Soy and Gas

Updated on September 27, 2008
M.S. asks from Budd Lake, NJ
23 answers

my daughter is 2.5 and allergic to milk. she drinks soy and has awful gas. i am thinking of starting her in some kind of school soon. i am nervous about her gas due to the soy and how mean other kids can be. any suggestions on how to get rid of the gas?? i don't want her having a nickname of "the farter" before she is three years old.

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S.M.

answers from New York on

I don't if there is a specific connection between the milk allergy and the reaction to the soy, but soy contains gluten, which is a very common allergen. I have a sensitivity (less mild than an allergy) to gluten (bread, soy) and the result is sometimes gassy digestion and/or itchy hives.

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S.C.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
Have you tried Hemp or Rice Milk? My son drinks Hemp and loves it. There are also Vanilla and Chocolate flavored. Made from nuts, this is also very healthy.

Good luck,
S.

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K.T.

answers from New York on

Have you tried other soy milks? I remember when we started my milk allergic son on soy milk, he was so gassy. Now he's not once we tried a few different types. We now use stop&shop's natures promise soy milk. It's cheap and he loves it.
Can you also try other types of milk substitutes? Stay away from goat since it's quite similar to cow's milk.

I don't think that kids will make fun of her for farting at least at this age. But maybe yu can get it figured out before that time comes. I wonder about beano? Ask your doctor about it.
Could she have a minor allergy to soy? Has she been tested?
good luck.

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S.H.

answers from Buffalo on

have you tried raw milk - unpasturized, direct from the farm cows milk; or goats milk. i have never personally tried it but have 2 friends w/ children w/ milk allergies who swear by it.

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D.R.

answers from New York on

If you think it's the soy that is giving her gas try switching to rice milk. My son is allergic to soy and milk and thats what he drinks and loves it. You can find it in Stop and Shop but it's the cheapest at Trader Joes. Good luck

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R.C.

answers from New York on

Have you talked with her doctor or an health food specialest about other products she may tolerate better...besides Soy.

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J.T.

answers from New York on

I would give her some "beano" or some kind of vegetable based enzyme supplement to help her body digest the soy without the gas byproduct. Probiotics could help, too but you'll have to try the vegetarian versions or the non-milk based versions. I found a powdered acidophilus that is milk-free.

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G.S.

answers from New York on

I have a two year old in school and the kids at that age really do not have the capability to be that mean but to help your child's gas situation, try gripe water after you feed her soy. It has always helped my children with gas and, as a bonus, hiccups!

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D.R.

answers from New York on

Soy is not the health food that some medical folks think it is.
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

Your daughter's body is giving you great feedback! Listen to it and make the switch.
Don't cover up her symptoms with gas remedies.

Try almond milk instead!
no one past the age of infancy really needs any dairy products.

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J.J.

answers from New York on

hi M.

i agree w the moms who suggested rice milk, it's pretty inoffensive to almost any body's body. but also, this thought; does she really need to be drinking milk?

in other words, is it only straight milk that bothers her and she is able to eat other dairy like yogurt and some cheese? my kids, who are 3 yr and 19 mos, do not drink milk and never have. they eat yogurt and cheese and that's plenty of dairy, probably more than enough. both my kids are very big, very verbal, and very energetic; in other words they are not missing any nutrition for not drinking milk. they get a lot of protien and calcium from many other foods. i make them high protien noodles with cheese probably 4 times a week, just using a little american cheese and tofu cream cheese and 2% milk and margarine, throw some peas in there, they love it. they get chocolate milk once in a while for a treat. to drink, they get water almost exclusively. they don't drink juice because most juices are barely more than sugar except the very expensive ones which i am not about to blow half the grocery budget on, and they eat a lot of fruit; at least an apple and a banana and strawberries almost every day.

so i would suggest if your daughter is eating a good variety of other foods with vitamins and especially if she enjoys yogurt, skip the milk altogether, even rice milk doesn't have much nutritional value, anyway.

milk has a lot of good stuff in it to be sure, but probably too much of everything and certainly many too many hormones, and it is a food really meant for animals that are supposed to gain 400 lbs in the first year of life. (in fact i am suspicious that excessive milk drinking is the cause of girls going through puberty so much earlier in recent years which leads to the rising rate of teen age pregnancy; call me paranoid.) so especially if your daughter was breastfed (and if she still is, even better), she really doesn't need this if she eats other good foods.

good luck
J.

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J.P.

answers from Rochester on

We used to drink soy milk and have switched to rice milk. Its much better tasting (we just buy the plain flavor). And I think it's a lot better in the long run.

So why not try rice milk. If you think your daughter would balk at the change, do it gradually.....taking a few weeks to mix the 2 together starting with a little rice and then ending up with it being full strength. She'll never know.

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M.D.

answers from New York on

My 21 mo old son is also allergic to milk. We found out when he was 7mo old thru blood test. He just had another allergy test & now we found out hes allergic to other things including soy. Maybe the soy just doesnt agree w/ your daughter. Ive been using Rice milk instead & have had no problems. Its much gentler on the GI tract. I get it at Trader Joes. $2.99 for 1/2 gallon. I used to drink soymilk as well but its just too gassy!

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L.V.

answers from New York on

well my daughter had the same probelm and the dr switched her from soy to rice milk and that helped alot

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M.G.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
I must say firstly, be careful what you say about your child! You do not want a self fulfilling thought! Exactly what you FEAR will happen if you do not change your words! Now, my girls were raised on breast milk and soy formular and they never had any signs of smelly gas from it! As they grew up our diet consist of high "soy" content! We are strict vegetarians and the healthiest kids in school. Have you ever smelt the farts from the heavy meat eaters! It would knock you over! I would believe it to be a lack of digestive enzymes that are causing the gas. Your little girl is not digesting properly! Any high quality digestive enzyme supplements can be sprinkled on her food-have no taste. If you need a recommendation give me a call or email me at ____@____.com Luck with this and please remember -what you think-you are and what you think about those you love-are that too! Wayne Dyer.."Change Your Thoughts... Change Your Life." M. G

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M.D.

answers from New York on

Hi, I know how mean kids can be. Have you tried maybe Rice Milk? Does the doctor have any suggustions? I hope all turns out well.

M.

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K.H.

answers from Utica on

Hi M.
If she has allergies, perhaps soy is also an allergen. Talk to your doctor and see what is said. She shouldn't have enough gas for you to think this will be a problem at school. Since you do, I say check with MD, gas hurts whether she considers it normal or not.
Look how infants scream with it, when they have colic. Just a thought. I had two that were allergic to soy. Soy is what caused apnea in our younger son. Something about the gasp reflux.
God bless you
Talk to your mom, she too may have stories to tell you have never heard.
K. SAHM married 38 years 4 adult children 37, 32, and twin girls 18. Hey we became grandparent too this summer when our younger son, who was allergic to everything and his wife gave birth to 9'5" baby boy.

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H.O.

answers from Rochester on

Perhaps you can try rice milk. If your daughter has so much gas from soy milk, maybe it is not the best for her either. The calcium aspect of things can also easily be gotten from greens and other foods.
good luck

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N.B.

answers from Jamestown on

My daughter has the same problem. Put Gas Drops in her "milk". That cuts down alot of it.

Good luck,
Nanc

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D.C.

answers from Albany on

Our GI specialist said that many kids allergic to milk are also allergic to soy.

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J.A.

answers from New York on

Hello,
have you tried goats milk??? Or almond milk???

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A.R.

answers from New York on

soy has been used by asian cultrues or millenia, but not as soymilk. tofu and miso are FERMENTED, which means the soy is partially broken down by friendly bacteria (like yogurt vs milk). Soy milk was made popular in the US the 1970s, and people have used it like you do with your daughter, as an alternative to cow's milk. Problem is, *soy in its unfermented state BLOCKS THE BODY'S ABSORBTION OF NUTRIENTS. It actually lined the small intestine and prevents it from doing its job, which is nurtient absorbtion. I drank a lot of soy milk in my early 20s, and it exaserbated my chron's disease horribly. My doctor suggested i take a break from soy for a month, and i got much much better. Your daughter may not have chrons, but soy milk is very difficult to digest for any human digestive system, especially kids. I would highly recommend substituting rice milk, almond milk, or oat milk which is really delicious, for a month or more and see what happens! Good luck!

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K.C.

answers from New York on

I agree with the other mom's regarding no health benefit to consuming unfermented soy. I had both of my children on soy formula but since then have read several articles about soy not being the health food that we were all lead to beleive it was. Check out www.dr.Mercola.com for more research on the subject.

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M.L.

answers from Binghamton on

My son was going to the bathroom several times a day on soy milk. My girlfriend suggested Rice Milk. He loved it and the stomache issues went away. I would definitely suggest switching if she is having gas. We are all lactose intolerant in the family too. I buy it at Super Walmart, it's 2.99 for 1/2 gallon. Or you can find it shelf stable too.

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