Got Soy? Dairy Alternative Goes Mainstream: Soy Milk No Longer Just For Special Diets

[Guest guest]

TheNewMexicoChannel.com

 

Dear friends,

 

Although this article says: " Also, don't plan on getting the calcium boost

you get from dairy milk unless it's fortified with the mineral " , A

well-balanced vegan diet can provide sufficient calcium through green leafy

vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens. Also, the absence of

animal protein in a vegan diet allows for better absorption of calcium,

since the excess of protein in the average American meat and diary based

diet has been shown to leach calcium out of the body through the urine.

 

Peacefully yours,

Nancy Hey

 

 

Got Soy? Dairy Alternative Goes Mainstream

 

Soy Milk No Longer Just For Special Diets

 

Lisa Morrison, Staff Writer

 

POSTED: 8:46 a.m. EST March 26, 2003

UPDATED: 10:23 a.m. EST March 27, 2003

 

Soy milk. It's popping up faster than spring flowers.

 

Just one look at your grocer's dairy section is proof that a nice, cold

glass of soy milk is one hot product. And there are a number of reasons

why.

 

Some people have turned to soy milk for years because they cannot tolerate

cow's milk. Many vegans, people who shun any food product from an animal,

often choose soy milk as a dairy alternative. And then there are those who

use soy milk in hopes of cashing in on some of soy's purported health

benefits (to lower cholesterol and to prevent heart disease). And with the

number of soy milk choices popping up, among them, fat-free, low-fat,

vanilla, chocolate and soy-and-rice milk blends, there might even be a few

people who opt to pour soy milk on their Wheaties just because they like the

way it tastes.

 

Soy milk can be a great substitute for dairy milk, but newbies might find

that the taste is very different from dairy milk. The flavor actually

varies quite a bit among brands, so don't give up if you don't like it at

first sip. One way to sneak some soy milk into your diet is to mix a little

of it in with your regular milk, increasing the amount until you get more

accustomed to the flavor.

 

Soy milk is made by soaking and cooking soybeans, then filtering the

resulting liquid. Many commercial brands use ingredients -- seaweed to add

thickness, or malted cereal extract (brown rice syrup, barley malt or raw

cane crystals) for thickness and a touch of sweetness -- to help the soy

milk mimic the taste and " mouth feel " of dairy milk. Because of those

additives, if you are using soy milk for health reasons, read the label,

those sweeteners can pack an extra calorie punch you might not welcome. For

example,

some soy milks can contain upwards of 200 calories and 6 grams of fat per

cup -- a lot more than low-fat milk.

 

In cooking, soy milk can be used as a base for cream soups or sauces or as

a substitute for dairy milk in most baked goods. The rule of thumb is

pretty simple: Use unsweetened soy milk for savory recipes such as

casseroles, sauces and soups, and sweetened or vanilla-flavored soy milk for

shakes and desserts. One caveat: Soy milk does not work with instant

puddings because it lacks a protein derived from milk that helps instant

mixes " set " and thicken.

 

Also, don't plan on getting the calcium boost you get from dairy milk

unless it's fortified with the mineral. Soy milk can also be fortified with

vitamin D and vitamin B-12. Plain, unsweetened, unfortified soy milk has

9.8 milligrams of calcium per cup. Calcium amounts in fortified soy milks

range from 200 to 400 milligrams per cup. But, be aware that it usually

takes about 500 mg of calcium in a cup of soy milk to equal the 300 mg in a

cup of cow's milk, since the calcium in most soy drinks is less readily

absorbed than that in cow's milk, according to the University of

California-Berkeley Wellness Letter.

 

So, moooove over milk. With all it's got going for it, soy milk might

prove to be more than just a passing fad.

 

Copyright 2003 by TheNewMexicoChannel.com.