Why do vegans drink soy milk?

I prefer soy because I like the taste and texture of unsweetened, unflavored soymilk better than almond or rice milk. (Lots of people like rice milk just fine or even say it's their favorite, I've just always hated the taste -- yes, even in horchata.) I find that almond milk is just fine for baking and often fine for drinking straight, but on cereal it tends to separate into liquid and little grainy particles of ground-up almonds.

Hemp milk and coconut milk are often quite nice, too, they just tend to be more expensive than soy.

If the bad things about soy you've heard have to do with phytoestrogens or men growing breasts or anything like that, you should know that the one reported case of anything like that was a guy who drank three quarts of soymilk every *day*. You'd have to work really, really hard at ingesting enough soy to achieve any noticeable effect, seeing as the estrogen soy contains is *plant* estrogen, which doesn't generally have any observable effect on human bodies except at ridiculously high concentrations.

Soy milk is actually just fine for some people, there are some people out there in the world that can not handle soy, and so they do drink the other kinds. Like with all things, moderation, moderation, moderation. Its the same thing with some foods, you dont just over stuff yourself with it cus you can get sick. But soy milk is very good and tasty just like Rice, Almond, Hemp and other kind of milk alternatives.

Soy Milk was one of the first commercially-developed high protein beverages with a milk-like consistency, making it a viable substitute for animal milks. Soy-based infant formula was also one of the first formulas created for lactose-intolerant or vegan infants who are not nursed. So it has gained a lot of popularity mostly because it has been available for a long time.

However, many people are not able to consume large amounts of soy, due to kidney problems or allergy. So almond milk, rice milk, and the like have become more commercially available in recent years. Personally, I prefer the taste and texture of almond milk to the alternatives, but it does not provide near the protein as many alternatives: cow's milk and soy milk both have 8g protein per cup, while most almond milk has just 1g (protein-enhanced varieties with up to 5g protein are available), and rice milk even less.

2% cow's milk has 5g fat, though, and soy milk has 4g, while almond milk has about 2.5g unsaturated fat and rice milk about 2g. So soy is in the middle of the pack, fat-wise.

Soy milk is also relatively high in sugars: 10g per cup (cow's milk, 12g), while unsweetened almond milk and rice milk have 0g.

So a lot depends upon your nutritional goals, and personal taste preference. If you are looking for a protein source, soy milk is a good choice, as long as you like the flavour and can tolerate soy. If you're avoiding fat and sugars, get enough protein from other sources, and are just looking for a tasty milk to have with your cereal or coffee, almond milk or rice milk is a good choice.

I don't drink soy milk. I'm vegan

Soy is bad for health.

Soy beans are naturally toxic to humans, but they're harmless when they go through a fermentation process, which is how we get tofu.

But soy is being used in more and more things these days. Just look through your cabinet. You'll be surprised.

Anyway, most companies aren't putting their soy beans through this process because it takes too much time, and time = money.

Instead, they put it through a chemical process, but this rarely gets rid of the soy's toxicity completely.

Symptoms of a high soy diet are thyroid problems, breast cancer, and other complications.

People get these symptoms because the soy they eat isn't fermented.

Because the whole 'soy is evil' thing is a hoax anyway. There is nothing wrong with soy. Of course you should not base your ENTIRE diet on soy, but that goes for any kind of food.

As far at nutrition goes, pretty much everyone has their own ideas. Some people think soy is bad for you. One of the big reasons why is that it contains a chemical that is similar to estrogen. This has lead to a belief that it will cause breast cancer and de-masculine males. However, looking at the studies done on soy, this does not seem to be grounded in reality. The major concerns are:

Allergy. Some people can be allergic to soy. Obviously, if you are, you shouldn't eat it. However, this doesn't mean that it is bad for you, and if you are not allergic, this is no reason to shy away from it.

As was mentioned, it contains a plant estrogen, which some people think effects us negatively. Plant estrogen can block estrogen but doesn't have the same effect on us, it does not feminize men. Any negative effect from this has yet to be found.

Breast cancer is a big concern. It is a common myth that soy causes breast caner, and it is not complete unfounded. A study called "Effects of Soy Phytoestrogens Genistein and Daidzein on Breast Cancer Growth" in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy showed that plant estrogen promoted breast cancer cell growth. A type of oil found in most vegetable oils, including soy, always has concern of causing cancer. However, other studies, like "Erythrocyte Membrane Fatty Acids and Subsequent Breast Cancer: A Prospective Italian Study" and "Soy Isoflavones Consumption and Risk of Breast Cancer Incidence or Recurrence: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies" conclude that soy might reduce breast cancer risk. So, to sum up on the breast cancer front, it is not clear, jury is still out. There appears to be particularities that decide where is increases or decreases your risk, and those are still being pieced together. You can avoid soy as a "just in case" thing, but it is too soon to denounce it as causing cancer.

The plant estrogen is also suspected of messing with men's hormone levels. A couple studies at first showed that it might be true, but further research has pretty much put that to bed. A study called "Clinical studies show no effects of soy protein or isoflavones on reproductive hormones in men: Results of a meta-analysis" looked at 15 double blind studies and found no reason to worry. Another study call "Soybean isoflavone exposure does not have feminizing effects on men: A critical examination of the clinical evidence" also helped reinforce this. Two studies on prostate cancer have been done and they found no relation and an inverse relation (that soy prevents cancer) respectively: "Phyto-oestrogens and risk of prostate cancer in Scottish men" and "Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a meta-analysis".

Studies on soy's affects with the brain are similarly divided like the cancer. Some studies found that is hurts brain recovery and memory of aging people, other studies found the opposite. It appears to be based on the type of soy and how it is prepared. We don't know, it is still too soon to say.

Over all, eating soy does not seem to pose that much of a concern. Most foods are like this, in that it has some things in it that does good and some things that might be suspected of doing bad in too high doses. A cancer council in Australia has decided that moderate soy intake doesn't seem to present any concern, and that high doses might have protective forces. People still insist that soy is bad, but the scientific community and their research seems to say otherwise.

Soy milk is high in protein, and a complete one too, which is nice. That is why I drink it, even though I prefer almond milk. Soy also has been shown to help your heart too, among other things.

I don't know. It tastes awful and isn't good for you. I do Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk

Because regular cows milk is not vegan.