Vegan Nutrition with Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen.

Soy Milk Estrogen: Phytoestrogens - Should I be concerned?

My 2 year old has a milk allergy so she's been drinking soy milk for over a year. She's a very picky eater and other than vegan "chicken" nuggets and blueberries she mainly just drinks soy milk. Now I'm reading articles saying the phytoestrogens in soy milk are bad for children and can cause infertility and early puberty. Is the damage irreversible? What should I do? I've already switched to rice milk, I feel absolutely horrible. If soy milk is bad for children then why doesn't it have a warning label?

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Spending your time worrying is not likely a good idea. My son drank soymilk when he was a toddler and he seems OK. Sometimes the more we know, the harder it is to make good choices. There is a recommendation to limit how much soy you get, especially for young children. I don't think that any of us experts can agree on the exact amount. So, here's my best advice: if the vegan "chicken" is made from soy, you might want to find another brand. I would also recommend that instead of rice milk that you switch to a drink higher in protein, something like almond or other nut milk, hemp milk or multigrain milk.

An issue of more concern to me is why your daughter only eats a couple of foods. Yes, children can be "particular" (a nicer word than "picky") but you want to keep introducing them to new foods daily. Their tastes will change, and they often need to be introduced to a food between 8 to 10 times before they may actually like it. I want to encourage you to keep offering a variety of foods. In my experience, most toddlers will not starve themselves and will eat. Sometimes, though, they fill up on fluids and don't have as big a need for solid foods. You might limit the "milk" to 12 to 16 ounces a day and see if your daughter's appetite improves.

It's good to develop good eating habits early. Hang in there, things do change.

Visit Jill's website TheVeggieQueen.com and her blog theveggiequeen.blogspot.com.

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Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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