The Great Soy Debate

Before I even attempt to address this soy milk vs. cow milk topic that has been requested multiple times, I need to be honest about something - I have a very good friend who drinks soy milk (and is a vegetarian). We've agreed to disagree on our eating habits (me being borderline carnivorous) and she's a good sport when I make fun of her, which is often. So Destinee, here is your Dairy Queen shout out (and disclaimer) before I get goin' on this soy vs cow milk debate: Even though I'm not friends with soy milk, I'm still friends with you. P.S. Still waiting for an answer on my "How do you milk a soybean?" question. 

OK jokes aside. A lot of people have asked me to talk about soy vs cow milk. First of all, I want to mention that soy milk is not milk. It's more of a "soy juice" if you will. Soy beans are soaked, ground up, and strained- the liquid left over is "soy milk."  Like I said, juice. 

Nutrients:

One cup of cow's milk contains:

 8 g of protein

12 g carbohydrates

30% of an adult's daily calcium requirements

50% of daily B12 requirements 

vitamin D & A 

One cup of soy juice contains:

7 g protein

4 g of carbs

"insignificant" B12 and calcium

-- yes, it can be fortified with nutrients (and usually is) but they aren't as readily absorbed as cow milk

Complications:

Also, for the folks who are concerned about hormones in cow milk. If you read my What's In Your Milk post, you'll see there are only natural cow hormones in milk (not artificial hormones) AND those hormone levels are actually lower than the estrogen levels found in soy. True story. 

I also recognize that milk can cause its own complications, but so can soy juice. It's been known to cause hormone imbalances due to the high levels of phytoestrogens. Also, over 80% of the soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified. I personally am cool with GMO's, but it's still something to be aware of.

I researched this topic a lot and most experts say it's pretty difficult to crown one completely superior over the other. Soy has its benefits, especially for the lactose intolerant. So, take this info and make your own conclusions, but of course I'm going to give you mine. 

Stick with what works, and drink real milk.