Which is "heathlier" soy milk or cows milk?

Question

What are the nutritional differenences? I am going to start my baby ril on milk and can't decide which will be better for her health. I want to avoid all those hormones... but I don' t want her to miss out on "actual" milks nutrition.

Answer 1

I read an article on Cow's milk in Mothering magazine and am still disgusted by it. Milk really isn't needed and is designed for calves not humans when it gets pasteurized all the dead bacteria stay afloat (hence the milk mustache)
However My oldest still drinks cow milk and y youngest is allergic to milk so He has is fortified vanilla soy milk

Answer 2

The baby show drink COW milk. Only give a baby soy milk if he/she has an allergy to cow milk.
Babies need the milk fat that comes from cow milk. There is a debate whether soy contains all 9 essential amino acids that everyone especially kids need. Some say soy has all 9, some researchers say it doesnt. But animal products all contain all 9 essential amino acids (protein. Building blocks for your body) so best to chose products that come from an animal, like cow milk.
Feel free to bring the discussion up to your baby's doctor. See what the doctor recommends.
Also there is no proof that hormones added to milk effect the human body at all. Or else the FDA would not allow milk to have hormones.
In addition some dairy companies have farmers that pledge to not use hormones such as Hood milk and several other brands (read the labels on the milk bottle). So you have nothing to worry about if you stick to the brands that vow not to use hormones. In addition most store brands of milk are actually brand name milks to. Hood milk also makes supermarket Hannaford milk, so i have heard by people who work for hannaford. Many large companies (drug companies, food companies, even companies that make batteries) will make their product with the brand name label and also make a generic label, which is really their product too.

Answer 3

Soy milk was designed for babies with milk allergies, not because it was healthier. I would talk to your pediatrician about what they would suggest. Most of us were raised on Cow's milk, and most of us turned out fine, the people that think it is gross tend to overlook that part. When you do make the switch, whatever you decide, mix it half & half with formula for about a week to give your baby a chance to adjust to the difference.

Answer 4

Go with organic formula. They sell it generic if you're worried about price. You can also get a free sample can of it at parentschoiceformula.com (at least you used to be able to). Although soy formula is okay for a baby, it's really not suggested unless your child has a milk allergy. Another option is goats milk. It is truly the closest to human milk. Speak with your pediatrician about your concern I'm sure she'll be able to help you further.

Answer 5

Goat milk is actually the best for babies.I give my daughter both cow's milk and goat's milk.I read a couple of articles that said you should never give a baby soy milk.Good luck to you.

Answer 6

soy milk is better because a lot of kids are lactose intolerant or allergic to cows milk.

Answer 7

soy milk is healthier depending on her age. switching to cow's milk too early can cause digestional problems for your baby. it is hard to digest. I just talked to my step-daughter's pediatrician about the same thing and that's what she told me.

Answer 8

Cow's milk. Definitly. Soy milk has been linked to horomone problems later in life. I'll have to find that article again....

Here:

The most serious problem with soy formula is the presence of phytoestrogens or isoflavones. While many claims have been made about the health benefits of these estrogen-like compounds, animal studies indicate that they are powerful endocrine disrupters that alter growth patterns and cause sterility. Toxicologists estimate that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. A recent study found that babies fed soy-based formula had 13,000 to 22,0000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Scientists have known for years that isoflavones in soy products can depress thyroid function, causing autoimmune thyroid disease and even cancer of the thyroid. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female?

Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior. In monkeys, deficiency of male hormones impairs learning and the ability to perform visual discrimination tasks-such as would be required for reading-and retards the development of spatial perception, which is normally more acute in men than in women.

As for girls, an alarming number are entering puberty much earlier than normal, according to a recent study reported in the journal Pediatrics. Investigators found that one percent of all girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three; by age eight, 14.7 percent of white girls and a whopping 48.3 percent of African-American girls had one or both of these characteristics. New data indicate that environmental estrogens such as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) may cause early sexual development in girls and a study in Puerto Rico implicated soy feeding as a cause of early menarche. The use of soy formula in the WIC program, which supplies free formula to welfare mothers, may explain the astronomical rates of early menarche in African American girls.

The consequences are tragic. Young girls with mature bodies must cope with feelings and urges that most children are not well-equipped to handle. And early maturation in girls is frequently a harbinger for problems with the reproductive system later in life including failure to menstruate, infertility and breast cancer.






Which I find to be ABSOLUTELY true because my older sister was the only child in my family that drunk soy milk. She is now 26 and the only one in the family who is infertile.... :( I would keep the soy milk away from my daughter.