The dairy-free milk aisle appears to be getting quite populated these days. The original plant-based alternative, soy milk protein content, is still popular, but you may be wondering how it compares to other popular options, such as almonds, and more trendy sips, such as oat, and whether or not it is safe for both men and women. Here’s what you need to know to make the best diet choice.
What Exactly Is Soy Milk? Defining the Well-Known Drink
Soy Milk protein content is a plant-based non-dairy beverage that is frequently used in place of milk. Soy milk is made from soybeans, and many brands fortify it with vitamins and minerals like vitamin D and calcium. “Soy milk offers culinary diversity, creamy texture, and a healthy nutritional profile, including essential omega-3 fatty acids [if fortified].
Soy milk flavones that exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties,” says Julieanna Hever, RD, author of The Vegiterranean Diet and a plant-based-foods dietitian in the Los Angeles area.
Why Do You Choose Soy Milk protein content Over Dairy Milk?
There are numerous reasons why you might use soy milk in your coffee, smoothie, or cereal. For one thing, you may dislike the taste of cow’s milk, and you may prefer soy milk to other non-dairy alternatives. You may also be attempting to avoid dairy for a variety of reasons, including health or weight loss.
Some people are lactose intolerant, which means they have difficulty digesting dairy, a carbohydrate found in cow’s milk, according to Barbara Schmidt, RDN, a nutrition lifestyle program specialist at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut. This can result in a number of unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects; in this case, drinking plant milk is a wise choice.
What Are the Soy Milk protein content Nutrition Facts?
There are numerous varieties of soy milk on the market, and the number of calories and added sugar will vary depending on what you purchase. Always read the nutrient facts label on your desired brand’s packaging. The nutrition facts for one cup of a popular organic unsweetened soy milk are as follows.
- Calories: 80
- Fat: 4 grams (g)
- Saturated fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugars: 1 g (0 g added sugars)
- Protein: 7 g
Soy milk, as you can see, packs a lot into a small cup. It is high in protein, low in sugar, and consists a couple of grams of protein for only 80 calories.
How Does Soy Milk protein content Differ From Regular Milk and Other Milks Such as Nut, Rice, and Coconut Milk?
When all plant milk is compared, we can say that soy milk is the most nutritionally similar to low-fat cow’s milk. “I refer to the soybean as the incredible, edible bean.” Soy milk is high in protein and low in proteins and sugar, and contains all nine essential amino acids,” says Schmidt.
It also outperforms almond milk in terms of protein, as traditional almond milk has fewer calories (only 30 per cup) but only 1 gram of protein. (2) (Some “added protein” versions of almond milk use pea protein to increase the protein content.)
Other popular plant-based milk options include rice and oat milk. Rice and oat milk, like almond milk, have only one gramme of protein. (3,4) Using one popular brand as an example, coconut milk has the same amount of fat (4 g), seven times the saturated fat (3.5 g), but no nutrients.
Is Soy Milk protein content Really Healthier? An Examination of the Potential Health Benefits
Experts disagree on the benefits of cow’s milk versus nondairy, alternative milk. Expert prefers cow’s milk and other dairy products, such as yogurt, because they are high in calcium. However, on the other hand, it advises to consume plant-based foods, and they advise soy milk. It is preferred nondairy milk because it is high in protein and low in fats.
Regardless, if you choose to include dairy alongside soy foods like soy milk in your diet, one thing is certain: Soy milk is good for you. “I love soy because it is high in isoflavones [plant chemicals that belong to the phytoestrogen group], particularly genistein,” Experts says.
“More research is needed, but some studies show that it reduces the risk of cancer and possibly osteoporosis, and the compound can also help reduce menopausal symptoms,” prove in the research study.
Soy’s plant compounds may also be heart-protective. In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed removing soy from the claim that it lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. “While some evidence continues to suggest a link between soy protein and a lower risk of heart disease — including evidence reviewed by the FDA when the claim was authorized — the entirety of presently offered scientific evidence calls the certainty of this relationship into question,” according to an October 2017 press release.
In reply, one study published in the Journal of Nutrition in April 2019 analyzing 46 trials on adult men and women with increased cholesterol levels discovered that eating 25 g of soy protein per day for six weeks reduced LDL cholesterol levels by 3 to 4%. According to the researchers, this meta-analysis and audit show that soy is cardioprotective.
However, the lead study author, David Jenkins, MD, Ph.D., has previously received research funding from the US Soy Institute and soy-food companies. Dr. Jenkins is the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center director at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Is Soy Milk protein content Safe to Drink, or Does It Cause Breast Cancer?
Soy has gotten a bad rap over the years. Some may even claim that soy increases your risk of cancer and is particularly dangerous for breast cancer survivors. This disparity stems from animal studies that discovered that high doses of isoflavones made rodents more likely to develop breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, “rodents process soy differently than humans, and the same results have not been seen in humans.” Researchers also fed rodents amounts of soy that humans would not get from a moderate food intake.
Whole soy foods, in fact, are a helped to enhance anyone looking to eat a diet that lowers their risk of cancer. “[Whole] soy foods are shown to reduce breast cancer recurrence and mortality in stroke survivors, as well as the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer,” Expert says.
How Much Soy Milk protein content Can You Drink in a Day?
According to Hever, you can drink soy milk with confidence. She follows the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommendation of moderate soy consumption when it comes to how much soy milk you can drink.
This entails consuming one to two servings of whole soy foods per day, including soy milk. If you’re having a tofu stir-fry for supper, for example, you can still include 1 cup of soy milk in your daily diet. According to the AICR, up to three servings per day have been deemed safe.
Would Anyone Who Should Not Consume Soy Milk protein content ?
If you are allergic to soy, you should avoid drinking soy milk. “Aside from that, it is an excellent food for others,” Hever says. Soy can be consumed while pregnant. Similarly, according to AICR, it is safe to consume a minimum of soy if you have had breast cancer.
How to Select a ‘ healthy Soy Milk protein content
You’re on the lookout for a few things. One, Hever recommends choosing a sugar-free brand. Sweetened variants can have up to five grams of sugar per serving. Sugar-free vanilla is your best bet for a hint of flavor. She also suggests going organic if it is within your budget.
Most fortified soy milk in the sector is calcium and vitamin D fortified, but check the label to ensure yours is. (Calcium is not naturally present in soy milk.) “This ensures that the nutrients are most similar to cow’s milk,” Schmidt says.