Dairy Alternative

soy milk

i have been looking into soy milk being bad too. my two year old daughter drinks it and some one at mothers market just told me that its not good for young children or adults to drink to much of it. i thought soy milk was better than regular cow milk but know i am not sure i have been looking on the internet and there seems to be alot of talk about it being bad for people.
dpikels - 09/04/2012

headaches after switching from dairy milk to soy milk

I am 43 years old and switch from 2% milk to soy milk, but I been having lots of headaches lately. I don't know if soy milk is causing it. I never suffer from headaches before and now Iam getting it often. Does anyone else is having this problem?
Nil - 28/11/2013

headaches after switching from dairy milk to soy milk

Please do not think I am insulting or sarcastic, but ... why don't you stop taking soy milk, resume cow's milk, without changing any other dietary intake? That should yield quantitative (measurable) test results which will be beyond reproach. On the other side of the coin, soya milk may be indirectly causing your headaches due to the instant loss of nutrients or minerals you have removed in stopping cow's milk. This will take some research in a simple yet scientific manner IMHO. Step by step, removing one item or adding one item, at a time.
effbeeeye - 28/11/2013

soya milk

I changed my 19month old baby to soya milk instead of dairy milk because of all of the sore throast and colds she was getting. She is drinking alot more of it then she did dairy milk. But unfortunately she is now waking at 5am everynight looking for a bottle. She did not do this on dairy milk!
mcmyler - 01/08/2015

dairy allergy

My daughter is 4 and has had food allergies since birth. Dairy is the only food she hasn't outgrown her allergy to. She is severely allergic - just touching her cheek with milk makes her break out. I am concerned about the recent information about soy milk - that is what she drinks instead of cow milk. Is this just hype created by the Dairy Industry? I can't believe that dairy products are healthier.
kimkay - 09/08/2016

Balance

Soy is great in theory and has many beneficial compounds...IF you can digest it...which many have trouble doing so, REGARDLESS if they have an allergy or intolerance. The main problem is that it is in EVERYTHING! If you are interested, I have a great article on soy...it is not hype; in fact, it takes most people's common response referring to soy in the Asian diet and compares it with American's and if nothing else is quite informative. I once thought I was intolerant of dairy, only to find out years later (and after years of soy consumption) that I am instead allergic to soy. I notice immediately when I consume soy...and other's to whom I have turned onto such theory claim to notice a difference when they remove and reintroduce soy from/into their diets.

I truly believe a balanced diet is what's best. If "dairy" is not difficult to digest, nor soy, then consume both to diversify. Although, I hear from many naturopaths and the like to either avoid it or to only consume the "cultured" forms (i.e. tamari, tempeh, miso).
Jane - 17/12/2016

milk alternatives

I give my daughter and myself almond milk. I am sure it is good for us, nothing negative has been written about it. It only contains 1/3 of the calcium of cow's milk, but the best source of calcium are green leafy vegetable anyway. I use soy, but in moderation. The USA is the biggest consumer of cow's milk in the world, but has the highest incidence of osteoporosis. (do a google search). Go figure. It's a mine field out there.
Cloe - 17/12/2016

Dairy and prostate cancer

According to an article published in Med Hypotheses (2004;62(1):133-42) cow milk seems to be a risk for the develoment of prostate cancer: "Studies to elucidate the cause of prostate cancer have met with little success to date. Epidemiological studies suggested that milk consumption is probably as one of the risk factors for prostate cancer. The studies thus focused on the fat and calcium in milk, but reached no definitive conclusion. According to the measurements of estrogen levels in milk by different studies, it was suggested that estrogen in milk was a possible risk to cause prostate cancer. One reason supporting this hypothesis is that Western diet (characterized by milk/dairy products and meat) causes a trend of increasing levels of estrogens, and Western males show a higher incidence rate of prostate cancer than Asia males. Estrogen levels in prostate fluid are also correlated very well with the prostate cancer. During several decades, estrogens, together with testosterone, was commonly used to induce the rodent model of prostate cancer. Our hypothesis also was supported by the presence of estrogen receptors in the prostate gland and the genotoxic role of estrogens on the prostate gland, as possible mechanisms. Therefore, if modern milk consumption does expose consumers to high levels of estrogen and plays an adverse role in prostate cancer, action should be taken to produce the noncontaminant milk."
George - 03/10/2017

Dairy and prostate cancer

I personally feel that that article is totally misinforming. I don't think that drinking milk, and eating meat is going to cause prostate cancer, because for milleinia, hunters and gatherers ate meat, and they didn't die of prostate cancer. If they did, there wouldn't be a human race. And, for the last few thousand years, agricultural peoples have subsisted on natural milk products, and thrived. If you want to know about a culture existing almost entirely on meat and dairy, don't look to the West, look to the East. In Africa, the Masai eat milk in all forms, soured, clabbered, and even fresh, and they eat meat, and blood, with only a small fraction of their calories from plant sources. And if you watch the Discovery Channel, you see these beautiful people, and they are incredibly healthy. Yes, modern milk products can cause dieases, but the emphasis is on MODERN. Natural, unprocessed milk is the only substance in the entire world that is designed as a food. Everything else is a living organism trying to survive in this world, from grass and broccoli, bugs, and cows, and whales. Therefore, everything you need to build your body is there, all of your amino acids, and fats, and carbohydrates. No you should drink milk and just milk, and nothing else, but it is very healthy, and tastes great! Everything made in this modern world is so overly processed, and flouridated, and heat processed to degrees of up to 400, and done so many times, it's a wonder that modern humanity is still alive. And sadly, the same goes for soya foods. Modern processing techniques don't take into account ancient wisdom. In order for soya food to be safe, it has to be brewed and fermented for up to two years!! There are lots of anti-nutrients that are in soy, from trysipin inhibitors, isoflavones, goitrogens, flouride (from flouridated water) that modern processing doesn't deactitvate these substances. But beaurcrats insist on taking the cheapest route possible, jepordizing the health of our nation. We have to do things properly, for the health of our nation, because we are slowly sickening and dying because of these politicians who are in charge of our food, and not knowledgeable farmers. As for the statement that estrogen rates are higher in Western males, then Asian males, it's because 1)they don't eat nearly as much soy food as Americans, 2)the soy food they do eat is properly prepared, 3)they don't drink the pastuerized milk that Americans do.

Solution?
Either drink raw certified milk, which people who are lactose intolerant CAN drink because there are many beneficial enzymes in milk that digest lactose, and kill bad bacteria, or Lobby for soy products that are traditionally made to become standard, instead of overly processed junk foods. If you're interested in learning more about milk go to the Weston Price foundations website. If you are a vegetarian, this site still has something for you. Don't just dismiss it because it says that meat is good for you, and that is something you don't agree with. Also, a book by Kaayla Daniel, Phd., CCN, The Whole Soy Story, is a very good book, which gives both sides of the story very well.
Amanda S - 04/12/2017

Dairy and prostate cancer

Our ancestors died when they were 30-40 years, long before they could have prostate cancer.
Not-a-hunter - 14/12/2017

Dairy and prostate cancer

amanda, the masai people probably need that many calories for all the work they do. i'm sure they are waay more active than many americans. i drank raw milk for a time, and i gained about 10 lbs. i also exercise on a regular basis, but nowhere near as much as an african, i am sure.
Guest - 18/02/2018

soy cheese VS milk cheese

Hello, does soy cheese affect constipation the
why milk cheese does? Does soy cheese affect rosacea the way milk cheese does?
Debby - 12/02/2023

soy cheese VS milk cheese

Cow's milk may cause more constipation than soy milk. Here is some text from one study: "But while they were drinking soy milk (which causes firmer stools in most children), 68% of these children were no longer constipated! The redness, swelling and fissures on their bottoms healed (New England Journal of Medicine, 1998; 339:1100-1104)." The fibre content of soy milk is 1.5% and that of cow's milk is none. High fibre intake reduces constipation. As soy cheese is made from soy milk, the same applies to soy cheese. Also check the label: the higher the fibre percentage, the better.

Unfortunately :( we don't have any information about the effect of soy or dairy cheese on rocacea. Who told you that dairy cheese has an effect on rocacea?
Rob - 12/02/2023

Calcium intake

The United States National Academy of Sciences has increased the recommended daily intake of calcium from 800 mg to 1200 mg. Why is this? The western world drinks a lot of cola (Coca Cola, Pepsi, ...). This drink contains a lot of phosphoric acid, which is added to give coke its typical sour taste. But phosphoric acid binds with calcium and makes it very difficult to assimilate. So why try to compensate the bad effects of one food by increasing the consumption of other unhealthy (dairy) products?
Chantal - 15/09/2023

Stopped drinking milk

We are a "large" family of six. After giving up dairy (almost, because 100% is not possible), we noticed the following: no more ear infections, much fewer colds, and when we do get them, they are not as severe and no more flu.
Before we stopped consuming dairy, we actually liked drinking milk. Now we have developed an aversion to it. This is the best proof that our body does not need dairy products. Would you dislike a fresh carrot after not eating it for 3 years?
A Ward - 15/09/2023