From a thousand-year-old traditional Chinese drink to the trendy drink of the rich and famous, soy milk has undergone an enormous transformation in recent years. When Hollywood stars order their low-fat soy milk latte with double espresso shot at the coffee shop, they’re probably thinking mainly about the calories they’re saving with the drink. However, soy milk doesn’t just help you lose weight – it’s also full of important nutrients. In addition, the drink is a significant alternative to milk for vegans or people with lactose intolerance.
Soy milk: nutritional values
Soy milk is healthy – even in direct comparison to cow’s milk. Although the protein content is relatively high in both beverages, soy proteins are particularly valuable biologically because they can be utilized by the human body almost one-to-one. At the same time, soy milk contains no cholesterol.
Soy milk also surpasses cow’s milk in terms of vitamin content: the drink contains four times as much folic acid, as well as healthy saponins and flavonoids. Only vitamin B12 is lacking in soy milk, which is why it is sometimes added artificially.
However, probably the most important characteristic of soy milk is that it is free of lactose, which makes it an important food for people with lactose intolerance.
How many calories does soy milk have?
Soy milk is well suited as a diet drink: not only is its fat content of 2.2 grams lower than that of whole milk (3.5 grams), but the fat itself is of higher quality because it consists mostly of unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, soy binds certain enzymes that break down carbohydrates.
100 grams of soy milk provide 54 kcal (kilocalories), compared to 64 kcal for whole milk.
Low content of calcium
The only disadvantage of soy milk compared to cow’s milk is its low calcium content. Since the soy product is drunk by many people as a milk substitute, some soy drinks have recently been fortified with calcium.
Criticism of soy milk
Despite its many positive properties, accusations that soy milk is unhealthy keep coming up. For example, a British study in 2004 found possible negative effects of soy milk on male fertility. Other studies, however, could not prove this.
It is known, however, that soy can trigger allergies. The soy protein it contains is occasionally responsible for food allergies. Especially in case of allergy to birch pollen, cross-allergies can occur with soy milk.
Origin and distribution
Soy milk was probably invented in 164 B.C. in the Chinese Han Dynasty and quickly spread throughout Asia. Here it provided both a healthy thirst quencher and the basis for numerous other soy products such as tofu or soy yogurt.
It was only in recent years that soy milk also made its way to Germany, where it quickly enjoyed great popularity due to its healthy properties and its lactose-free nature. Numerous coffee shops and cafés now also offer coffee specialties with soy milk. In Germany, by the way, soy milk may only be officially referred to as a soy drink, as the term “milk” is protected by law.
Make soy milk yourself
Soy milk was traditionally made from soaked soybeans, which were ground and mixed with water. The mixture was then boiled, squeezed and strained. Today, the beverage is produced from hulled soybeans in a complex dairy process.
However, soy milk can also be made at home using a method similar to the traditional production method. To do this, 100 grams of soybeans are soaked overnight in water. Then 1/3 liter of water is added to the beans and the mixture is blended with a blender to make a paste. Then, in a large pot, 2/3 liters of water is brought to a boil and the bean mixture is added. The mixture is now left to simmer for ten minutes.
In the meantime, place a clean cotton cloth over a sieve and place this in turn on a jug. Pour the cooled puree through the strainer, after draining pour 1/4 liter of cold water over it and wring out the cotton cloth over the pot. Allow the finished soymilk to cool and enjoy.
