Charity, please share the source in which you read about soy not being safe for babies.

I don't know about babies, but I know that soy is actually recommended for women. Especially women with hormone disorders. My doctor recommended me to switch over to soy milk because the soy milk doesn't have the hormones that cow milk does. I don't know about any other soy products, but I'm slowly trying to adjust my diet due to a newly found hormone problem. This change to soy milk was one of my doctor's first changes.

Nicole

I think the "soy is bad for you" rumor is another of those "e-mail everybody you know" scams, like the internet tax hoax, the olive oil hoax, the canola oil hoax, the virus infested bananas hoax, and all the rest. They are meant to tie up the internet with unnecessary e-mail, and have nothing to do with health and well-being.

If you have a question about food, ASK YOUR DOCTOR!! Don't believe an e-mail. Pretty much 100 percent of that kind are hoaxes, especially if it is "forwarded." You can tell if it a hoax: if it tells you to e-mail everybody you know. If it says that, it is a hoax. Guaranteed.

I do know that I can not handle soy. or soy base products like the fat free creamers. or the tufruitys frozen treats. I cant even eat popcorn which is popped in soybean oil. I work in a hospital Nutrition dept and we had a inservice on allergies. and soy is way up to the top of one of the most allergic to.. so to me Soy is not the worlds best thing.
If you get a lot of headaches. stay away from soy and see if it helps.

Soy is a fairly common item for people to have some sort of food intolerance/allergy to. Headaches, bloating, or (in my case) skin rashes. As with any other food, you should introduce it to your baby in isolation and watch for any reaction.

I haven't heard anything about the female hormones issue, but since I haven't eaten any soy in quite some time (and that's not easy these days - it's in everything!) I don't really follow articles on it. But, in response to Nicole's comment, the hormones in cow's milk are coming from Bovine Growth Hormone - an additive that dairy farmers give their cows to produce more milk. This can be avoided by drinking milk from cows that are not fed rBGH.

I know one thing about soy protein. When I use it in place of ground beef once or twice a week I tend to sleep better throughout the week. WHat works for me may not necessaril be good for you.

About the problems feeding soy milk to babies. The plant hormones is a slight cause for concern, but the main problem is the difference the in lipids. Plant and cow hormones, while similar to human hormones, have not been shown to react with the human body enough to make you stop drinking milk. However, developing infants need a high amount of specific lipids (fats) in their diet to keep healthy. Plants do not make cholesterol and that is the MOST important lipid in human development. The correct proportions of fatty acids, triglycerides, and proteins human babies need are not found in soy milk. Additionally, the presence of non-mammalian proteins at high concentrations so early in life can easily initiate allergies (one reason soy allergies are common). Cow's milk has similar problems, but is much better for and can be digested more easily by infants. In simple terms, the closer the milk source is to mother's milk, the better it will be for babies. Usually the only pluses for soy milk are the price and when the baby is allergic to milk (unable to break-down milk sugar causing diarrhea, can lead to malnurishment and dehydration). Don't ask just one doctor, no matter how competent he/she is - ask several.
I guess grad school did teach me something :o)
Stephen