Is it safe for babies to drink soy milk?

Soy milk is a drink containing many essential nutrients for the body. Are you wondering if you should give your baby soy milk? If you are in this situation, please read the share below of aFamilyToday Health .

Currently, there is a movement of many people to choose healthy plant-based foods such as soybeans, brown rice, lotus seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds ... into their family meals. In particular, some people also want to replace cow's milk with soy milk for their children because they think that this milk is both delicious, nutritious and cheap. However, is soy milk really safe and full of nutrients to help children grow? This is a problem that needs to be clarified.

Soy milk with cow's milk

Soy milk and cow's milk have many differences in nutritional composition. A cup of whole cow's milk has 146 kcal, while soy milk contains only 100 kcal. In terms of fat content, cow's milk is also higher than soy milk when it contains up to 8g while soy milk has only 4g.

In terms of protein, cow's milk and soy milk have nearly the same content (1 cup of cow's milk has 8g of protein, 1 cup of soy milk has 7g). In addition, soy milk contains a lot of fiber (2g / cup), while cow's milk is completely free of fiber.

Soy milk and calcium supplements

Compared to cow's milk, soy milk has a lower calcium content. Therefore, if you decide to feed your toddler soy milk, you should choose soy milk fortified with nutrients such as folate, calcium, vitamins A, D and B.

In addition, soy milk also contains compounds phytates, a compound that reduces the absorption of calcium. So, if your baby drinks soy milk, you need to feed your baby more calcium-rich foods such as yogurt, cheese, canned salmon, orange juice ...

Soy milk is good for toddlers?

Giving your baby soy milk instead of cow's milk will easily lead to calcium deficiency. At this age, babies need calcium to develop bones, teeth, muscles and central nervous system. Therefore, you should choose soy milk with added calcium and other important vitamins.

For babies who are lactose intolerant, you can rest assured to give your baby soy milk without worrying about a milk allergy. However, there are also cases where the baby is allergic to soy milk. If you see your child has allergy symptoms such as rash, nausea, stomach pain ... you do not give him any more soy milk.

Side effects of soy milk

When giving your baby soymilk, you should pay attention to the following issues:

Drinking too much soy milk can cause allergies. Some of the proteins in soybeans often cause symptoms such as nausea, rash, abdominal pain ...

Although high in minerals and vitamins, soy milk has less protein than cow's milk. If your baby drinks soy milk, it is likely that it will lead to a protein deficiency, which has negative effects on blood pressure and the maintenance of body temperature.

Soy milk contains phytoestrogen , a compound believed by many to cause breast cancer. Also, too much phytoestrogen intake can lead to premature puberty.

With rich nutritional content, soybeans are completely suitable for children, especially those allergic to lactose in cow's milk. Soy experts recommend that you only give your child a maximum of two servings of soy food per day. The key to a plant-based diet is the variety of foods, not just soybeans. There are many other protein-rich foods like nuts, legumes, lentils, and peas. Whole grains and vegetables also contain protein, but at a slightly lower level.