What milk and why?

[hipumpkins]

I am sooo milk confused. I have purchased many differnt kinds and can't seem to fnd one that DD likes. I don't really like milk at all so i am at a loss of what to give her...beisdes BM. I have tried Soy, Vanilla Soy, Organic, and Vanilla rice milk. I bought chocolate soy today but I haven't given it to her yet b/c I am not sure if I want to use chocolate as an alternative. Should the chocolate soy be used as jsut treat or is it good for her? I noticed the soy and rice milks are low in fat and isn't she supposed to have the fat?
My DD is 14 mos and still nurses strong but I would like to have an alternantive once in while that I could offer her. What do you use and can you please tell me why?

[village idiot]

I am interested in this too, for many of the same reasons.

[ja mama]

My boys drink plain soy. But, I believe bm and water are really the only drinks our bodies need. I have heard that the way our systems are set up is that fluid is for hydration and food is for nutrition, once we're weaned. There are no other species that drink fluid other than water once they are weaned. Food (or dronk) for thought at least. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

[MamaMonica]

My kids like the Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Drink. It's also only $1.09 a box here.

[Worldshakerz]

I would go with raw cow's milk from a grass-fed cow, if you can get it. Nutritionally it is superior to all the other drinks you mentioned (except bm of course). The raw milk has enzymes that make it very digestible and the calcium is extremely easy to absord unlike pasteurized milk. Check out this website for info: www.realmilk.com

[tessamami]

Soy can be a hard food to digest, unless it is tempeh or miso. Why not milk? Or rice milk or nut milk? Juice? My DD also likes water with lemon in it. It's a twist on the same old. Also, if you are experiencing winter like we are, we give DD soups, teas (herbal), etc.

We gave up soy years ago because of the dangers of soy. I think if you do a search on it you'll find more. Also go to http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/Marketplace.htm or http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter...1.htm#surprise if you want to read more.

I pulled some quotes from the Susun Weed article. Some points she makes:

The phytates and other anti-nutrients in soybeans are only partially deactivated during ordinary cooking and can produce gas, reduce protein digestion, and create chronic deficiencies in children. . . .

Another way to moderate the harmful effects of tofu and other unfermented soybean products is to eat tofu with meat or fish, as is traditionally done in the Orient.

The soy industry recognized that, according to a spokesman: "The quickest way to gain product acceptability in a less affluent market is to have the product consumed on its own merit by those who are more affluent." Thus these soy byproducts have been cleverly marketed to resemble traditional foods: soy milk malteds, soy baby formula, soy yogurt, soy ice cream, soy cheese, soy hot dogs, and so on. Let's face it: these are fake products, not health foods.

Note:
1) I am well aware that one man's food is another man's poison.
2) I am not knocking natural, fermented soybean products, such as miso and tempeh, small amounts of tofu in seaweed soups, etc.
3) As for formula, not every mom can or wants to breastfeed - but why soy formula? Why not cow milk formula or better yet, goat's milk?

I totally agree about raw milk, but I have had to settle for organic milk.

Edited to add this terrific link: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

[veganmum]

I agree with ja mama. Also, keep in mind that chocolate and vanilla (and even plain sometimes) soy milks tend to have lots of sugar in them.

My son (16 mos) drinks mostly BM and water, but he has regular soy milk in his cereal, and he likes it.

I would suggest using the soy (or rice or nut) milk in cereal or a smoothie, and then your daughter probably won't mind the taste.

I also suggest avoiding cow's milk because nature designed cow's milk to turn a baby calf into a COW not a person. We are also the only species to drink milk past infancy (or toddlerhood ). Basically I truly believe it isn't healthy at all, but that's JMO.

If you go with soy, make sure that it's organic, since soybeans are one of the biggies in terms of GMO's and pesticides.

[morsan]

I second the recommendation for raw milk as being far superior than the other pseudo-milks. Soy milk is just plain dangerous since it hasn't gone through a LONG period of predigesting the anti-nutrients. In China, soy milk was traditionally made by a very long process (and was initially just given to pigs during times of starvation to increase their milk production, which was used for human consumption). This is far from the case with quick-made conventional soy milk.
Rice milk-- I find that way too sweet. The sugar content is indeed pretty high. However, making your own isn't too hard, and probably would ensure some fiber is still present in the milk (which would decrease the glycemic effect of the starch).
There's no nutritional reason to give your child these milks. And since your child doesn't even like them, why bother?
There's a way to make almond milk (by first predigesting anti-nutrients and then fermenting it). This is drink full of nutrients as well as enzymes.

[amcal]

My DD started getting one cold after the next several months ago and the cows milk was aggravating her congestion so we switched to rice milk. I didnt' care for the starchy taste so we tried a couple other milk alternatives. Soy scared me and I didn't care for the oatmilk so we ended up with almond milk. DD loves it. The only thing I don't understand is why it's low fat? Aren't almonds high in fat? Do they take the fat out for some reason? I'd be interested in making our own but I'm not sure how to do it. Morsan, I'm really interested in what you said about making your own almond milk. Do you have a recipe or directions or know where I can get more info?

[hipumpkins]

Holy Cow! Thanks sooo much for all your replies. I really learned a lot! I thought soy was a healthy food choice. It never even occured to me that she didn't even have to drink milk (other then BM) at all. This was so informative thank you all sooo much!
I am going to look up a recipe for almond milk and see if that is somehitng she may enjoy in her cereal.

[Arwen]

I agree with je mama. Kids don't really need any of the milks, be it cow milk, soy milk, rice milk, ect...Most just like it on cereal and such. I think water is our perfect drink and that all nutrients can be obtained by food. I personally like to alternate rice milk, almond milk and soy milk, for variety. My daughter is severly allergic to all dairy, even trace amounts, so cow milk is out of the question. I have seen plenty of the soy, rice and almond milks that are full fat- the only ones I have seen that are low fat say 'low fat' on the label. Rice milk is naturally lower in fat than the others, but is also a little higher in sugar. I agree that kids, especially young kids, really need their essential fats, but it does not need to come from any of the above mentioned drinks. For fat, I give my girl flax oil every day, as well as seeds, nuts and things like coconut milk. For calcium, I give her almonds, kale, broccolli, sunflower seeds, rice, soy and almond milks, as well as a chewable supplement (just to be on the safe side).

[Annie7]

http://www.milksucks.com/sickkids.html

[OceanMomma]

I would have to say raw milk too. I only give my kids raw milk or if I cannot get it, I give them organic non GMO soy. I make sure I read the label & get the one without canola oil in. I am very lucky in that I have access to organic, grass fed raw milk where they do not truck their male calves off to the meat works. I would not buy it otherwise. We only drink soy when we are out of the house. I'd still take my chances with organic non-GMO soy milk without canola oil over homogonised, pasteurised milk any day.

All that said, I do try to give them water & nutritative herb teas like nettle instead & make up for their calcium & protein & fat intakes from primarily plant sources.

Milk is an extra food in our house as a pose to a core food.

[morsan]

hipumpkins- Yes, I have a recipe for almond milk I can share with you. I haven't made it myself yet, but from what I've heard it's really yummy. I guess your daughter will be the judge though!
Since I don't have a computer at home, I will try and remember to get back about the recipe. Probably later today. PM me just to make sure.

[tricia80]

I am quite fortunate because where I live they only sell non gmo organic soy milk... so that makes life alot easier... im vegan so i dont drink cows milk at all... my daughter is quite healthy... like said before i do not use soy milk as a core food... its used mostly in smoothies, cereal, and baking... i prefer herbal teas, water, and pure juices for drinks....

[mpeel]

We use Almond Breeze. It is not organic but it is the only alternative Sam will drink. I take that back, she will drink Chocolate Silk. There are lots of alternatives out there. We went with one because she needs variety at preschool. Several ounces of water a day gets boring. We vary it with organic juice.

Also, none of them HAVE to be a part of your little one's diet. American just believe milk is vital so when we want or have to avoid it, we look for "milk alternatives". What about water? All the nutrient provided in a milk or alternative drink can be gotten from food.

[ktmama]

Hi all - interesting thread. Have tried all of these options and my dd likes them all (except cow's milk - never had ).

Recently, though, I've been really concerned about the amount of sugar she eats. Not the obvious candybars, but all the "hidden" sugars in foods. I've suffered from chronic candida for about a year and don't want the same to happen to her.

Anyway, I have found that the ONLY milk alternative without added sugar is oat milk. We have a wide selection here and it's the only one I've found. Also, through research, I've found that fruitjuice is esentially sugar water with a high "sugar-load". These food are really bad for our bodies, particularly young/developing ones.

If I had to do it all again, I'd stick to breastmilk (a great reason to pump and save) and clean water. That's my two cents.

[kimberlylibby]

I make my own soy milk for my daughter. Actually, I usually toss in flax seed, soybeans, almonds, oats, and brown rice.... makes for a very tasty blend I add NO sugar. I use a machine from: http://www.soyajoy.com

I love making her milk.... I also make a nice big batch of soylatte for me so I have it on hand..... chocolate-coffee-milk. YUM!

I also add acidophilus and let it sit overnight in a warm place (usually closed microwave) and make soy yogurt for her

Good stuff all around!

[mpeel]

Kimberlylibby,

Could you make soy yogurt with store bought soy milk? Silk is the most common brand here. I would love more detailed instructions if you are will. I can certainly try it if you do not know about the store-bought aspect. My youngest, despite being dairy intolerant, loves yogurt and can tolerate it mostly. But I would love to get her off of it (even the one or two tubs a year she eats).

Thanks.

[Marlena]

Try cow's milk. Make sure to get lowfat, not whole milk - cow's milk is fattier than breastmilk. Dioxin may be an issue with respect to all animal fats, as well, so limiting one's exposure can make sense. Make sure you get organic milk or milk from a small (preferably local) producer who doesn't use rBST or any other hormones or unnecessary antibiotics.

And FYI, this sort of comment has essentially no rational basis, IMO:

I also suggest avoiding cow's milk because nature designed cow's milk to turn a baby calf into a COW not a person. We are also the only species to drink milk past infancy (or toddlerhood ). Basically I truly believe it isn't healthy at all, but that's JMO.

Yup. We're the only species to eat olive tapenade, goat cheese, and fermented soy products, too. I mean, c'mon folks. Additionally, is it breastmilk that turns humans into humans? Would a baby human turn into a goat if it drank only goat milk, then, according to this logic??

Please, please stop with this silliness!!!

I thought we'd taken care of this sort of thing on the "blood and pus in cow's milk" thread.

/rant