Soy Milk has been a common drink since the 80s and the 90s. Some people drink soy milk because they are lactose intolerant; Some people drink soy milk because they think it is the “heart healthy low fat” option drink; and some drink it simply because they are vegan and they do not want to drink cow’s milk.
Whatever reasons that you have been drinking soy milk, it is not a valid excuse. And, soy milk is not a food and has no place in anyone’s diet.
Soy Milk is made up of common ingredients - Soymilk ( Water, Whole soy bean ), can sugar, artificial flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin B2, Vitamin B12
Soy is extremely high in phytoestrogens – a type of plant compound, that looks like estrogen hormones to the body. There are numerous studies showing the hormonal effects of consuming soy :-
Soy contains high levels of phytic acid, a compound that reduces the absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc. In short, soy milk is not recomended as a milk substitute or daily supplement drink.
In this article, author Ramiel Nagel explained that,
Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the “arms” of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate. Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food, including pepsin, needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase, needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates.
According to Dr. Weson Price’s Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, also a dentist who traveled the world to discover the secrets of healthy cultures, he discovered that:-
If soy milk was a truly nutritious and delicious way to prepare soy, you could bet that great-great-great-great- Chinese grandmothers would have raised their children on soy milk.
The US Department of Agriculture reports that 90% of soy grown in the US is genetically modified to be resistant to Monsanto’s herbicide “Roundup”.
These “RoundUp Ready” crops pose a serious threat to both human health and the health of the environment.
Carrageenan is a highly-processed seaweed that is added to most non-dairy milks and some other food products to create a creamy texture.
There are two types of processed carrageenan. One type is used to induce colitis in lab rats. The other type is supposedly safe for human consumption. However, food-safe carrageenan has been found to cause inflammation and stomach problems.
Many people find that consuming carrageenan causes digestive distress and pain. The reason that I first learned about the problems with carrageenan was because I discovered that consuming anything with this additive gave me intense heartburn.
Soy milk completely lacks the vitamin cofactors required to use calcium, the added calcium carbonate is likely comparable to calcium supplements – it is more harmful than beneficial.
The body requires vitamin co-factors to use calcium properly.
Vitamin K2 is the most important because it shuttles calcium into the bone. Without adequate K2, the body cannot use calcium and the calcium can create plaque in the arteries, raising the risk of heart disease (source).
Whole milk from grass-grazing cows provides the saturated fats and vitamin K2 needed to absorb the calcium. In the same way, calcium-rich leafy greens smothered in grassfed butter offers the co-factors needed to absorb calcium.
Vitamin D2 is a synthetic and isolated form of the vitamin and, as a result, is extremely poorly absorbed (here’s the study). It offers no viable benefit to the body and may actually be harmful (source).
The vitamin D that nature intended for us is D3. Vitamin D3 is the bio-avaiable form of the vitamin found in food sources such as grassfed dairy and cod liver oil. When we are exposed to sunlight, our bodies also produce the form of D3.
Further, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Mother Nature paired foods rich in vitamin D with the healthy fats which are required for the absorption of this nutrient. For example, yolks from pasture-raised hens are a good source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2. The beneficial saturated fats found in the egg yolks allow the body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.
The vitamin A added to soy milk (and other non-dairy milks) is synthetic and, as a result, lacks the vitamin co-factors. Remember, your vitamin is only helpful if accompanied by its co-factors.
While naturally-occuring (non-isolated, food-source) vitamin A only creates toxicity in uber-extreme doses, moderate overdoses of synthetic vitamin A can cause toxicity. This is because the body cannot assimilate the synthetic version of the vitamin, likely due to the lack of vitamin co-factors.
The body requires saturated fat and minerals to absorb vitamin A. This is why vitamin A is naturally found in sources rich in those co-factors, such as liver and egg yolks.
“Natural flavors” can even mean various additives, even forms of MSG and artificial sweeteners. Castoreum is a secretion from the anal gland of the beaver that is often listed under “natural flavors” (with the FDA’s approval). It’s commonly used to replicate vanilla flavor (source).
If someone has chosen to drink soy milk because it is not an animal product, they may still be inadvertently consuming by-products of animals. I never purchase a product that has “natural flavors” on the ingredient list, and I recommend that you don’t, either.
References:
Tannenbaum and others. Vitamins and Minerals, in Food Chemistry, 2nd edition. OR Fennema, ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1985, p 445.
Ibid.
Singh M and Krikorian D. Inhibition of trypsin activity in vitro by phytate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1982 30(4):799-800.
Johansen K and others. Degradation of phytate in soaked diets for pigs. Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Research Centre Foulum, Tjele, Denmark.
Navert B and Sandstrom B. Reduction of the phytate content of bran by leavening in bread and its effect on zinc absorption in man. British Journal of Nutrition 1985 53:47-53; Phytic acid added to white-wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans1–3. Bohn T and others. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 79:418 –23.
Srivastava BN and others. Influence of Fertilizers and Manures on the Content of Phytin and Other Forms of Phosphorus in Wheat and Their Relation to Soil Phosphorus. Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science. 1955 III:33-40.
Reddy NR and others. Food Phytates, CRC Press, 2001.
Figures collected from various sources. Inhibitory effect of nuts on iron absoprtion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1988 47:270-4; J Anal At Spectrum. 2004 19,1330 –1334; Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 1994, 42:2204-2209.