Unfermented soy products--Thank you

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks to all who responded to my question about soy products for my little

boy.  I feel much better after having read more about it--and don't have any

doubt that I am doing the best thing for my son.  I hate feeling like I have to

have " ammunition " for people who might question my decisions about what I feed

my son, but it sounds like this is not uncommon among us in the group . 

Anyway, I guess my continuing quest is to find things that are easy to prepare

(and pack for his daycare lunch when I'm dead tired the night before) and that

he will deign to eat.  Of course the prepackaged stuff (e.g., Morningstar) is

infinitely easier, but loaded with preservatives.  Any ideas on quick low-cost

healthy meals would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers,

Sarah

 

--- On Tue, 11/18/08, chandelle <earthmother213 wrote:

 

chandelle <earthmother213

Re: Unfermented soy products--should I worry?

 

Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 7:55 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.wholefoo dwholefamily. blogspot. com>

 

On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 2:18 PM, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah@ >wrote:

 

> 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

>

>

[Guest guest]

My son likes plain tofu, sometimes we sprinkle nori (I cut it out with

paper cutter stamp things - my son likes to do this part) shapes like

dogs, cats, bones, leafs etc. Whatever stamps I've picked up (I

usually find them in the dollar store).

We do rice with beans or garbanzos, or lentils, or with some kind of

curry and veggies

We do sandwiches, hummus, soy nut butter (there is a little boy who

has a nut allergy so the school is all tree nut/peanut free) or we do

jam and tofutti cream cheese sandwiches.

I also put in cut up fruit, beans (green or yellow wax beans), steamed

broccoli and cauliflower, peas and corn.

 

My son never really liked to dip things at that age, but some kids love it.

Bread sticks with marinara

crackers and hummus or (we do vegan rella cheddar or mozzeralla) cheese slices

You can also do yogurt (soy or make your own - it is easy, takes a

little time but not too much. We used to,more when he was little, but

not so much now - I just run out of time sometimes.)

Pasta (with our without red sauce/veggies cooked/steamed and olive oil

and spices).

 

We also do the 'easy' thing and set aside leftovers to pack up, too.

Tonight we made grilled pizza, and he wanted his leftovers in his

lunchbox for tomorrow (we typically add a couple other things to round

it out, but he's 5).

 

We did sandwiches when he was around 1, I just cut them up into small

bite sized pieces (like finger sandwiches, maybe half a sandwich for

him around 2yrs old?)

We made tofu salad (like egg salad), or garbanzo salad (sort of like

tuna salad) or tomato sandwiches (I cut the tomatoes up very small,

like diced, and thin, I also did this with lettuce or shredded it)

 

I hope those help.

 

Oh, we're largely vegan, and it was because our son has a milk protein

allergy. He's not had cow milk since his first year (at least not on

purpose...) and has only largely had soymilk, and he loves tofu. We

tried other milks when he was little, but he did not care for them. He

is ok with others now (like hemp milk, almond, rice, oat, whatever).

 

There is a book called " Super Baby Food " by Ruth Yaron and she has a

lot of good suggestions for toddlers. There are also recipes in the

back (some we still use) and she goes into some nutritional info.

They probably have it at the library before you commit to buy.

 

Good luck, that age feels trickier sometimes than it should be for

food. I'm sure others will have more input on suggestions for what

to feed your 2yr old. But basically anything they normally eat with

you would be fine for lunches (we still get compliments for how

healthy our sons lunches are!).

 

Missie

 

 

On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 6:58 PM, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah wrote:

> Hi everyone,

>

> Thanks to all who responded to my question about soy products for my little

> boy. I feel much better after having read more about it--and don't have any

> doubt that I am doing the best thing for my son. I hate feeling like I have

> to have " ammunition " for people who might question my decisions about what I

> feed my son, but it sounds like this is not uncommon among us in the group

> . Anyway, I guess my continuing quest is to find things that are easy to

> prepare (and pack for his daycare lunch when I'm dead tired the night

> before) and that he will deign to eat. Of course the prepackaged stuff

> (e.g., Morningstar) is infinitely easier, but loaded with preservatives.

> Any ideas on quick low-cost healthy meals would be greatly appreciated!

>

> Cheers,

> Sarah

>

> --- On Tue, 11/18/08, chandelle <earthmother213 wrote:

>

> chandelle <earthmother213

> Re: Unfermented soy products--should I worry?

>

> Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 7:55 PM

>

> 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.wholefoo dwholefamily. blogspot. com>

>

> On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 2:18 PM, Sarah Fraley <fraley_sarah@

> >wrote:

>

>> 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

>>

>>