Soymilk - is it healthy?

[schoolgirl]

Would someone please tell me if light vanilla soymilk is good for you or not. I've heard both ways. I have a recipe book that calls for using this in several recipes, so I bought some and like to use it in my oatmeal. Also I heard if you have thyroid problems (I take meds for it) not to use it. Could someone shed some light on this???

[kadesma]

I can't say how it would be with thyroid meds. It's best to check with your doctor.
kadesma.

[vyapti]

If you have thyroid problems, talk to your doctor. A coworker has thyroid issues and her prescribed diet is confusing, even to her. She can have soy, but it sounds like diet issues are different for each individual.

Healthwise, soy milk is about 30% fat and 30% protein, about the same as 2% milk. Flavored or sweetened will have more sugar, unsweetened will have less. It's lower in calcium in milk, but is a better source of most other vitamins/minerals and it has a few grams of fiber.

[powerplantop]

My wife was having thyroid problems. She was seeing a regular doctor for about a year with no improvment. A friend recomended a doctor who was a specialist in thyroid issues. She cleared up my wifes problem in no time.

[DinaFine]

It is my understanding that soy is very hard to digest because it has enzyme inhibitors which make its protein and minerals unavailable. Even soaking doesnt do it. Fermented soy like tempe and miso are supposed to be better, but soy milk is not fermented and therefore hard on the digestion and not as nourishing as we are being told.

[froggythefrog]

If you're concerned about soy's interaction with your thyroid, check your store or HFS (health food store) for other kinds of plant milks like rice milk or almond milk. I like almond milk a lot, and it's fairly interchangable with soy milk if you like the texture. Rice milk is kind of thin, but I prefer it for cereal, as I find soymilk to be "slimy" on cereal. The only plant milk that I recommend you only try once is hemp milk. The first time you drink it, it is good, but it seems to quickly thicken after the carton has first been opened.

[schoolgirl]

When I use up what I have bought I don't plan to buy anymore. The only way I use it is in my oatmeal and when I make smoothies. When I bought it I thought it was really good for you, but begin to wonder about it. I even read where someone says instead of buying it they add vanilla to skim milk. I could do that because I use skim all the time anyway. Thanks for your replies on my subject.

[vyapti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DinaFine It is my understanding that soy is very hard to digest because it has enzyme inhibitors which make its protein and minerals unavailable. Even soaking doesnt do it. Fermented soy like tempe and miso are supposed to be better, but soy milk is not fermented and therefore hard on the digestion and not as nourishing as we are being told.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about soy. Do you have a link?

[Selkie]

I agree with Froggythefrog. Many of the other "milk" products have texture or flavor issues for many people, but as a hard core dairy milk drinker, Almond Milk is a palitable substitute. It works well with cereal, and in the evening with cookies or other desert.

[nikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by schoolgirl Would someone please tell me if light vanilla soymilk is good for you or not. I've heard both ways. I have a recipe book that calls for using this in several recipes, so I bought some and like to use it in my oatmeal. Also I heard if you have thyroid problems (I take meds for it) not to use it. Could someone shed some light on this???

I'd ditch the soy milk all together, and stick to almond milk. It also comes in chocolate and vanilla, and tastes WAY better than soy milk... :)