tofu and other soy products

[lory]

How soon can I give tofu and soy yoghurt to DS2 9m? Some friends say absolutely not before he is 2 years old ( but can?t give me the reason - any idea?) other say it is fine.

So who is right?

I would speak to your HV or doctor, who will be able to tell you. My DD is on a soya diet for medical reasons but the HV was keen to tell me I shouldn't be as it may make me ill.

Soy milk as main milk is not recommended before age 2, due to possible links with infertility in later life (caused by phyto-oestrogens which interfere with body's own production of oestrogen).

Occasional soya products before this, however, are fine.

Do note that soya yoghurts tend to have a lot more sugar than good dairy ones though, so if you have no medical reason to avoid dairy, then that would prob be the better option.

Infertility! Wow, that?s a pretty good reason to wait a little bit.
DS2 has reflux, although he is far better now, and we are both (still bf) on a no dairy, no fish, no eggs, little fruit diet, and my doctor suggested tofu and soy product as a protein source, which I gave for a while (and he did love it) but then got concerned and stopped buying them when I heard about waiting till two. I think lentils area pretty good source of protein as well.

I think I read somewhere that the brewing process in making tofu helps break down the phyto-oestrogens...? Of course that wouldn't apply to the soy yoghurt.

I think tofu is fine at that age. If you're getting soya yoghurt, look for Sojasun as it tends to be more natural ingredientswise than some other brands.. The plain one is good too - especially with fresh fruit.

Years ago my HV said 6 months for tofu, I bet those phyto-things weren't a consideration though.

I think most formula brands have soya oil in them so I find it odd this advice about tofu. I don't FF myself partly because giving soya each day which is highly allergenic doesn't seem a good idea.