I am reading Best Life and some of the recipes in there call for vanilla and chocolate soy milk. I started wondering about it. I drink non fat now but is soy better for me? I went into the Nutrition Food forum and they had a thread on it and it sounds like it mostly benefits older women. This being a 20 Somethings crowd I was curious if any of you drink it and can offer your experience with it.
Soy is a very controversial food right now. I myself am on the fence as to whether or not I should continue to use my vanilla soy milk, my gardenburger patties, etc. Some people say that it's the miracle food that prevents all sorts of things, and others say that it's horrible and can cause breast cancer, etc. I suggest doing a little research elsewhere online from reliable sources that refer to case studies, etc. Beware there are some sensationalist articles out there or personal accounts that may not be so factual. I don't have a specific link to an article, but maybe someone else does.
Should you decide that you want to try it, I like the taste of light vanilla soy milk, which is the only kind I've ever tried. It tastes nothing like milk, obviously, but has a rather light, slightly chalky flavor to me. It almost tastes like sugar cookies, but I have really strange taste buds, so don't think your experience will be the same... haha.
All I can really add to this is that I drink Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, and it's really good. LOL! You should try it. It's really good in cereal. That's mostly all I use it for. SOmetimes I drink a glass, but not so often.
I am brand new to the whole soy thing, but I bought my first carton less than a week ago, and it's gone! I consider myself to be a bit of a picky eater, and I really liked it. Not chalky at all. I purchased the Slim Brand, fat free vanilla flavored. It was a bit sweet, but good. I purchased some regular tonight, to see how it goes.
I figure at 1 cup, and just 70 cals, it's a steal! Bottom line, I like it!
It does taste different to milk but I actually like the flavour is gives. I don't tend to drink it straight but rather use it in my tea and coffee, in cooking and cereals etc.
As for the whole "it may cause cancer" thing...my take on all that is just about EVERYTHING has at one point or another or will in the future have some random study done that shows *gasp shock* it -could- cause cancer. I enjoy it, so drink it
I have light soy milk which is about 100 cal per 250ml
Fat-free soy milk has around 90 calories per 250ml
Light milk has 128 cal per 250ml and fat free milk has about 83 cals.
So the difference is pretty minimal...it really just comes down to preference. I find a lot of soy milks tend to be fortified with extra calcium, protein, iron and other trace minerals.
I personally live on the soy and tofu. I like the taste. As for the milk, I've never been a milk drinker and only use it in my coffee. I find soy milk gives the coffee more substance and it actually holds me as a food.
I have been drinking soy milk for about 10 years and love it... However I recently just made the switch to almond milk, and I absolutely love it! The unsweetened vanilla and chocolate are delicious, and have only about 45 calories per cup.
I love soy milk. I sometimes like to blend some ice, chocolate soymilk, and a banana for breakfast. It's a little richer than chocolate milk, but it fulfills my chocolate craving. I also like light vanilla soymilk in my cereal
I'm allergic to milk, but also don't like the taste. For awhile, I was buying a 1L carton of skim milk (the minimal amounts I used at any given time didn't aggravate my allergy) but it'd go bad before I could use it all. Soy milk tends to last longer, and I'm pretty sure it has more protein than cow's milk.