1 Question: To soy or no to soy? 2nd Question: Milk, Coconut, Goat, Almond?

Chatty - posted on 04/27/2010

Kristen: No, I wasn't thinking of artificial sweeteners because I definitely know those are bad......someone had told me Stevia was bad and sadly I trusted them and took their word for it! After doing not much research at all I realized they must have been misinformed so I apologized! Not typical of me to jump the gun like that! Sorry again!

Kristen - posted on 04/27/2010

I agree with Maggie Dillard above: pasteurization of ANY beverage isn't good. The beverage industry (including milk) pasteurize beverages to extend shelf life which means greater margins for profit... not because its better for us, the consumers. My milk and juices that I get for my family are fresh and unpasteurized (email me and I'll tell you where and what!).
In response to the stevia comment: Dana, were you think artificial sweeteners? Those ARE bad. But stevia isn't. 1/8 tsp of stevia= 1 cup of sugar. The average American is consuming 150 lbs of sugar/ year. Can you imagine what our children would feel and look like if we took sugar out of their diets?
Christine: you had a great response to your questions... have you decided what you will do with your little ones and the use of soy in the home?
Kristen
kristensherlock@gmail.com

Chatty - posted on 04/11/2010

My bad! I've done a lil' more research and I was sadly misinformed! Sorry!

Stacey - posted on 04/11/2010

what's wrong with stevia?

Chatty - posted on 04/11/2010

P.S. Stacey, although Stevia is a natural sweetner it's extremely dangerous and should be avoided!

Stacey - posted on 04/10/2010

I'm a big believer in raw milk as well. Goat, cow, whatever, but my LO can't handle it. It makes him gassy, so I've been giving him unsweetened coconut milk that I add a drop of stevia to. He loves it! I am still nursing him though too, he's 15 months. I have a feeling that if I could have transitioned him to cow or goats milk after he turned a year I probably would have weaned him, but now that he can't handle dairy, I'm glad I kept up with the nursing!

Kara - posted on 04/09/2010

My son is actually allergic to soy, so he has organic milk or rice milk. Be careful of the plant estrogen in soy products. I would definitely do more research. Your breastmilk is best for your babies, and they get the rest of their nutrition from the food you give them!

Chatty - posted on 04/04/2010

Georgia, we use goat's milk too! Thanks for the article!

Georgia - posted on 04/04/2010

I gave my girls goat's milk.

Excerpt from link below:

"Goat's milk is the ideal food for babies, children and adults. Beneficial for the treatment of asthma, eczema, migraines, stomach ulcers, liver complaints and chronic catarrh, goat's milk also helps babies with colic, habitual vomiting and those not gaining weight."


http://healthnews-nz.com/infants.html

Also, if you decide on

Chatty - posted on 04/01/2010

All soy products are extremely high in estrogen as well.....something to think about!?

Evangelia - posted on 04/01/2010

My son is almost 14 months old and i am raising him vegan (but he eats eggs). The doctor said that soy is the closest to real milk. Soy is very good for you, it is enriched with vitamins (i give my son the silk with dha and calcium b/c it resembles formula). The only problem with soy is that if mixed with other meals it can block the absorbtion of other nutrients. My son has an 8oz bottle of soymilk in the morning about 2 hours before breakfast and then another at night about three hours after dinner. If you do soy yogurt and cheeses then just keep them spread apart from major meals. when he gets a little older i think that it would be fine to test out other milks like almond, rice, and coconut (which i heard is the best). good luck :-]

Chatty - posted on 03/30/2010

I agree with you Maggie about soy products! I had put my daughter on soy products very briefly until I realized how dangerous it is.......we've switched to goat's milk!

Maggie - posted on 03/30/2010

soy is incredibly dangerous. it is only abundant because the government subsidizes the crop, because of incredibly wealthy lobbyists. I truly believe we should do what is best for our families only when we have all the information. did your great ancestors drink soy milk or real milk??? I too was held captive by the ideals that great parents feed their children soy. That is not true, Our bodies need fats, especially saturated fats to survive. we can not get those from soy products. I am not trying to change your mind, just trying to open it.

Chatty - posted on 03/29/2010

Raw milk is dangerous for babies!

Maggie - posted on 03/29/2010

I would not recommend any of those except raw milk and raw goats milk.
I know that sounds crazy, but pasteurized, homogenized milk, should not even be called milk. The process is atrocious!!! many many people who are "lactose intolerant" find they are only processed milk intolerant, and they handle raw milk just perfectly!
It is a tough decision, lots of information. But do what feels right to you. We follow one rule, eat how your great grandparents ate. If they would not recognize the process or the food, then do not eat it!!
http://www.westonaprice.org/Milk-It-Does...
http://www.westonaprice.org/Soy-Alert/

Shannon - posted on 03/25/2010

I've used goat milk. When I stopped nursing my baby, she wouldn't take formula (at first) so i gave her goat milk. It's higher in calories & easier to digest than cow milk. She loved it. She has since started drinking formula so I don't buy goat milk anymore..

I also only buy organic cow milk for my family. Organic doesn't have the hormones in it which my 4 yr old certainly doesn't need...

AMANDA - posted on 03/22/2010

I feel the same way. i don't want to give my daughter(21 months) cow's milk.i was giving her soy b/c thats what i drink but lately i have heard bad things about soy. i just don't know what to give her. i feel like everyday i hear different news about everything.i just want to do whats best--but with this topic im not sure.

Chatty - posted on 03/19/2010

My daughter is 18 months and I was giving her soy milk because she's allergic to the protein in cow's milk BUT I've recently switched to goat's milk! That being said my daughter doesn't actually drink anything but water......I only use the milk for cooking and making smoothies! I don't feel it's necessary to give her milk, which she won't drink on it's own anyhow, as long as I know she's getting her daily intake of CALCIUM, GOOD FATS, and PROTEIN......



The main reason I chose goat's milk is because it's easier to digest than cow's milk!

Anne - posted on 03/18/2010

Your own milk is best. They don't need to get protein and calcium from milk - there is plenty in pulses and dark green veg and a study showed that cows milk doesn't have a positive effect on bone density. The milk protein is thought to leach calcium out of your bones. http://www.circleofmoms.com/track_link.p...
There are a lot of pollutants in cows milk and as you say it is an allergen. Sounds like you have done quite a bit of research and are wisely wanting to avoid cows milk. I hadn't heard that anyone thought soy lecithin was bad, only that it was good for your brain. Anyway, is there a reason you can't just give them breastmilk without another type of milk? If so then I think the almond and coconut milks you are giving will be fine - they won't be in huge quantities will they? I have heard goats milk is closer to human breastmilk than cows milk is. A mum from another thread posted this link and I think it is very informative and has a section on cows milk you might be interested in http://www.rense.com/general20/meant.htm

Janan - posted on 03/18/2010

I give my 2 year old Enfamil Soy Based Next Step, she is very healthy & eats tofu daily. Again, very healthy. A couple weeks ago, my husband had a bad cold, she didn't end up getting it, to our surprise. We live in a very small 1 bedroom apartment, so we can't avoid contact. I really feel a healthy diet is mainly the reason for her being able to resist this cold. The other "Milks" really do not have much "protein" and vitamins. So I give her the Enfamil Soy based Next Step, so she get's a full days vit's no matter what. She eats only Fruits & Veggies too. She has Tofu (as mentioned) for protein, avocado, loves water melon, loves apples, loves salad veggies finely chopped of course, (although I give her a whole tomato & whole apple) she loves healthy foods. Soy is fine. The only main issue is "estrogen" in it. Cow's milk is uneccessary, but they do need a protein building drink. Plain soy milks are not enough,by themselves. maybe a smoothie, Soy, Almond, whatever kind of "milks" mixed with banana or something to make a smoothie like drink might be of help?? But so far soy has been fine. My lil one is in 95th percentile of development. She is VERY strong. She can literally push a love seat sofa aside (it's on tile floor) when she wants it outta her way! Also has been able to push a 5 gallon Poland Sping water cooler bottle outta her way too. (again, on same tile floor) So her bones are obviously strong & her muscles too. Hope this helps