Soy milk vs Cow's milk

[beau thai]

I am thinking of switching from supermarket dairy milk to supermarket Lactasoy. Digging on google gets lots of opinions but few research- based facts. I know there are some knowledgeable folks on TV and wonder if anyone has good info (not just an opinion!) about this.

My understanding so far is that the considerations for young growing kids are different but not an issue for me.

Also that Soy Milk is supposed to be better for lower cholestorol, and randomly, prostate. And that Lactasoy, like many processed foods,is convenient but may not be as beneficial as less processed soy milk-whatever that is, and wherever you buy it?

Not a big deal really, but learning more about the pro's and cons of switching would be handy. Thanks

(Wonder how far this will get before someone takes the p*ss as usual on TV ... )

[Ulysses G.]

Another opinion, but to the holistic health zealots, brown rice milk is better than either of these and is available here.

[pinkpanther99]

I've been looking into this subject for a couple of months and I have to say I don't have much conclusion information! Like you say, a lot of stuff online is not based on fact. I went for about 6 months on Soy milk and then read that it actually wasn't all that great for you and then went back to cows milk.

I have a friend in the UK who is a nutritionist and his advice was to avoid both cows milk and soy milk as they are both so heavily processed that they really aren't that good for you. He suggested to try almond milk as a better alternative. Like the OP, I would interested to hear other peoples take on this subject.

At the moment, I've cut out both cows and soy milk from my diet.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

rice milk, almond milk, goats milk, grass fed cows milk are decent choices

Soy milk is nutrient absorption blocker and full of endocrine disrupters.

http://www.ehow.com/list_5961758_negative-effects-soy-milk.html

There are good parts of soy like Lecithin which supports cognitive function. I would just take the lecithin separately and avoid the soy.

Another concern is GMO Soy which may or may not be a health issue but many soy milks are GMO.

[beau thai]

I've been looking into this subject for a couple of months and I have to say I don't have much conclusion information! Like you say, a lot of stuff online is not based on fact. I went for about 6 months on Soy milk and then read that it actually wasn't all that great for you and then went back to cows milk.

I have a friend in the UK who is a nutritionist and his advice was to avoid both cows milk and soy milk as they are both so heavily processed that they really aren't that good for you. He suggested to try almond milk as a better alternative. Like the OP, I would interested to hear other peoples take on this subject.

At the moment, I've cut out both cows and soy milk from my diet.

'At the moment, I've cut out both cows and soy milk from my diet'. That's interesting-was that your nutritionists advice? I thought cutting out both might be the worst of all worlds-do you use some other milk substitute? Like brown rice milk suggested by Ulysses, which I will now attempt to investigate..

[PeterSmiles]

Another opinion, but to the holistic health zealots, brown rice milk is better than either of these and is available here.

How is the price of rice milk compared to soy or cow milk /

Available at major supermarkets ?

[Rinrada]

Just dont like the taste of Soy milk so have stuck to blue label Dutch selected in tea/coffee....personal preference.

[Ulysses G.]

Another opinion, but to the holistic health zealots, brown rice milk is better than either of these and is available here.

How is the price of rice milk compared to soy or cow milk /

Available at major supermarkets ?

They have it at Rimping, but it is imported, organic and expensive. I used to get the home made stuff at the Vegetarian Council (kind of) near Airport Plaze and it was very cheap.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[beau thai]

They have it at Rimping, but it is imported, organic and expensive. I used to get the home made stuff at the Vegetarian Council (kind of) near Airport Plaze and it was very cheap.

Thanks for your input Ulysses-seems that Rice Milk is very low on Protein and high on carbs but great for cholestorol. Seems you can make it at home but its a chore. Can you give me directions please to the place near Airport Plaza that sells it. Save me wandering around that area like a lost soul.....

[hellodolly]

They have it at Rimping, but it is imported, organic and expensive. I used to get the home made stuff at the Vegetarian Council (kind of) near Airport Plaze and it was very cheap.

Thanks for your input Ulysses-seems that Rice Milk is very low on Protein and high on carbs but great for cholestorol. Seems you can make it at home but its a chore. Can you give me directions please to the place near Airport Plaza that sells it. Save me wandering around that area like a lost soul.....

It' been a while since I was there but I remember seeing it at the Makro on the highway. Don't know about the price. I only use a small package a day in my all organic cereal with cut up bananas and cinnamon.

[Thighlander]

milk is 2 usd per gallon here, and I still rarely drink it. love the almond milk, but the flavored stuff is sky high in carbs. I like the soy, too, the ha baht bags in cnx are tastey.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Thighlander

[HaleySabai]

you may want to question your need for milk at all....????

[quidnunc]

milk is 2 usd per gallon here, and I still rarely drink it. love the almond milk, but the flavored stuff is sky high in carbs. I like the soy, too, the ha baht bags in cnx are tastey.

that would be about 65 baht per gallon? I've never seen it nearly that cheap. Not even for 2 liters. Where do you see milk for this price?

[uptheos]

You don't need milk.

[Ulysses G.]

They have it at Rimping, but it is imported, organic and expensive. I used to get the home made stuff at the Vegetarian Council (kind of) near Airport Plaze and it was very cheap.

Thanks for your input Ulysses-seems that Rice Milk is very low on Protein and high on carbs but great for cholestorol. Seems you can make it at home but its a chore. Can you give me directions please to the place near Airport Plaza that sells it. Save me wandering around that area like a lost soul.....

I do not know how to use Google maps and am not good with directions, so take this with a grain of salt. If I remember correctly. there is a road that runs North to South from RAM Hospital straight into Airport Plaza. If you go about halfway between those two points on that road on the same side of the road as RAM Hospital, there is a sign that says something like "Vegetarian Council" with lots and lots of vegetarian cooked foods and products inside.

Good luck with figuring out who sells brown rice milk, but I did it, so you can too.

[TravelerEastWest]

Lactosoy could be a good mix for you at a reasonable price if that is what you are looking for.

I read a link above and it did not seem to show much against soy milk only maybes, in certain cases... In the past i have never seen true negatives about soy milk. There may be new studies out there...

I am a vegetarian (for no special reason) so I eat tofu and drink sugar free soy milk.

The pros of getting a complete vegetarian protein outweigh whatever cons there may be for soy milk.

[UdeBoCM]

You don't need to buy processed soy milk from the supermarket, you are also paying for the packaging that is more expensive than the milk itself and that is also not recyclable.

Just go to the soi (not pun intended) corner and buy it from the street stall next to you (ask for nam tahoo), it's fresh and inexpensive at the current 8 bahts a bag in town, cheaper if you live in a village. But of course you can't recycle the bag either. These stalls also sell fresh cow milk and you can ask your soya milk with some gelatinous seeds (I always wonder what those really are), and even have it without sugar (mai dai sai nam tarn, please).

Almond milk not readily available around (or imported, expensive and therefore not so ethically green)

[UdeBoCM]

They have it at Rimping, but it is imported, organic and expensive. I used to get the home made stuff at the Vegetarian Council (kind of) near Airport Plaze and it was very cheap.

Thanks for your input Ulysses-seems that Rice Milk is very low on Protein and high on carbs but great for cholestorol. Seems you can make it at home but its a chore. Can you give me directions please to the place near Airport Plaza that sells it. Save me wandering around that area like a lost soul.....

I do not know how to use Google maps and am not good with directions, so take this with a grain of salt. If I remember correctly. there is a road that runs North to South from RAM Hospital straight into Airport Plaza. If you go about halfway between those two points on that road on the same side of the road as RAM Hospital, there is a sign that says something like "Vegetarian Council" with lots and lots of vegetarian cooked foods and products inside.

Good luck with figuring out who sells brown rice milk, but I did it, so you can too.

It's Santi Asoke Buddhist veg restaurant. Very inexpensive

[beau thai]

Thank you all-some very helpful info.

[NancyL]

If people don't consume dairy products regularly they can develop lactose intolerance -- which will cause diarrhea if that person consumes dairy after a long absence in consumption.

So, if I'm buying food for someone I don't know well and don't know if they regularly consume dairy, I always play it safe a buy soy milk for coffee, etc, instead of cow's milk.

Because of this, I'm careful to consume a little dairy every day so I don't become lactose intolerant myself.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

almond milk is easy to make.

It's just the price of almonds of about ~300 baht per 500 grams(Yok store) its not cheap and I think they are from China.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-almond-milk-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-189996

Coconut cream is great in a lot of drinks like coffee or tea and reasonable price of 22 baht for 250 ml at Tops etc.

Coconut milk is nearly as good in drinks, cereal etc.

The fats in coconut are vastly superior to soy's and without the hormone baggage.

[Ulic]

One tastes great, the other not so much.

[ozyjon]

I remember years ago when Soy milk came on the market and the propaganda machine started the publicity , then the tabloids took up the (paid) publicity and the whole world was drinking the stuff until people started getting sick and some folk actually dies from it and the government stepped in and told people to drink it moderately, personally i hate the taste and don't drink it, but why don't you give it a try, research the product for yourself first to see whether it suits your needs. (This was in Sydney by the way.)

[uptheos]

Have a table spoon of virgin coconut oil, washed down by a nice black coffe.

[remobb]

Does Soi milk come from soi dogs?

[TravelerEastWest]

I remember years ago when Soy milk came on the market and the propaganda machine started the publicity , then the tabloids took up the (paid) publicity and the whole world was drinking the stuff until people started getting sick and some folk actually dies from it and the government stepped in and told people to drink it moderately, personally i hate the taste and don't drink it, but why don't you give it a try, research the product for yourself first to see whether it suits your needs. (This was in Sydney by the way.)

Is someone dying from soy milk a myth or a documented fact?

Please post the link to prove the death as it sounds unrealistic...

And is there anything that is not best in moderation?

[habfan]

^^

Breathing

Edited December 30, 2013 by habfan

[JSixpack]

If you're gonna go soy milk, go unsweetened V-Soy (a UHT soybean milk also), which has added calcium. The Thais make a local unsweetened soybean milk--you can buy it in bottles at most supermarkets when it's in stock. The Thai local markets often have soybean milk, and I've heard you can ask for it unsweetened.

You'll hear for and against soy. And nothing wrong with organic whole milk from grass-fed cows. But we don't have that here. If you've got the dosh, yeah, there's all manner of imports. I love almond milk myself, but I can't really afford it here.

My advice, assuming you're on a budget: do milk one day, unsweetened soybean milk the next. Use artificial sweetener for the soybean milk, though V-Soy doesn't taste too bad.

The fact that you'd consider Lactasoy, with its added sugar, suggests you don't have a clue anyway. Something else will surely get you other than soybean milk or regular whole milk. Neither are particularly dangerous. Don't overthink this.

[Bkungbank]

Don't buy ready make soy milk as it contain sugar ,addictive and preservative, try to soak your own soy milk in market, try to buy peel of soy which outer skin not good for us.

[circusman]

Soy would not find a place in my home if it was free. YUCK!