Regular milk wasn't part of my youth, so I'm not a big milk drinker. Years ago someone told me to try soy milk, but the thought of even licking a spoon dipped in soy milk made me nearly gag. I finally got the nerve to lick that spoon though, and now I'm hooked! What the heck is soy milk, and why is it so good? There's no way this stuff can be good for me - I feel like I'm having a glass of eggnog or a melted shake. I've been taking these disgusting huge horse pills that were making me PB. Now I mash them up, mix them in a cup of soy milk and chug it down no problemo.

Next question, why are there 50 different kinds of soy milk, and what are the benefits of it vs. milk. What kind should I be drinking?

Give me all you got on soy milk, please. Thanks

yeah, I'm not a big milk drinker either. It has something to do with powdered non-fat milk mixed half strength. (Of course, my mother always had whole milk in the fridge that was just for her, we got in more trouble than it was worth to drink it)

I don't drink soy milk because soy makes me hungry.

Some people who are lactose intolerant use soy.

Vine, are you sure we aren't related? We had that same watered down powdered crap that nobody ever drank. She was a real estate agent that took clients to schmoozy lunches and dinners, but we got frozen wads of liver and dried lentil Beans that us children were supposed to know what to do with. Every so often she'd cook for a date, and she'd always put out pistachios. The next morning we'd dig through the garbage for the ones that didn't have that little crack and we'd break our teeth trying to get them open.

But this soy stuff is really yummy. It's got to be loaded with sugar though cause it's really good, like drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast or something.

That's funny, someone was just telling me that when they drank soy milk for breakfast they weren't hungry all day. I'll have to check it out.

BTW DeLarla, I LOVED the story about your mother getting you to write out D-E-N-I-A-L!! I keep it in mind when my mother is driving me batty ("When did you start wearing your hair like THAT?"). . . things could be worse.

Lisa, it is possible that we are related. Or that both our mothers went to The Deprive Institute for the Insane.

One of the supervised weight loss things I did removed all food from your diet, and I mean ALL food. You slowly added one food back to see what you were sensitive too. I'm sensitive to corn and soy--they both make me crazy hungry. Flat out allergic to raw bananas and walnuts.

I wore my hair like that for one week last month, then it grew out. It grows like a weed when it's short, then stops dead when I want it long. Can't win.

Still, I'm hearing soy this, soy that. Soy is everywhere. What's the big deal? Is it supposed to be better for us than milk?

there is some current research that is indicating that soy is benifical for women, especially as we approche menipause. And dont' forget the media hype!

Now does Soy have protien??

Still, I'm hearing soy this, soy that. Soy is everywhere. What's the big deal? Is it supposed to be better for us than milk?

Back in the day my WWatcher's leader was into soy & used it in lots of recipes. It's very high-protein, low cal. The BEST thing about semi-firm soy is that it can take on the flavor that you're cooking with. I used to replace 1/3 of the cheese with soy in a potato CHEESE soup (lots of NY sharp) and you absolutely could not tell the difference. (You just blend it in the blender with the cheese.) Even fooled my picky boys at the time. BUT if you try this, note it does not warm-up well. When we had leftovers there was just no way to heat up the soup without burning it. You can't see the soy mixed in the soup but it also cuts the cals to mix it w/ beef--that just never worked w/ my kids because there was no way to hide it.

Well, Delarla, I'll toss in what little knowledge I have. I am lots older than you, more into the menopause thing, so I drink soy milk for the benefits it gives women in relation to not having to take hormone replacement. I haven't really used it regularly enough to tell whether or not it helps in that regard. It is lactose-free, I think, so that's a benefit to some people. Vegans like it because it is not made from animal products. Chai tea with soy, anyone? It does provide a good source of protein...check out tofu, while you're into it. I would think it would be very, very good for you. Cindy

Vines, you should try rice milk it is yummy and low fat, we buy it with protien and calcium added. My DD is lactose sensitive. We stopped using soy because of the link to soy and brest cancer, just to be safe we switched to rice products. I love the rice stuff it cooks really well and it taste like melted ice cream, it also comes plain I use that for making regular foods like rice casseroles and such, the vanilla is just too sweet to use in "real food" but the vanilla makes the best sugar free pudding in the world. ~Mandy

Okay, Mandy, my head is still spinning from all the soy milk, and I already have to switch to rice milk? Is that in the same milk section?

And Mouse, you are how much older than me? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure I'm peri-menopausal since this is the 2nd month my period came early, while I've been the most regular girl in the world my whole life. If there's potential benefits to soy milk, I'm gonna drink up till my boobs fall off.

But now I gotta try the rice stuff, too.

Bubba, yes, it's a great source of Protein and tastes great in shakes or just plain. But there are so many types, so I'm not sure if it works the same way as regular milk where you get the skim, low fat, 1%, etc. The one I bought said it's fortified with calcium and lots of protein, so I drink it plain sometimes instead of making a shake. It's kind of like cream, almost.

Trust me, I gagged at the thought of tasting it, but it's darn yummy.

Thanks everyone for participating here, cause this whole soy craze has me wondering. I don't cook any more since hubby comes home so early and is full by the time I get home, but I'll venture to trick him with some soy next time I make a pot of chowder. How do you buy the kind to cook with? Are you talking about Tofu?

I get mine at trader joe's and it is all in the same section, but not the coolers. That is another benefit of rice and soy products most of them do not need to be kept in the fridge until they are opened. I buy 6 or 8 gallons at a time as we all drink it and it is my 4 year olds milk substitute. For cooking I buy the "plain" the vanilla is too sweet to cook with and it tends to burn when baking with it, not sure why, maybe there is something in the flavoring that makes it not soo good for cooking. I get the plain and make mashed potatos and mac n' cheese and my family can't tell the diff, hope this all helps. check out www.imaginefoods.com for some more info on rice products. ~Mandy

but I'll venture to trick him with some soy next time I make a pot of chowder. How do you buy the kind to cook with? Are you talking about Tofu?

Yeah, tofu is what I was talking about. Tofu is made from soy Beans which I would guess soy milk is so I was thinking they're likely the same thing. Maybe not. I'll compare the labels next time I'm at the grocery store.

The tofu that used to be so easy to use in recipes was the semi-firm in a little carton in the vegtable section of vons. It also blends well with any kind of tomatoe sauce if you need more Protein.

GOsh--it's almost hard to keep up w/ all the new food products! My current fav are the Healthy Choice fudge bars--only 90 cal apiece a they seem to curb my choc cravings. I can't buy the HC ice cream sandwhiches tho---I just end up eating half the box.

Soy products are super high in vegetable Protein. Protein has a greater effect on appetite, which is why you don't feel hungry for a while.

Soy milk is just another derivative of the soy bean. For some, it's great, but some are sensitive and don't lose weight on soy. Soy also influences your estrogen level which can also play against weight loss.

With that said, I love Bolthouse Farms Soy Chai (soy milk, green tea chai, and apple juice). Tastes like an eggnog.

I don't have the parental stories that DeLarla and Vines do, but I can add into the powdered milk one. We were pretty poor at the time, and so we got to go to the food bank, and we always got all this evaporated milk. My mom used to take 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 reconstituted powdered milk and make "milk" out of it. The stuff was nasty (especially considering I didn't like milk anyway). I am very interested in the soy milk tho. I might have to pick some up on the way home tonight. Vanilla sounds yummy.