Silk Soymilk Do you use Silk soymilk instead of cow's milk on your cereal? Well, there is still much debate about the health benefits or lack thereof in soy milk products. If you do some research on soy milk you will find articles that say soy milk is good for you and you will find some that say soy milk is bad for you. I contacted Silk's Consumer Affairs Department and inquired about their Silk Soymilk products. They sent me this interesting response: Thank you for your recent telephone call to WhiteWave Foods. We appreciate your interest in our products. While there are studies that can validate the pros and cons of consuming just about any type of food, we continue to see research on soy that shows that whole soy products, such as Silk, have numerous health benefits when consumed as part of a well-balanced diet. At WhiteWave Foods, we do not use soy protein isolates (SPI's), but rather the whole soybean. SPI's are the result of a chemical or alcohol extraction process that isolates the soy protein. We believe, and many studies validate that the health benefits of soy are reliant upon the whole soybean. We encourage our consumers to conduct their own due diligence and arrive at an intelligent decision for their family's nutrition. If you have specific questions about ingredients or nutritional content, please feel free to contact us. We hope this information is helpful. Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department. Sincerely, Vanessa Gomez Consumer Response Representative. The company also gave me some independent sources to check out on my own. You will have to make your own decision whether to use silk soymilk or not. Myth: Soy contains estrogen Soy contains isoflavones, aka “plant estrogens”, which function much different in the human body. Myth: Soy is dangerous for children. Truth: Soymilk contains many of the same nutrients found in dairy milk (like calcium and vitamin D) and can be a good addition child’s diet. Soymilk is lactose free which is why it has been recommended for those who are lactose intolerant. However, also like dairy milk, soymilk should not be used as infant formula. Myth: Soy increases the risk for heart disease The FDA asserts that consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a healthy diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may actually help reduce the risk of heart disease. Someone made a comment about an article I wrote about soy milk, stating that I was giving out misleading claims when I said that soy milk is a good source of calcium. Well, here is my response... If silk soymilk is not a good source of calcium, then regular dairy milk is not a good source of calcium because if you look at the nutritional chart comparison (further down on this page) you will see that a one 8-ounce glass of Silk Vanilla Soymilk and a one 8-ounce glass of regular dairy milk both have the same amount of calcium. That's not an opinion, either. It's fact. The soybeans used in Silk soymilk are certified organic and those naturally produced without the use of geneticmodification (GMO) – are currently sourced in North America. Silk soymilk contains Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Riboflavin, Folate, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, and Selenium. Here is a nutrition comparison of one 8-ounce glass of Silk Vanilla Soymilk vs. one 8-ounce glass of regular dairy milk:
Other health benefits of Silk soy milk are thiamin, niacin, magnesium, copper, and manganese. Also, notice in the above chart that silk soymilk contains 0 trans fat. Ingredients Silk Soy milk contain these ingredients: Organic Soy milk (Filtered Water, Whole Organic Soybeans), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt, Carrageenan and Vitamin & Minerals. Food Allergies Do you have food allergies? Well, you may consider the following as benefits of soy milk: soy milk is free of lactose, dairy, eggs, casein, peanuts, gluten and MSG. Making Your Own Soy Milk Did you know that you can make your own soy milk? Here are some basic steps: 1. Clean the Soya beans. 2. Soak them in water for several hours. 3. Grind the soaked Soya beans with some water in a blender. 4. Filter the mixture through cheesecloth by squeezing and keep the soy milk.
5. Boil the soy milk for about 10 minutes. 6. Let the soy milk cool. That's pretty much it! You can experiment with different ingredients to flavor it up if you want. Homemade soy milk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. Return from Silk Soymilk back to Home Page New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
