Soy is everywhere! You can have a soy latte, soy chocolate milk, soy nuts, soy, soy…
The Soy Milk industry has really done an amazing job convincing us that Soy is more nutritious than Cow’s Milk. But, is it really? For those whom are lactose intolerant or vegan, Soy is the obvious choice. However, for the rest of us who were brought up on Cow’s milk, I am curious about the health benefits of soy milk versus cow’s milk.
What is Soy Milk?
Soy Milk is not really a milk, rather a beverage that has been manufactured by soaking soybeans and then grounded down into a “milk”. Soy Milk on it’s own does not have the Vitamin E, B12 and calcium that cow’s milk has. Although, some brands of Soy Milk have been fortified with the appropriate vitamins to make it almost equivalent to cow’s milk. If you were to compare the two by calories, there is very little difference. See chart on Go Ask Alice basically, soy milk has 80 calories versus 90 for skim milk, 9 grams of protein in cow’s milk and 6 grams of protein in soy. The kinds of protein in each are different as well. There are more carbs and sugars in the fat free milk than the non-fat soy. Soy has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels and possibly reduce the causes of breast cancer. In several studies, soy milk has been shown to help post-menopausal women control hormone imbalances such as hot flashes and night sweats.
In another article on Radiant Recovery, the author actually lists out each and every positive and negatively researched evidence on the soy story. It seems that one serving of soy could have significant health benefits, however, most of the studies seem to indicate that 8 ounces is enough. One smoothie with Soy is ok, but not to have tofu on the same day.
What’s your opinion?
7 responses so far ↓
1 Grounded Fitness // Sep 16, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I dont drink soymilk. you know why?
it tastes like dirt to me.
but I LOVE chocolate covered soy nuts. probably because they are covered in chocolate, but atleast im getting some soy.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Grounded Fitnesss last blog post..GF Video: Limbo Thrusts
2 Fit Mommy // Sep 16, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I don’t drink it STRAIGHT!! I like it in smoothies. Just wondering if it’s healthier than cow’s milk??
Funny comment!
3 Kathleen Nemargut // Sep 16, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I am not a big fan of soy milk. I do drink cow’s milk (organic) but my favorite is definitely Almond Milk (unsweetened) it tastes great and is only 40 calories for 8 ounces. The best thing about it is 75% of the calories come from good fats. The chocolate one is the best (it is 45 calories).
4 Tiffany O'Connell // Sep 16, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I use to think that soy milk was better than regular milk. Then I decided to get rid of products in the house that had sugar in them that I did not think should (bread, milk, etc…) I looked at the soy milk and even the regular soy milk had added sugar so I stopped using it.
5 Fit Mommy // Sep 16, 2008 at 11:38 pm
WOW. Kathleen and Tiffany you girls are smart! This is why I asked the question.. I believe soy does have sucrose in it- so prolly isn’t that great for us?! I am going to have to try the almond milk.
6 Lance // Sep 17, 2008 at 1:33 am
I’m from Wisconsin – I think I’m required to drink cow’s milk…
Lances last blog post..The Impact We Have On Others
7 The benefits of Hemp Milk // Nov 6, 2008 at 2:24 pm
[...] options. But, that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Recently, I wrote about Soy milk here. Living Harvest offers Unsweetened, Sweetened Vanilla, Chocolate and Original [...]
Leave a Comment