There is a great deal of research and hence controversy regarding the health benefits -or not- of soy and soy products. The main concerns are that soy is high in phytoestrogens and compounds that inhibit the absorption of nutrients by our body. Not only that, but many of the soy products typically consumed by consumers these days are highly processed and chock full of nasty food additives.
So what’s so bad about phytoestrogens? Well, hard to believe for some, but our bodies are finely tuned organisms controlled by an array of hormones. Tinkering with our body’s hormone balance by even amounts so small to imagine can throw this delicate balance off. This is especially true for infants and children. Studies have shown girls experience puberty at a much younger age these days…could the increase of soy in the American diet be responsible?
Besides, soy is NOT the most nutritious food on earth as the soy industry and soy industry lobbied government organizations would have you believe. The B vitamins are not in a form absorbable by humans and in fact soy contains anti-nutrients which inhibit the absorption of vital nutrients.
And, those soy burgers, dogs, and other meat substitutes are the highly processed waste product from the soy oil industry – mostly GMO by the way. In order to make the leftover soy oil sludge edible it must be put through a maze of high pressure chemical mastication and de-odorization to give it a ‘nice’ texture and ‘clean’ palate to then add a chemical lab inventory of artifical flavors, colors and preservatives. Yum!
Ok, so that said, not all soy is bad. The age old fermentation process actually transforms soy into a healthful addition to a well balanced diet. What’s on the good list? Any non-GMO organic miso, tamari/soy sauce, natto, Chinese fermented bean curd, and tempeh. Tofu doesn’t fall into the fermented category. When studies cite Asian diets as high in soy – well, it’s a bit of a stretch. While an Asian may have soy products everyday – it’s usually only a few tablespoons of a fermented soy product or occasionally some tofu but again only a small amount.
What’s a soy lovin person to do? Well, as an adult, I’d enjoy the good list of soy products with some tofu on occasion and even some homemade soy milk every now and then.If I had a baby or kid, I’d avoid giving too much of the good soy – maybe a few times a month if that. And for everyone, avoid like the plague, any overly processed soy-like ‘fake’ meat products, commercial soy milks and anything with soy oil.
I must admit I love soy milk – it’s in my blood. BUT not the commercial stuff you find today in the typical grocer. That stuff has all kinds of additives to give it a ‘creamy’ almost dairy milk like consistency, sweeteners, and bad bad bad forms of calcium and deadly D2. BTW, The good form of vitamin D is D3.
When I was in China, a typical breakfast included a hot bowl of freshly made soy milk. I enjoyed that treat so much that I figured I could make my own healthy version. After a bit of research, I found a basic recipe in Grace Young’s The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. I made one addition to her recipe of adding lemon juice (or any acid) during the soaking phase to neutralize some of the anti-nutrients (phytates). So when I want to enjoy some soy milk, I whip up a batch of my own from organic, non-GMO soybeans. Here’s the recipe:
SOY MILK
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1/2 cup soybeans, dried (approx. 3 oz.wt.)
2 tablespoons lemon juice — or vinegar
lots of filtered water
Wash soy beans well. Soak beans with lemon juice or vinegar and twice as much water as beans for approximately 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Rinse and discard any loose skins.
Put beans in a 3 to 4 quart sauce pot with at least twice as much water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 1 hour or until beans are soft. Alternately, you may use a pressure cooker on high for 10 minutes.
Cool to a temperature you can work with. Drain beans BUT reserve liquid. Put beans in a food processor or blender with enough of the cooking liquid to puree. Puree until very smooth like the consistency of baby food.
In a 4 quart sauce pot bring remaining reserved cooking liquid and enough filtered water to bring amount up to 4 1/2 cups to a boil. Stir in the soybean paste. Bring back up to a boil, reduce to a slow simmer and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve or muslin cloth. Press to extract as much milk out as possible. Toss solids or put into your compost.
Pour soy milk into a clean container and refrigerate.
To serve: shake bottle. You may drink hot or cold with a little sweetener or sea salt as desired. Soy milk will keep for about 4 – 5 days in the refrigerator.
Source: Adapted from “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen” by Grace Young
Yield: “1 quart”
For more info on the soy controversy, read The Whole Soy Story by Dr. Kaayla Daniels or visit the Weston A. Price Foundation website.
12 Responses
Great info, Sandy. I’ve read a lot of conflicting advice on soy products, so I appreciate this informative post. When I was a vegetarian a dozen years ago, I used to eat those tofu dogs and burgers often. Scary, no? I used to thoroughly enjoy hot, freshly made soy milk for breakfast in China, too. Now I know why the commercial stuff tastes nothing like what I remember.
Hi Brett, glad you enjoyed the info! Good thing is we can purge all the bad stuff by eating good stuff. Cheers!
Hello Sandy,
Saw some hits from your site, followed them to here. Great blog you have here.
I like soy milk and reguarly drink it. But in these few months, the price of soy milk is increased so much in our area and it’s becoming a burden on our budget. I’m thinking of making it at home and your recipe sounds wonderful and you’ve written it in a way, I can follow it very easily.
But I have one doubt about the taste. Because I never tasted a home made soy milk before, is the difference in taste very significant, like is it going to be an acquired taste or is it very easy to like (I already love the commercial stuff). If you describe the taste of home made one comparing to store bought stuff (smell, taste etc.,) I’d greatly appreciates it. You are going to be our grocery budget saver. 🙂
Hi Indira,
I’ve enjoyed your blog as well. I love Indian foods and have learned a lot from reading your blog.
Home made soy milk tastes more like fresh tofu. It’s ‘beanier’ than most commercial milks. It’s closer in taste to the plain soy milks found in the refrigerated section (Wildwood and Silks brands) than the shelf stable tetra pak ones. I always add a touch of sugar. You can add some vanilla if the beany taste is too strong…or chocolate!
Home made is also thinner as the commercial ones have additives to give it more viscosity. I use a heavy duty K-Tec blender (similar to a Vita-Mix) to puree. In Grace Young’s book she says that her Mom doesn’t strain the milk – she shakes it up and drinks it with the blended beans. That would be a bit too thick for my taste. I haven’t tried this, but maybe adding a teaspoon of rice to the soy beans while cooking the first time might add a bit of thickness?
If you try it out – let me know how you like it 🙂
Sandy
Thanks so much for your response. I’m now confident to try out the recipe. I’ll definitely let you know about my results.
Thanks again!
Came here through Indira’s blog on Soy Milk. Very informative. Me and my kids love soymilk. I have been buying it from Chinese Stores – Brand is Yeo’s. What is the difference between this and Silk ? Would you happen to know ?
Welcome Krithika!
I am not familiar with Yeo’s. Is it fresh – sold in the refrigerator and has a short shelf life? The Chinese brands sold as fresh (usually in plastic juice containers) are closer to homemade – that is, made in the traditional style. Some Chinese brands are highly processed (these are usually sold in the ‘tetra paks’ – high heat processed so have a long shelf life) and not much different than American commercial brands. There are some American brands that are sold in the dairy case in milk cartons that may seem less processed than the tetra paks but are just as processed. It’s all about the marketing image.
Dear Sandy,
In my constant endevour to eat healthy, I came across recipe for making soy milk at home in Indira’s blog- and through her, landed here. Thanks for all the great information, shall be reading your blog regularly.
I just tried making my first batch of soy milk. I am yet to taste it as it’s cooling off. Whatever the taste, its going to be fun, drinking homemade milk.
Warm regards
Nandita
Thanks Nandita for stopping by 🙂
The Chinese like to drink the soy milk hot for breakfast. I like it both cold and hot.
Cheers!
Hi Sandy. I found your web page from searching Google for information about soy milk. Recently, a coworker mentioned the dangers of soy milk because of phytoestrogens. She was alarmed that my 5 year old son drinks nearly a half-gallon of Trader Joe’s organic soy beverage a day. After reading your soy article, now I’m alarmed! If I cut off the soy milk cold turkey, what should I do to make sure my son gets calcium and Vitamin D3? Note: he is lactose intolerant, and I don’t have the time to make homemade soy milk.
Hello Julie,
Soy does seem to be problematic in large amounts. Kaayla Daniels’ book is very enlightening. Do a search (search the frig) on this blog for the term ‘bone’ and you will find a few posts that will tell you foods high in calcium. For vitamin D, this time of the year the sun is a great source though it depends on your latitude. Cod liver oil such as Nordic Naturals Arctic-D is a good source. It has a lemon flavor so isn’t fishy. Seafood in general is a good source as well as any animal raised outdoors in the sunshine.
Hope this helps and thanks for stopping by.
Sandy
Hi, I live in indonesia, being a vegan, once i looked in the grocery shop something like our paneer(i always go thro ingrediants) thought safe. It has similar taste of paneer, i bought korean make. I had a try at home in process of making tofu succeded as well. It has become one of the menu in a week. Children they love it. Too much of anything will become poison, so everything should be within limits.