatural hormones into a child's diet can affect their hormonal development later in life.

[Poison Ivy]

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babyfeeding/1200425.html

http://www.drgreene.com/21_536.html

These two links seem to suggest it shouldn't be a problem, I've just been having a quick look and the majority of places linking phyto-oestrogens to possible problems in infants tend to be westonprice, mercola, dairy councils etc who don't really have an unbiased view:rolleyes:

If you are concerned about it have you considered giving a fortified rice milk instead of soy milk and using beans, pulses etc as main protein sources and saving soy based foods as occassional foods:)

[piggy]

i'm not sure about the harmful effects of soya, but i think the key is to give it in moderation, ie, it shouldn't be the main component of his diet. as long as your breastmilk remains his base food, all should be fine

i found this on a very trustworthy website :) :

"A very high percentage of babies allergic to dairy, are also to soy formula milk and so if problems like mucus and skin rashes don't disappear when on soy formula, that could be the cause. Consider the special formula milks in that case. Special formula milks are quite expensive but in the long run really worth it, as they save a lot on medical bills due to improved health."

[VeganMoominGirl]

Thanks for all your replies so far. I kinda knew the whole oestrogen thing was baloney, but it throws me a bit when I hear health professionals quoting spurious information (either about soya, about veganism, the list goes on... lol!) The guy who owns my local health food shop is a nutritionist and also a vegan. I had a word with him today and he laughed when I told him what the HV had said! It's not as if Oz gets very much soya in his diet. I give him the soya milk to drink purely for the variety. He gets most of his milk from me, which is the best he could be getting, plus he has a pretty good diet anyway. Aaaarggh! I'm usually pretty confident about what he eats, and this has really made me start questioning myself. Do health visitors know how undermining they can be? :mad: Anyway, thanks again :)
Oh, and to answer the question why he's vegetarian and not vegan - it's a compromise I've had to make with my omni (but very vegan friendly) partner. He thinks Oz should make his own choice. I argue how can he make a choice when I can't explain to him (yet) that meat is dead animals? So vegetarian he is :rolleyes:

[aubergine]

You hold on in there. Although I have a Doctor friend who is a real gem, most of the Doctors / Nurses / whatever have been far from helpful.

Shame really.

[Pilaf]

There's basically an entire chapter or two in "The China Study" which address modern health professionals' disdain of anything vegan.. it basically comes down to them being purposely trained to perserve the status quo.

[aubergine]

Ooh, I'm reading that next.

[FR]

I argue how can he make a choice when I can't explain to him (yet) that meat is dead animals? So vegetarian he is :rolleyes:

Seems like there is one of three choices you can make for him. All of which, you're deciding on his behalf, and none of which he is deciding for himself. He can either be:

- Omni (shudders at the thought)
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian (which is not healthy)
- Vegan (You're one, seems like the best choice to me ;) )

I hope you reconsider. Young vegans are truly amazing. I know of one and she is so healthy, happy, and full of energy. It is a joy to see.

[Bunny]

I would love my children to be vegan, but my ex-partner won't hear of it. I just do what I can at home and hope that when they are old enough to understand my reasons for veganism, then they will choose my way.

It is difficult when the father of your children doesn't agree with your choices. You cannot force him too, especially not when you are going against the grain anyway - there is so little support. So I think that all you can do is keep strong and do your best.