Dangers of Soy for Children

by ThinkOnThis (Anonymous Poster)

The Dangers of Soy for Children

The responsibility of raising healthy vegan children rests squarely on the shoulders of parents. Knowledge is power and by applying the above principles you will be able to do it. Remember that demineralisation of the body is something that comes about by stealth, you won't notice its ill effects in yourself or your vegan children until odd symptoms start to appear or the person fails to thrive or feels appear or you feel increasingly unwell.

It's a very serious decision to raise a child as a vegan and should not be undertaken lightly or without in-depth knowledge of nutrition and with plenty of independent research done by you. Bear in mind that there are guru-vegan nutritionists out there who are a little biased in their dietary advice. They also tend to minimise the negatives. They are advocates of the vegan lifestyle (as am I) and it can be very hard to step away and look objectively at something you feel passionately about. Yet it must be done. My best advice is to do your own research which is easy on the internet. Objectively assess scientific papers and research studies and keep up with the latest findings.

With your feeding of yourself or your children you'll need to know how to maximise the uptake of non-haem Iron from plant foods, and how to obtain sufficient Taurine, Zinc, Calcium, Iodine, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and adequate non-soy Protein. You'll have to know where it's vital to take supplements and where it's a good insurance to do so.

It's just too easy to unwittingly deprive both ourselves and our children of essential nutrients and to endanger health. Our vegan diet is almost devoid of several essential nutrients, and very low in some others. Until food scientists and expert nutritionists step up to the table and devise the very best ways for people to be fully nourished on the vegan diet, it remains up to us to work out an intelligent plan of action.

Unfortunately many new vegans (particularly the young ones who are attracted to the compassionate lifestyle aspect) eat junk food in order to get their energy needs, foods full of fats and sugars and refined carbs. These vegans are heading for big trouble down the line where their health is concerned.

SOY FORMULA AND INFANT FEEDING

Babies fed soy-based formula have vastly higher levels of estrogen in their blood than babies fed with other formulas. Infants exclusively fed soy formula consume as much estrogen as contained in five contraceptive pills per day. Scientific studies indicate that the phyto-estrogens in soy are powerful ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS.

There are also serious effects for boy babies as Soy Formula floods the bloodstream with female hormones which inhibit testosterone. The consequences can be tragic for the boy as he grows.

Girls fed soy formula and raised on soy milk tend to go through puberty much earlier than the norm. The very high levels of phyto-estrogens daily ingested via soy, along with the alarming amount of estrogens now entering our systems from our polluted environments are not a satisfactory basis for good health.


A FURTHER NOTE ON VEGAN NUTRITION

As mentioned above, IODINE deficiency is a serious issue for vegan eaters bearing in mind that some important vegan foods are iodine antagonists. Unless you are in a region where the soil is rich in iodine (and Selenium which Iodine needs for its functioning) your vegan food won't be providing it. That is, you will need to supplement daily unless you eat seaweed regularly, from the purest oceans you can obtain it. Remember also to get your Vit D from the sun in summer, and supplement in winter. B12 will have to be supplemented continuously, and possibly zinc and taurine. These are musts. Calcium may or may not need to be supplemented. Pre-soaking your grains, legumes, nuts and seeds will help unlock some of the calcium in them b ut whether you'll absorb sufficient that way will need to be assessed through blood assays.

Don't fall into the trap as most vegans do when learning that a particular food is high in calcium or zinc or iron, of thinking you'll just eat more of that food. If the food is a legume, grain, nut or seed these minerals will be locked up in it and unavailable to you unless you do adequate pre-soaking.

The vegan diet and lifestyle, which I am ethically committed to for life, is one which needs to be INTELLIGENTLY planned and practised. It is certainly more work to gain sufficient nourishment from it than our omnivore friends put in, but what a satisfying achievement to do it and know that you can be healthy and at the same time living a conscience-free and compassionate life, no longer supporting cruel and unconscionable farming and slaughtering practices.


*Editor's Note*
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