Hello,
Wondering if anyone else has experience with lactose intolerance and is on T.
I have ulcerative colitis and since starting T, my symptoms are actually much better than they used to be. However, most milk products still result in me getting sick (I get tons of flack for that living in Wisconsin lol).
My wife's brother is very into fitness and has told me soy can be counterproductive with T and working out. I've also read other people's blogs on "naturally raising" your testosterone levels and many of them say that soy will act against your testosterone levels. I don't eat soy in a lot of things but I do use it in coffee instead of milk or creamer. I have been drinking soy in coffee for the entire time I've been on T (14 months) and haven't noticed anything negative (and my lab levels are all in the expected range) but I have recently been wondering if I should cut back on the soy as I start working out more. I want to maximize my muscle gains as much as possible and certainly don't want to do anything that will counteract the testosterone that I'm injecting but milk makes me sick and I honestly don't even really like the taste of it anymore.

Just curious if anyone else has experience in this area that would have any suggestions.

Try Almond Milk

You'd have to have WAY more soy than just coffee creamer for it to have an impact.  Don't worry about it. 

It shouldn't be a problem in such small amounts but if you want to switch, I also recommend almond milk or coconut milk. You can even make your own almond milk if you wanted.

Soy has phytoestrogens - chemicals that the human body processes as estrogen.  You would need to eat a LOT of it to counteract the T, though... the T is more powerful than even natural estrogen (which is why us guys only take the hormone, not the hormone and a blocker!).  That being said, excess soy is generally ill-advised.  Almond and coconut milk are generally touted to be better options.  Another factor is that soy (that isn't grown by organic standards) can be heavily laden with pesticides.

But sadly, nothing tastes as good in my morning coffee as cow's milk! 

I used to hate the taste of soy when I first had to find alternatives to milk (I grew up on a dairy farm so there was an abundance of milk products my whole life... It was a tough conversion for me). But I've now that I've gotten used to the less sweet soy, I've found that when I do sometimes have milk in coffee or other things, it's almost all I can taste. I have thought about trying the almond milk as well but didn't think of coconut milk. I will have to give those a try.

Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not sabotaging my gains though, that was my main concern!

Soy doesn't do anything.

Also, try lactose pills and lactose free milk.

I second what the others said -- it doesn't make a difference. I'm pretty sure you'd have to drink gallons of the stuff. And if all your hormone levels are in the right range, there's nothing to worry about.

My favorite dairy substitute is unsweetened almond milk. Personally, I have to stay away from the lactose free dairy because I have a problem with casein (one of the proteins).

Hazelnut milk is delicious (but harder to find). There's a large variety of milks that I've seen around, I've tried quinoa milk but that thing tastes horrid. Lactose-free milk like others have suggested is also an option. The phytoestrogen in soy shouldn't really affect your body unless you eat lots of soy-based products daily, if it's just a bit of milk in your coffee then I don't think you should worry about it. That said, lots of current nutrition warns against having a lot of soy (again, a bit is totally fine I think) because of the phytoestrogens and I don't know what else. The paleo diet also isn't a soy fan.

Funny thing, when I first found out that soy contained compounds that the body treated like estrogen, I immediately decided I wasn't going to have any more soy ever. And that was before I started thinking I was trans. But I've come to the conclusion that a tiny bit of soy sauce once a month isn't really going to make my body even more feminine, so who cares.

My support group leader has ulcerative colitis for 6 years and has been on T for 17ish, I could give you his information if you would like.

That would be great Alexthecat. Thank you.

A friend at work had me try cashew milk as well which I thought was pretty good.

I do sometimes use the lactose free milk when milk is a dominant ingredient (such as cereal or something like that) or when my wife is cooking she will use that instead of regular milk since our kids wouldn't eat things that substitute soy for milk lol. Plus, as everyone has pointed out, I've read that soy in excess is not a good thing so I try to vary it. The only place I can't is when I stop at Starbucks (I know that's probably a problem in and of itself!) as the milk in my drink will make me sick for 2 days and they only have soy. But since that's not an every day thing, I think the resounding answer is that I shouldn't worry .

The whole nondairy thing in the area I live in is difficult as we don't have a ton of alternatives readily available. It's starting to get better though and I do at least live in a relatively urban area so I'm starting to see more options for milk alternative.

I don't think I will ever stop getting questioned when I order things without cheese though. "You want a burger.... WITHOUT cheese?" It's practically a sin.

Pmed

I don't do well with lactose or casein, and I've found that I hate unsweetened almond milk the least in coffee. I usually just drink black 4 shot americanos. The thing about soy protein and body builders is really only an issue if they are eating soy as all of their protein. They need so much protein that the phytoestrogens start to cause a little trouble.

I agree that trans guys probably shouldn't be using protein powders based on soy, it's quite concentrated. But I think it does take quite large doses. We're talkign about putting in coffee or over cereal, I thought.

--Jay

Quote from: MrSeahorse on January 30, 2015, 07:19:37 PM
I don't do well with lactose or casein, and I've found that I hate unsweetened almond milk the least in coffee. I usually just drink black 4 shot americanos. The thing about soy protein and body builders is really only an issue if they are eating soy as all of their protein. They need so much protein that the phytoestrogens start to cause a little trouble.

Hey, I can't handle lactose either and use substitutes. I recognize that soy is estrogen-y, but my understanding is that you would have to ingest crazy amounts of soy for it to interfere with your testosterone levels.

I feel like you should do whatever works best for you.

Yes, I'm only talking as added into other things in smaller amounts (half cup of soy milk at most) and not on a daily basis. For workouts, I use muscle milk as their products are all lactose free (at least the flavors I've used).

I'm glad to hear that unless I'm really taking in a lot of soy that I shouldn't have to worry. That is definitely reassuring. Thank you for everyone's input!

Muscle Milk is whey protein, I believe, and probably a better choice for work outs than soy anyway. But soy is fine for the purposes most people have for it. Personally I hate the taste.

--Jay

Quote from: Dex on January 31, 2015, 11:23:29 AM
Yes, I'm only talking as added into other things in smaller amounts (half cup of soy milk at most) and not on a daily basis. For workouts, I use muscle milk as their products are all lactose free (at least the flavors I've used).

I'm glad to hear that unless I'm really taking in a lot of soy that I shouldn't have to worry. That is definitely reassuring. Thank you for everyone's input!

Quote from: aleon515 on January 31, 2015, 01:19:12 PM
Muscle Milk is whey protein, I believe, and probably a better choice for work outs than soy anyway. But soy is fine for the purposes most people have for it. Personally I hate the taste.

--Jay

If you want something that is not whey, you could also try hemp or pea protein concentrate. Most whey formulations still give me a belly ache, but I sometimes dump cooked oatmeal in my smoothies and that helps. And I agree about the taste of soy protein concentrate. It's nasty. I also find chia seeds tolerable, but they also have that snot-like goo thing and are expensive. I've tried a lot of different stuff. My psych meds make me sick sometimes so I drink a lot of meals.

When I use any kind of protein powder, I use isolated microfiltered whey protein.

I do use half and half in my coffee, but otherwise no dairy, if I can help it.  I use vanilla flavored almond milk, Mr. Seahorse.  Maybe you would like that better.

I have never cared for milk and don't drink it. I take various vitamins including soy and have not noticed any effect from the soy.