Is soy an adequate milk substitute?

IT has for years been reiterated that breast milk is the best milk, and that babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of their lives. But for mothers who can’t or won’t breastfeed, milk-based formula becomes an early option. However, many mothers discover that their babies are lactose intolerant when they start to use formula, or find that they have problems with skin issues like eczema. As such, others have been introducing soy from the start, excluding milk from the beginning, before they identify any problems.

But is soy is an adequate replacement for baby’s milk needs?

Kirk Bolton, nutrition consultant at Diet Centre Jamaica and the immediate past president of the Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics, said soy milk is not an adequate milk substitute even for adults, worse babies, as it is highly processed.

“Breast milk is the gold standard – the best from birth up to as much as two years old. However, complementary foods should be introduced after six months. Breast milk allows for proper development and soy is very allergenic although it tends to be the go-to for babies with cow’s milk allergies,” he said.

He said soy can be used as an alternative in instances where children have difficulty digesting any form of animal milk, including breast milk.

“There must be a standard and safe infant replacement formula for them and in that case, soy can be considered but not as the number one choice,” he said.

When transitioning your baby from breast milk or formula, the nutrition consultant said soy is an option, however, if you choose to feed your child soy milk exclusively, he or she will also need to take in calcium from some other source, as phylates in soy milk prevents absorption of some calcium.

“To be sure your child of six months or above gets enough calcium, consider adding yoghurt, cheese, broccoli or calcium-fortified foods to their diet as well as vitamin-fortified foods to ensure the child receives adequate nutrition,” Bolton said, adding that there are also some reservations concerning soy being given to the male child due to the oestrogen mimicking compounds it contains.

“Parents must understand the difference between soy milk and soy formula. Children younger than one year should be fed formula, as milk — either cow’s milk or soy milk — does not contain nutrients necessary for a baby’s development. Formulas are supplemented with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids that are not found in regular milk of any kind,“ he said.

Bolton added that it is also important to know that milk from other sources is not real per se, and is not formulated or suited for human babies.

“Human breast milk is for human babies. It is critical that we reiterate that human breast milk is indeed the best — the gold standard,” he said.