what is healthiest for my toddler: soy, almond, rice or cocconut milk? - Page 2

[Cathlin]

Hey! I'm lactose intolerant and I recommend almond milk for things like cereal, milk and cookies, that sort!

Don't bother with lactaid style products (they just don't work). When she is older you may want to check out digestive advantage - it basically uses the "yogurt principle" so that lactose can be processed naturally during digestion.

[catnip]

Originally Posted by badtz51 

And this post is not to offend any people who are on a vegetarian diet, but I just want to suggest to people, moms, out there to have an open mind to the articles and studies that are out there about vegetarian diets and soy , etc..

Given:

We will be active in discouraging  individuals from posting for the purpose of disagreement, with no interest in practicing the belief or view in discussion, or to prove a dietary concept or a belief to be wrong, misguided, or not based on fact. Controversial subjects of discussion and debate related to dietary choices and lifestyles can be found elsewhere on the internet and we invite you to seek out other sites for that purpose.

Perhaps the Vegetarian and Vegan subforum is not the appropriate place for this post. I don't come over to the TF threads and post about the dangers of saturated fat and raw milk. I, at least, would appreciate a similar courtesy from non-veg*ns with regard to this section of the forum.

[WMassMama]

We gave my son Pacific brand Oat Milk from age 1-2.  It's fortified, no added sugar, and quite tasty.  We would buy it in bulk from our natural foods coop.  Though there is no added sugar, we became concerned at the overall amount of sugars in the nutritional profile, so switched to OG/non-GMO soy or almond milk and reduced the overall amount he would drink per day.
 

[4Marmalade]

My dc's had breastmilk for the first 3 years so anything they drank during those years was definitely secondary.  When we did introduce other milks it was mostly almond milk.  As a family we consume a combination of soy, almond and coconut.  Everything in moderation right .

[heatherr30]

I just want to point out one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet which is that plant milks contain many of the nutrients but none of the fibre of the original plant. 

Both my kids had problems with high fibre natural plant foods.  They reacted badly to dried fruit, nut sauces, whole grains, etc (eg diaper rash / constipation or diarrhea).  DD had this problem till the age of 2 or 3 and DS still does at 15 months.  I was/ am breastfeeding but if I wasn't I would definitely serve up milk or plant milk to get calcium, fats and calories into them in an easily digestible form.

I have a feeling that a 100% vegan diet for a non-breastfeeding toddler would need to include some processed (ie low fibre) foods to get enough calories into those small tummies. 

[CStone1]

Another option is to make your own nut milk. Allthough not fortified it is much healthier and fresher than packaged milk. Its simple. Just soak the nuts overnight in water - rinse them the next day and put them in a blender - blend just the nuts first untill they are creamy - adding a bit of water if necessary to make them spin - then add water - and blend - can be strained through a screen or mesh bag or you could leave it pulpy. I do a 4 parts water to one part nuts ratio but you could add less water for a a creamier milk. Then focus on solid foods for other nutrients such as calcium. Cabbage, brocolli, caulifolower, chard, kale and tofu are all sources of calcium. In fact most vegetables have at least some calcium. You could either use vit D drops or just sun exposure. Another great option to get many needed nutrients is spirulina if you can get your child to drink it. I mix half a tsp of it with 3oz juice and 3 oz water and my son loves it.

[desertpenguin]

I'm not veg*n but want to throw out there that you can make alternative milks from pretty much any nut, seed, or grain. Sesame seeds are one of the best sources of calcium. I really like flax milk and cashew milk. Here you can buy flax milk at the store, but I will probably make some soon to see how it compares in taste. You can probably add a vegan protein powder for a protein boost in any alternative milk.