Guest guest Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Hi everyone, My name is Sarah and I'm new to the group. My son Mark is 2 and has been vegetarian since birth--for various reasons, but not because of any food allergies. We eat eggs, dairy products, and occasional fish, but no red meat, pork, chicken. A concerned family member recently told me that her nutritionist raised concerns about my feeding my son unfermented soy products (vs. fermented) and this possibly leading to developmental problems, specifically with his developing hormone system and muscle growth. I did a brief on-line search and found a couple of fear-based websites that I didn't find too reputable about the " dangers of soy " . Has anyone out there heard about this? Anyone know of a reputable source that I can point her to? (And reassure myself?) I don't feed him a ton of soy, but probably once a week (or once every 2 weeks) he has sauteed tofu or Morningstar " chicken " nuggets. On a side note, my step-son has been raised completely vegan due to severe animal product allergies and has had no problems with hormal development that I'm aware of (just beginning his teenage years and his voice is changing just fine... ) and my vegetarian step-daughter has also consumed her fair share of soy and seems to be develping normally as well (menses began at a normal age, etc.). On another side note, how do others cope with family members who express their concern about children not getting enough nutrients from non-meat sources?? I don't want to feel judged, but want to thank them for their concern. Thank you!! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Hi Sarah and welcome! If you seach the message archives for " soy " and " protein " you will find several resources from previous discussions; or you can sit tight and you will get many helpful suggestions over the the few days. Robin --- On Tue, 11/18/08, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah wrote: Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah Unfermented soy products--should I worry? Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 3:18 PM Hi everyone, My name is Sarah and I'm new to the group. My son Mark is 2 and has been vegetarian since birth--for various reasons, but not because of any food allergies. We eat eggs, dairy products, and occasional fish, but no red meat, pork, chicken. A concerned family member recently told me that her nutritionist raised concerns about my feeding my son unfermented soy products (vs. fermented) and this possibly leading to developmental problems, specifically with his developing hormone system and muscle growth. I did a brief on-line search and found a couple of fear-based websites that I didn't find too reputable about the " dangers of soy " . Has anyone out there heard about this? Anyone know of a reputable source that I can point her to? (And reassure myself?) I don't feed him a ton of soy, but probably once a week (or once every 2 weeks) he has sauteed tofu or Morningstar " chicken " nuggets. On a side note, my step-son has been raised completely vegan due to severe animal product allergies and has had no problems with hormal development that I'm aware of (just beginning his teenage years and his voice is changing just fine... ) and my vegetarian step-daughter has also consumed her fair share of soy and seems to be develping normally as well (menses began at a normal age, etc.). On another side note, how do others cope with family members who express their concern about children not getting enough nutrients from non-meat sources?? I don't want to feel judged, but want to thank them for their concern. Thank you!! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Hi- It sounds like to me this 'nutritionist' (no, I'm not skeptical at all, really!) is referring to the estrogen-mimicking properties of soy. Does this sound familiar? I have never heard ANYTHING related to the soy having been fermented vs. unfermented, but am wondering at this point if this is why some soy gives me a stomach ache and other types of soy do not! At any rate, I have read various places about this and all of the what I considered 'reputable' sources said that it's nothing to worry about. I'm hoping that someone else has some more up-to-date info and more specifics for you. As an aside, I'm wondering what the heck this relative was doing discussing what you feed your kid with her nutritionist. I have two things to say about that: 1) I would suggest, very nicely, that she find a nutritionist who knows a little more about veg nutrition, because this one probably does not, and 2) the billions of Asian kids who have been eating soy in all its glorious forms for thousands of years, probably on a DAILY basis, are testament to the normal 'development' that can be had with soy products. As well, their consumption of soy protein is probably at least in part responsible for their far higher life expectancies in Asian countries, as opposed to our very dismal longevity rates in this country-especially considering we're first world and most of them are not. Your step daughter had menses at a normal age probably BECAUSE of her veg diet; menses, as I'm sure you know, has been occuring at earlier and earlier ages-to the great detriment of girls' health- and one of the main suspects for this is all the hormones etc. in meat and dairy products. I'd say THAT is more of a hormonal concern than what might be in soy, fermented or not. As for thanking the relative for her concern, I'd say just that: " I appreciate your concern, but my dietary choices for my lovely child have been very well-researched, and the dangers of feeding him meat and dairy far outweigh any concerns about soy. But I'll keep it in mind " . For me, the 'I'll keep it in mind' gives those well-meaning relatives satisfaction because it means that you listened to them, are considering what they have to say, but then you can actually let it go out of your mind without a second thought. Hope this helps! jenni ________________________________ Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah Tuesday, November 18, 2008 3:18:20 PM Unfermented soy products--should I worry? Hi everyone, My name is Sarah and I'm new to the group. My son Mark is 2 and has been vegetarian since birth--for various reasons, but not because of any food allergies. We eat eggs, dairy products, and occasional fish, but no red meat, pork, chicken. A concerned family member recently told me that her nutritionist raised concerns about my feeding my son unfermented soy products (vs. fermented) and this possibly leading to developmental problems, specifically with his developing hormone system and muscle growth. I did a brief on-line search and found a couple of fear-based websites that I didn't find too reputable about the " dangers of soy " . Has anyone out there heard about this? Anyone know of a reputable source that I can point her to? (And reassure myself?) I don't feed him a ton of soy, but probably once a week (or once every 2 weeks) he has sauteed tofu or Morningstar " chicken " nuggets. On a side note, my step-son has been raised completely vegan due to severe animal product allergies and has had no problems with hormal development that I'm aware of (just beginning his teenage years and his voice is changing just fine... ) and my vegetarian step-daughter has also consumed her fair share of soy and seems to be develping normally as well (menses began at a normal age, etc.). On another side note, how do others cope with family members who express their concern about children not getting enough nutrients from non-meat sources?? I don't want to feel judged, but want to thank them for their concern. Thank you!! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Sarah, Much like dairy and many other foods, fermented soy products can be much easier to digest. In our family, we focus on tempeh, miso and yogurt when we eat soy foods. I would recommend this if you're concerned about the nutrient viability in soy. There's a lot of scare-mongering right now about soy, much of it courtesy of the Western A. Price Foundation. There are reasons to be concerned about soy but the risks have been greatly exaggerated. It's important to eat a varied diet, to avoid focusing your entire diet around soy, and to refrain from processed foods containing soy, like packaged fake analogues. It's common for these foods to take a center stage during the transitional period into a veg*n diet, but ultimately they should be largely phased out in favor of whole foods - whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, other beans and so on. Surely it's fine to take in some processed foods in small amounts, including those based on isolated soy protein, but in my opinion, they should be thought of as a treat and not as a real food or a normal part of an everyday diet. When it comes to soy, processed soy is the biggest risk. Soybean oil is a common ingredient in processed, packaged foods. Isolated soy protein is a common component of meat analogues and it's also a filler in many processed, packaged foods. Soy lecithin, soy protein shakes/powders/capsules/supplements, etc., and other extracts of soy are also problematic. The best way to have soy is in a form as close to its original source as possible. Edamame, tempeh, miso and yogurt are the best options for good health and digestibility, but again, these should only be one part of a varied diet. Barring allergies, sensitivity or overuse, including soy in the diet should be neutral to beneficial rather than harmful. As for what you feed your son right now, the tofu should be fine but maybe you could try breading and baking seitan for nuggets instead of buying something as heavily processed as a Morningstar Farms product. I would be wary of " he-said she-said " when it comes to family members or friends who may be well-intentioned but also have limited information about the way you live in your daily life. A concerned family member mentioning * your* vegetarianism to *his or her* nutritionist is very suspect. I understand that this family member is just trying to be helpful and may be trying to allay their own fears, but quite frankly, it simply is not their business, and it's very presumptuous for them to pass on second-hand information from a provider who does not know you and is in no position to be making recommendations for your family. I will be very honest with you about the issue of dealing with family members' concern. My family has been vegan (except for honey, which is a recent addition) since my son was 3 weeks old. This has been our family diet for almost four years. My children have always been normal-sized (actually, tall for their age), very healthy and advanced in their development. They crave healthy foods and they're so smart and lovely and simply delicious. And I let that speak for itself. I spent a lot of time, when my son was a baby, researching everything to death and trying to convince everyone around me that it was okay to raise a child vegan. I would share articles and statistics and books and letters. And none of it had the slightest effect on anyone. Everyone started out completely convinced that my children would probably die or at least be very depressed and tiny and sickly, and my grandmother was also of the opinion that without the joy of McDonald's, my kids would probably blow up their schools. (I am not exaggerating.) Talking about it to death, constantly trying to convince other people, just made me look insecure and desperate for validation - and I was. As my kids have grown and demonstrated every day of their lives that they are normal and healthy, doing better than most of their peers, I've quieted down - and so has everyone else. I let my healthy kids speak for themselves. I don't try to convince anyone anymore. I just smile. If people try to make recommendations or pick my kids apart for evidence of deficiency, I repeat my mantra: " We're always evaluating our diet and doing the best we can. The kids are healthy but there's always room for improvement. I appreciate your concern for our kids' health and I know they do, too. " Then I change the subject. If the person continues to press, I say, kindly but firmly, " Again, I appreciate your concern, but this is my family and we will do what we feel is best after we've researched as best we can and experimented to find our own needs. Please respect my family's autonomy in this issue, just as I respect yours. " And then I do not allow more discussion on the issue. Of course, this conversation would be very different if the person showed an honest desire to learn and understand, but this is rare when it comes to our families. Hope this helps! Chandelle Whole Food Whole Family <http://www.wholefoodwholefamily.blogspot.com> On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 2:18 PM, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarahwrote: > Hi everyone, > > My name is Sarah and I'm new to the group. My son Mark is 2 and has been > vegetarian since birth--for various reasons, but not because of any food > allergies. We eat eggs, dairy products, and occasional fish, but no red > meat, pork, chicken. A concerned family member recently told me that her > nutritionist raised concerns about my feeding my son unfermented soy > products (vs. fermented) and this possibly leading to developmental > problems, specifically with his developing hormone system and muscle > growth. I did a brief on-line search and found a couple of fear-based > websites that I didn't find too reputable about the " dangers of soy " . > > Has anyone out there heard about this? Anyone know of a reputable source > that I can point her to? (And reassure myself?) I don't feed him a ton of > soy, but probably once a week (or once every 2 weeks) he has sauteed tofu or > Morningstar " chicken " nuggets. > > On a side note, my step-son has been raised completely vegan due to severe > animal product allergies and has had no problems with hormal development > that I'm aware of (just beginning his teenage years and his voice is > changing just fine... ) and my vegetarian step-daughter has also consumed > her fair share of soy and seems to be develping normally as well (menses > began at a normal age, etc.). > > On another side note, how do others cope with family members who express > their concern about children not getting enough nutrients from non-meat > sources?? I don't want to feel judged, but want to thank them for their > concern. > > Thank you!! > > Sarah > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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