Soy Milk?! Helllllpppp

caitindabx
caitindabx Posts: 41
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
Soooo I love soy milk. I don't drink it often ever since I went low carb but my boyfriend had it with his cereal and I have been mixing it with whey protien powder (chocolate- yum) to make shakes which are delicious. As a vegetarian, I have always read and been told that soy is a great alternative to milk and is healthier and gives you protein and lots of nutrients. However, recently I've been stumbling on articles claiming that soy is actually dangerous especially in men and consumption can even lead to infertility! (whaa?)

I have read that many of the studies attacking soy are funded by dairy companies so it's hard to know what to believe. Does anyone else have an opinion on this? Is it ok for me to occasionally have a soy milk protein shake on my low carb diet? Should I snatch my boyfriend's beloved soy milk from his hands and warn him never to consume this evil liquid again?! He would be so sad..

Replies

  • awal2069
    awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
    Try ALMOND milk, it is better than soy in my opinion.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    Drink almond milk and you don't have to worry about any of it.
  • ClarkMer
    ClarkMer Posts: 206 Member
    I LOVE almond milk, it tastes a lot better than soy and it is safe and low in carbs and suger
  • awal2069
    awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
    Or if you do drink regular milk, try Horizon Organic Milk. I drink the 0% fat free and it is wonderful. My husband drinks the Whole Milk by them and we will never go back to any other brand. Very good.
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
    ANOTHER vote for almond milk
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
    The best way in my opinion is to make your own Almond milk, I don't like what they say about soy either so I avoid it, Also store bough milk alternatives contain Carrageenan which they say is also bad for you, look that one up too.
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,162 Member
    milk>almond>soy
  • sharonus
    sharonus Posts: 102
    I am also a vegetarian, and I think it's good to mix it up and not rely to heavily on one particular type of food. We tend to eat a lot of tofu, so we've started using almond milk in cereal and other things. My husband uses it when he makes mashed potatoes and he said it doesn't have that bitter taste you can get with soy milk. So, I agree with the almond milk voters! Give it a shot! :)
  • amicklin
    amicklin Posts: 452
    I made the switch to almond milk... MUCH better in my opinion. Try out Almond Dream, Almond Breeze or Silk. Generally they come in original (sweetened), original (unsweetened), vanilla (sweetened), vanilla (unsweetened) or chocolate.

    The big debate with soy is the phytoestrogen. I would suggest going through some peer review journals and not random blogs or whatnot.
  • JeffJohnson26
    JeffJohnson26 Posts: 77 Member
    I would strongly suggest switching to unsweetened almond milk. It's only 35 calories per serving. Your boyfriend should definitely stop drinking soy milk either way. By the way, the only brand I've seen that does unsweetened is Silk. I know Kroger's generic brand is regular almond milk, but that bumps it up to 90 calories. Still, better than soy.
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    Almond milk is good.... if you get the unsweetened kind and sweeten it yourself with stevia or something similar that is 0 cals then a cup of it is like 35 cals total. I have also tried flaxmilk with great success. It's kind of funny colored so I don't use a white bowl since the flaxmilk looks kind of gray in comparison.
  • amicklin
    amicklin Posts: 452
    milk>almond>soy


    You should do some research on the effects of Casein on the human system. Comparing disease and fitness in countries like Japan (low intake of Casein/ animal proteins) to that of countries who consume higher amounts. Food for thought. Milk being animal protein... has casein.
  • birdinho
    birdinho Posts: 86 Member
    I have never hear dof Almond milk but il be giving it a try if i can find it. I was also told to stay away from Soy milk and go for Goat!!!
  • caitindabx
    caitindabx Posts: 41
    I have had almond milk before and I love it.. the only reason we continue to buy soy milk is because my boyfriend uses it all the time and is allergic to almonds. =[
  • schrammae
    schrammae Posts: 13 Member
    From what I have read, soy milk contains a substance called phytoestrogen. Some research indicates that it acts just like human estrogen in the body and some research indicates that they are very differant chemicals. It's so hard to tell whats the truth because it's hard to find an independant study the spans many many years (the only way to really see long term effects of anything).

    From the producers of Silk soy milk:

    http://silksoymilk.com/content/myths

    The American Journol of Clinical Nutriton:

    http://ajcn.org

    has several studies based on the phytoestrogens and their impact on human development and health. Many of the ones I read over suggested that they were inconclusive. But I only skimmed over them, to be honest, and many I just read the abstracts. I am also very interested in learning more about this topic. It's overwhelming how many products contain soy, so it would be very good to know if it's detrimental to our health or if it is helping us.
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
    I would just drink the soy milk and not worry about it. There are always claims against certain foods (like egg yolks), claiming it's bad for you that are later taken back when the food turns out to be healthy for you. If you're worried though, just drink it in moderation and limit other soy products. It should be fine.
  • JipsyJudy
    JipsyJudy Posts: 268 Member
    If you use LITE, plain soy milk, it's low in carbs. I use Silk Lite Plain soy milk in my coffee, about half to 3/4 of a cup per day, and that's all the soy milk I drink. My impression is that the anti-soy movement is aimed at people who eat some form of flavored soy, as a substitute for other stuff, all day long.
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
    Really good website that tells you what some of those ingredients are in stuff- Labelwatch.com
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    Silk Organic Unsweetened Soy is pretty low in carbs, & Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened is ZERO carbs. I like the latter best for taste & still use it for oatmeal. Since I don't follow a strictly low carb plan anymore, I use skim for cereal & protein shakes since it's higher in protein.
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
    I'll bet you in time almond milk will be "bad" for you too...I swear EVERYTHING is bad for you at some point in time according to some research or journal or experiment. I remember when research said Ketchup chips would give you cancer... Now they're saying beer can be good for you and red wine can be good for you, etc, etc. Butter used to be so horrible for us...now it's good. It's like a trend. Every so often a new study has to come out saying that something is bad for you and will kill you if you consume it.

    If you like soy, keep drinking it. I personally drink a mix of stuff. If I could get raw cow's milk that's what I'd drink but I also drink almond milk and soy milk every now and then because I like the taste of it.
  • perceptualobfuscator
    perceptualobfuscator Posts: 159 Member
    Honest to god, you have to consume MASSIVE amounts of soy products before it will have any sort of negative effect on you. If you are eating/drinking soy every meal of every day, then you will have problems. If you are having it once or twice a day, as part of a healthy, balanced diet, you should have no problems. Just because something is bad in large proportions doesn't mean you have to stop consuming it altogether. Vitamin A can kill you if you have enough, but that's no reason to avoid it. Just be careful not to overconsume, switch it up every once in a while, and don't stress.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    I have had almond milk before and I love it.. the only reason we continue to buy soy milk is because my boyfriend uses it all the time and is allergic to almonds. =[

    If BF is not allergic to other nuts, it's easy to make nut milk at home using any nut you like! Hazelnut milk, cashew milk, walnut milk - all you need is a food processor (or blender), nuts, and water! It's easy and cheap, if you buy them in bulk.

    If nuts aren't an option, Silk and So Delicious! make amazing coconut milks. Low carb and veg-friendly!
  • perceptualobfuscator
    perceptualobfuscator Posts: 159 Member
    milk>almond>soy

    I'm curious as to why you think dairy milk is superior to the other varieties. As far as I can tell, there is no reason for this, especially since dairy can be high in cholesterol and has less healthy fats, as well as usually having less calcium. Not to mention it is indigestible for a significant portion of the population. Is there something I'm missing here?
  • toniRAD
    toniRAD Posts: 196 Member
    my opinion-
    I've heard that too much carrageenan, which is in soy milk, isn't too good for you. & I've heard soy can contribute to breast cancer. (what doesn't cause cancer?)
    I drink no more than a cup a day. I'm pretty sure having that little amount of it isn't gonna hurt. I think it's more of if you drink a ton of it all the time. Not positive though. It's better for you than milk is though!
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