Okay, I plead ignorance. What are the advantages of soy milk over cow's milk? What is wrong with cow's milk?
Thanks so much.
Chris
P.S. Just wondering whether to give my son cow's milk or soy milk. He's still nursing right now (18 mos old) and wonder if I should give him any milk at all?
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Mom to Emily 12/06/98 and Luke 7/23/02
Everyone's opinion will be different. I don't give my kids cow or soy milk. I don't think kids need any milk to drink. My kids drink water (and like it!). My reasoning behind our milk usage - my kids get way too much dairy from cheese, so I don't keep cows milk in the house. I think it is easy to over do soy if you aren't into dairy, so I don't do soy milk except for baking/cooking. If they are having hot or cold cereal, we use almond milk.
If you want to know the evils of dairy http://www.notmilk.com
Pretty extreme view, but it does have good information.
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Allison
mama to Ara, Simone, and Zarin
Humans are the only creatures that drink milk from the mother of another species. It's as unnatural for a child to drink the milk of a cow as it is for a dog to nurse from a giraffe! Human children have no nutritional requirements for cow's milk and grow up healthy and strong without it. Cow's milk (and the products made from it) is laced with foreign, frequently allergy-inciting, bovine protein and often contains hydrocarbon pesticides and other chemical contaminants, as well as health-endangering saturated fat. Clinical experience suggests that cow's milk is linked to numerous common health problems (runny noses, allergies, ear infections, recurrent bronchitis, asthma, etc.) that often keep people returning to their doctors' offices, instead of to their jobs or classrooms. Parents should feel good about giving their children the many nutritious, tasty, nondairy alternatives instead.
Michael Klaper, M.D., nutritional expert and author of Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet
IMO the only reasons to give soy milk over cow's milk are:
~dairy allergy or intolerance
~philosophical issues against the use of dairy (veganism, etc.)
~chronic constipation
All of these are legitimate reasons not to drink cow's milk.
I personally love milk and give it to my kids. I come from a long line of diary farmers and notoriously healthy people (no child in my family has ever had an ear infection, for instance, and there is no heart disease or other organ problems in my familiy either).
I buy organic milk & dairy because it's important to me to buy from farms that treat their animals (and the land) with respect.
I think that if you do give cow's milk it should ONLY be organic. There are too many hormones and antibiotics given to cows these days - organic is the way to go.
Location: somewhere between complete exhaustion and utter euphoria
Posts: 5,883
There are also alternatives to soy milk - rice, almond, hazelnut, coconut, potato. We rotate what we use. But, only drink almond milk. It is all I can tolerate the taste. Well, I take that back. I like chocolate soy milk.
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Michelle
-- Mom to Beth, 11 and Sam, 8
Healthwise, you are better off avoiding both cow and soy (or even rice, almond) milk. Soy milk does affect hormones, and I personally am a little leary about giving young children a lot of it. I think that if you are going to give kiddos a lot of milk, you are best off giving them a variety of types, lesser of evils, ya know? That said, I had a toddler who absolutely adored his rice milk and I gave it to him because it was one of the few foods/drinks that he would consume. Anyway, none of them are the perfect food, but they all have different advantages/disadvantages.
Location: In the Land of Golden Warmth, Surrounded by Majestic Mountains, Inspired by Desert and Ocean, Cocooned in Love
Posts: 2,773
My boys drink 12-18 oz. of soymilk daily; they became accustomed to the taste when DS#1 was allergic to milk. Now they can have dairy, but only DS#2 will eat yogurt and I don't buy it often as the only kind he likes is full of sugar. They do eat cheese occasionally, but not everyday. So for us the soymilk is a good source of protein and calcium, but I still won't let them drink an unlimited amount.
I grew up hating water because my mother hated water and never drank it. My boys drink water between meals because I will not pass the legacy on. I drink water now, but it took years for me to get to a point where I actually wanted to drink it.
I agree with the whole we don't need milk anyways no matter the kind, but if you are going to drink milk or use it recipes, non-dairy is best. Check out NotMilk newsletter through Yahoo. That is if you really want the why.
soy milk vs cow's milk
and Sam, 8 
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