Episode #5 - Dr Andrew Little on Soy milk vs Cow's milk

Watch the full episode below with @plantbased_aussie_doctor and @vegan_like_benny

Soy vs Cow’s milk

People often talk about the myths around soy, particularly that it's bad for your hormones. Dr Andrew had been told time and time again that by drinking soy it will give him man boobs, negatively impact on his hormones and result in infertility. So he set out to find the answers.

One of the most common myths associated with soy milk is that the amount of harmful estrogen present has been said to negatively impact hormones. Dr Andrew states that this is an absolute myth. Soy has zero estrogen, mammalian estrogen. Mammalian estrogen is typically found in the production of milk from female mammals to feed their babies. Soy milk actually contains phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogen is classified as the ‘sex’ hormone of plants which reacts very differently when compared to mammalian estrogen from animals.

The human body can tolerate animal products, but it is not designed to react effectively to it. The research is showing that we are designed to consume and react more effectively with plant-based produce and products. According to Dr Little, phytoestrogen is thought to be a hormone produced by plants that are good for our health as humans. Mammalian estrogen is what human women and female cows produce that is bad for you in overconsumption. If you’re looking to avoid estrogen and are worried about the health effects of excessive and unnatural estrogen consumption, Dr Andrew recommends to completely avoid dairy and cow’s milk. He states soy milk is the healthier option.

Benny asks Dr Little to discuss the difference between GMO soy and certified organic soy. Having an anti-soy mindset myself before I went plant-based and did the research, I was confused. I soon learnt the difference between GMO and NON-GMO products and the effects each were having on my health. Genetically modified foods are foods that are produced by living organisms that have had their DNA altered or modified through genetic engineering. Recent studies have suggested that eating GMO foods is detrimental to our health with multiple health risks identified. Benny refers to GMO soy as “roundup ready soy”. Dr Andrew states that “roundup ready soy” is a soybean that has been genetically modified to the point whereby the farmers can spray as much round-up and toxic chemicals as they like, killing everything around them, except the soybean. This includes depleting the nutrient quality of the soil and all living things found in the environment around. Dr Andrew believes that GMO crops are destroying the biodiversity of the environment around us.crops mixed with toxic sprays is a concoction of disaster if you ask me.

Dr Andrew explains that 80% of soy grown is GMO soy, to directly feed cows. This soy has been deemed unsafe. It has been classified as not suitable for human consumption, however, is ok to feed to cows that we then eat. Or then drink their milk. This just doesn’t make sense, right?
To put this into perspective and what is bad for our environment, Dr Andrew presents some stats for us…
He states that 56 billion land animals that are slaughtered every year, that means 2000 are killed every second. Sadly, they can be fed in concentration feeds with GMO corn and “roundup ready soy”. So, what is bad for the environment, is all the GMO corn and soy produced, destroying the integrity of our land, that equates to 80% of agricultural land.

Imagine if we ditched the chemicals and used that land to grow organic vegetables… Less torture of animals, less GMO crops, a healthier planet and a healthier you. If only the solution was that simple right… Maybe it is…

Dr Andrew goes on to present a study conducted and reported on through the
Journal of American Medical Association 2009. The study looked at women with breast cancer. The results showed that women eating high amounts of soy had higher survival rates than those not eating soy. It also decreased the rates of recurrence in women.
Dr Andrew also states that the Okinawan people from Japan who eat soy regularly, don’t have half the health concerns that we have in Australia, a country that consumes high amounts of dairy and low amounts of soy.

Benny asks Dr Andrew to talk about organic cow’s milk. Does organic cows milk have any additional health benefits, or does this make it ok to consume?
Benny also states that according to the current research people should be more concerned about drinking cows’ milk and soy milk.
Dr Little discloses, that whether it is organic or not, a cow needs to be impregnated to produce milk. This process may be done inhumanly with the cow in a constant state of pregnancy which is not natural. This milk the cow produces is full of growth hormones to feed a baby calf, not a human. According to his research, cow’s milk may also be linked to feeding cancer cells in humans. Avoiding dairy decreases your risk of prostate cancer for men and breast cancer in women according to Doctor Andrew. So, the organic debate is irrelevant. The best and most simplest thing you can do for the planet and your health is to just eliminate the diary altogether and switch to a plant-based milk.

At the start of the educational series, Dr Andrew said switching to plant-based milk is one of the easiest things he could do, to positively contribute to the future sustainability of the environment.
Due to our conditioning, we are wired to drink milk. Another physiological problem we have adopted as humans. “But mum said it makes your bones strong…”. If you are concerned about osteoporosis and calcium when switching to a plant-based milk, I suggest you go back to episode 4, where Dr Andrew and Benny blow this out of the water; Click here to read.
Know that at the start when transitioning to plant-based milk, it will taste different. But your taste buds will change and adapt. Know that it is better for you, more natural, has additional health benefits when compared to cow’s milk and is even better for the planet.
Heck, you might be able to ditch the milk altogether.  

Dr Andrew states that the evidence on organic is still scattered, making it hard for him to formulate a solid opinion to share with us that is supported with solid evidence. What he does know is this, a pesticide is something derived from nerve gas from the war, designed to kill humans back in the day. It just makes sense to not spray this on our foods, right?
Dr Andrew sheds some light on our evolution. He believes we are in a time today whereby we have data, research and evidence to keep improving, keep questioning, keep progressing and moving forward in disproving the science. And he is right. As a species, we can only get better. We need to keep adjusting, evaluating and keep pivoting towards a better world.
Dr Andrew and long with Garden of Vegan believe that we need to realise things that we once believed 10 years ago, just may not be true today. And that’s ok.
He states we may look back in another 10 years and think, what the hell are we doing, or I can’t believe we thought that as a society.

Dr Andrew is excited to see where the research goes in the realm of organic food and farming. He concludes by saying, you should eat organic when and where you can. Organic plant-based whole foods are better for you and the environment.