Soy mixture: composition, useful properties, purpose and practical application

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 00:50

The birth of a child is always a joyful and exciting event. Positive emotions and euphoria capture the young mother and, at first, she cannot even think that some problems may arise. But now the moment of feeding the baby comes, and some face difficulties…

What's wrong?

There are factors that make it impossible to breastfeed a baby. Not always, as many people think, the termination or simply the absence of breastfeeding from the first days of life is a whim of the mother.

There is a generally accepted list of diseases and pathologies that are completely or temporarily incompatible with breastfeeding. Here are a few:

• tuberculosis;
• AIDS;
• heart disease in the stage of decompensation;
• oncology;
• galactosemia in a child;
• Severe postpartum unconsciousness of the mother and her long recovery;
• cytomegalovirus;
• hepatitis C;
• mother's mastitis.

A legitimate question follows: is it in our civilized world today that the absence of GW isproblem? Store shelves in the children's departments are simply bursting with the availability of breast milk substitutes, namely formulas. And there are products of different directions: for colic, and for allergy sufferers, and for the development of intelligence. The list is endless.

But it happens that poor mothers have already tested almost the entire range of baby food for a child, but nothing is suitable. This is manifested either by severe allergies or digestive problems. Hands down, the baby is capricious and not really fed, and his gastrointestinal tract is exhausted by such experiments. The most common reason why a certain mixture is not suitable is intolerance to cow, goat protein, lactose. Such a pathology is detected medically.

Well, if you are allergic to cow protein, then goat milk formula saves. But what if the child reacts to this product with a complete intolerance?

There is a rescue

To help mothers whose babies pathologically react to casein (milk protein), comes one of the latest developments in the field of baby food - soy formula. It is about her that will be discussed further.

Why a doctor might prescribe a soy mixture

If a child has the following problems, then this is the basis for transferring him to a diet containing vegetable protein:

• An intolerance to animal protein expressed as an allergy to cow's and goat's milk.
• Lactase deficiency. It doesn't matter if it's congenital or acquired.
• Galactosemia. With this disease, the metabolic process is disrupted on the way of converting galactose into glucose.
• Viral diarrhea. May occur due to the presence of isoflavones in mixtures.

What is infant formula

All food that can be purchased in any department for babies is adapted, that is, its composition is as balanced as possible, taking into account the age of the child and some features (the presence of allergies, tummy problems, etc.). Soy mixture for children - nutrition is therapeutic. It is prescribed strictly by a pediatrician. After the soy mixture is introduced as the main type of nutrition to the baby, the doctor monitors all changes. For children who can easily tolerate milk protein, this diet is not suitable: they will begin to lose weight.

What is included

Soy formula, like a regular adapted animal protein formula, contains:

• Balanced vitamin-mineral complex.
• Micronutrients.
• Additional nutrients.

Of course, the main component is protein, which, unlike the usual mixture, in soy is vegetable. It is obtained from soybeans. Next, consider the advantages and disadvantages of this type of food.

Pros

The main advantage is the possibility of using this type of food when nothing else fits, and parents are close to despair. This is a salvation for children with intolerance to milk protein and milk sugar - lactose. In addition, this type of food has other advantages:

• Soy blend may have an antiviral effect due to the content of phytoestrogens, which help fight viral diarrhea, so it is considered medicinal.
• Plus, which plays a very important role - a low osmolarity. In Russia, all mixtures must comply with a certain norm according to this indicator. The osmolarity threshold should not exceed 290 mOsm/l. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers can boast of compliance with this norm. But the mixture on soy milk, due to the vegetable origin of the protein, has a lower osmolarity index than products containing animal protein. The lower this indicator, the less likely it is to harm the baby's kidneys and intestines.

Cons

Disadvantages of food, unfortunately, more than pluses:

• Vegetable protein is highly nutritious, and its nutritional value is not inferior to that of animal proteins. But this fact is overshadowed by the lack of vital amino acids. A complete set of essential substances is found only in animal protein. If a child is initially allergic to cow's milk, then it is transferred to goat's. If an allergy is detected to this product, then a soy mixture is prescribed. However, if signs of intolerance to animal protein disappeared while eating soy, it is better to try returning to regular mixtures.
• Plant origin is not a guarantee of protein hypoallergenicity, therefore, a child has itmay be an allergic reaction.
• The protein component is exceeded by 1.5 times due to worse digestibility in the gastrointestinal tract than in normal nutrition. This forces producers to increase the content of trace elements: iron, zinc, calcium, etc.
• Reduced adaptability of the mixture: no separation by months. Soy formula is always in the 0 to 1 year age category, which does not always meet the needs of an infant at different stages. In Russia, the line of such mixtures is not diverse.
• The absence of lactose does not exclude the presence of other monosaccharides in the diet from soy - glucose, fructose and sucrose. High sugar content (as well as m altodextrin) can provoke problems with the tummy (colic, bloating, upset stool).
• Exceeded manganese content, which can cause the development of hyperactivity in a child.
• Lack of essential prebiotics and probiotics. They are responsible for the correct formation of the work of the entire gastrointestinal tract.

Is this true?

There are a few myths you can read about soy blends that have nothing to do with reality. It's time to debunk them.

• Soy blends are non-GMO. Soy used for baby food is absolutely natural and goes through all stages of testing. Manufacturers do not use genetically modified raw materials and indicate this on the packages.
• Soy milk formulas do not contain phytoestrogens, which can slow down the development of the child. 97% of these substances in this type of mixture are in an inactive state and low concentration, which does not contribute to theiraccumulation in the body. This is governed by international standards.
• In soy mixtures, the concentration of aluminum is not exceeded. Moreover, it simply does not exist in all products. An isolate is used, which is 100% purified not only from impurities, but also from aluminum s alts.

Hypoallergenic blends

Like any protein, soy protein can cause intolerance in a child. Therefore, soy formula should not be prescribed by a pediatrician for allergies to this type of protein.

Hypoallergenic mixtures are selected very carefully, based on the presence of a hydrolyzate, amino acids and the absence of lactose. Such a mixture is considered therapeutic and prophylactic, it is prescribed only by a doctor!

The only difference that soy formula for children with allergies has is that these formulas do not contain gluten, which is present in infant formula. It is this substance that can additionally cause an allergic reaction. In general, soy milk is less likely to develop allergies than regular formula.

Top Manufacturers

Which soy formulas are available on the Russian baby food market?

Manufacturer	Mix name
Friesland Campina (Holland)	Friso Soy
Nestle (Switzerland)	Nan Soya
Nutricia (Holland)	Nutrilon Soya
Mead Johnson & Company (USA)	Enfamil Soy
Abbot (Netherlands)	Similac Isomil
DMK (Germany)	Humana SL
Heinz (Italy)	Heinz Soya
"B altsky Dairy Plant for Children's Products" (Ukraine)	"Detolact Soya"
Volkovysk JSC "Bellakt" (Belarus)	"Bellakt Soya"

It is often difficult to find them in Russia, but still possible, especially those of Ukrainian and Belarusian production. These mixtures also belong to a higher price category, which cannot but leave an imprint on their distribution, since few can afford them.

The choice of a specific formula for your child should be clearly reasoned by the doctor who prescribes it. All necessary medical tests and examinations must be carried out beforehand. There is no single best soy mixture at the moment, everything is selected individually and often empirically, despite the recommendations of the doctor.

The list above is based on mom ratings. Friso Soy was recognized as the best. It should be noted that this is the only mixture based on vegetable protein, which, although it does not contain prebiotics and probiotics, contains nucleotides.

And yet, after the doctor's appointment, read the reviews on the Internet about the prescribed food. Soy formula, reviews of which are completely negative, is unlikely to suit your baby either. To find out all aspects and probablethe consequences of switching to this type of feeding, check out the experiences of other mothers.

Since most manufacturers of soy protein formulas are world famous brands that are responsible for the quality of their products and control every stage of production, there is nothing to be afraid of. When choosing a mixture, pay attention to the integrity of the package, the expiration date, the state of the powder component (it should be without lumps), then the transfer of the baby to plant-based nutrition will be painless and will only benefit.