dairy products v soy products?

does anyone one have ne opinions as to which are healthier to eat..... like is plain natural yoghurt better than soy?

is cows milk better than soy?

any ideas?

 

 

They both have their own pros and cons. Soy products are mostly on the market for vegans and those who are lactose-intolerant. Health-wise, both are good for you, so just drink whichever you think tastes better.

You'll get all kinds of opinions on this one!!  :-) My feeling is that organic, good quality dairy products - like most naturally occurring foods - are a healthy thing to eat in moderation.  Soya beans are a good food.  Soy lookalike products always bother me a little because they are quite heavily engineered with various thickeners, colours and flavourings to make them like the original.   If you can't (or won't) eat dairy products then soy products are a good alternative.   But if you have no moral objections or allergy issues then I'd stick with natural foods as far as possible.

organic, good quality dairy products are probably better if your going to eat dairy. Many people have some form of lactose intolerance, so usally long fermented cheese, yogurt and kefir is best for most people. Soy is a giotrogen if its not properly preapred. Soys protien also has phytic acid and protease inhibitors that block mineral and protien absorbtion. So agian, Soy MUST be fermented or sprouted, soaked and then cooked. Its protien is rather hard to digest otherwise.

If i were to choose of the two, i would pick ORganic dairy for its benefits, but agian in moderation. Raw, grass fed Milk has all the beneficial bacteria and enzymes that help digest it, so raw, unpasterurized milk is probably 90 times healthier than the two. Raw cheese can be found in many supermarkets deli.

'Most' people are not lactose intolerant.... 

If I remember correctly, in a previous post you stated that you have osteoporosis. Although most soy products are fortified with calcium many experts believe that the phytates in soy milk may bind with calcium, thus inhibiting its absorption. I, too, have osteoporosis so I make sure to take a calcium/vitamin D supplement and consume at least one cup each of milk and yogurt daily. The latest research seems to indicate that vitamin D may be even more important than calcium. In any case, without the vitamin D, the body cannot process most of the calcium.

This might not be exactly what you're asking, but I personally prefer Almond Breeze "milk." I heard some bad stuff about milk when I was in college that I can't get out of my head, and I just don't like the taste of soy milk. It still has protein, and I get my calcium from supplements.

 

if you can have dairy, go with that, especially organic (it really DOES taste better).  if youR'e vegan or lactose-intolerant, then go with soy.  i sometimes drink soy because there's a brand of vanilla soy milk i love, but only once in a while.  i (personally) see it as a substitute if you can't have dairy for allergy/moral/vegan reasons.  plus, i find dairy tastes better (the cheeses, yogurts, and ice creams anwyay)

In my opinion, animal products are better.  Better for you and better tasting, I think.

i've never been much of a soy eater, and i love my milk and cheese, so take this with a grain of salt; i'm very biased.

if i were in your position, spek, and needing to gain weight, cheese would be my best friend; it's calorie dense, nutritious, and yummy.  for me, skim milk is ideal; high in protein, low in fat, and satisfying.  it's a perfect "filler" between meals or after-dinner snack.  i always feel good about it.

plus, i learned recently that china's industrial boom has created a huge demand for soy from elsewhere (because they're turning farmlands into factories in china), and one of the impacts is that the amazon basin is being destroyed to make room for soy farms.  the amazon, of course, is one of our greatest buffers against climate change.  so - a good reason not to eat soy, in my mind ;)

I have a lactose intolerance problem.  I can drink milk some times as long as I don't over do it.  That limits me very much... so I tried the Lactaid.  It is very yummy and tastes almost like real milk, much better than soy milk.  It comes in regular, 2% and skim milk.

But - I would think regular milk is better.  I actally had my Go Lean cereal with regular 2% milk this morning. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

'Most' people are not lactose intolerant....

Yes, most people can physically tolerate consuming dairy-but most people have some degree of lactose intolerance because we lose 90% of our lactase enzyme after infancy. I believe it's 3 out of 10 adults who are diagnosable as lactose intolerant but many people go undiagnosed and disregard mild discomfort when consuming dairy.

Spek i'm not gonna give you my personal vegan rant on this, but some milk alternatives are very well balanced and nutritious-Edensoy soy milk has 11-12g or protein per 8oz and omegas 3,6, and 9. They have an unsweetened version and make them in serving size juice box packs which I always drank when I had to gain.

Original Post by trippythings:

...but many people go undiagnosed and disregard mild discomfort when consuming dairy.

i'd really like to know how this is measured. 

Eat neither - they are both terrible for you!

Original Post by giasbash6260:

Eat neither - they are both terrible for you!

Um yeah...not so much. 

Good try though...

why do u think there both horrible for you...... from what ive read im kinda thinking "DAIRY" might be the winner....... it seems more natural do you think?

im more into clean eating.... i think it might fit in to that a bit more?

Spek, for your purposes, you need calories from any source.

I've been reading The China Study which makes me glad to have switched to almond milk.

Edit: Apparently this study does not actually have the data to support it's claims and the conglomeration of data that they do have is from people who are known for misreporting results to meet the point they're trying to prove.

Just a thought.... please dont flame me for my opinions.... I always felt that Drinking Milk was Disgusting for the fact that
a) humans are the ONLY mammals that drink milk after infancy
b) there are about six drops of puss in every glass of milk
c) the cows are treated HORRIBLY...

but thats just one opinion. im sure there are alot of other ways to get the health benefiets from milk. I prefer Soy Milk.

lafleur_88 we might not flame you for your opinions but you can be legitimately pulled down for trotting out 'facts' that are complete rubbish on a thread started by someone who is already a little nervous about foods and needs no discouragement.   When was the last time you visited a dairy farm?   And it's 'pus' by the way.... not a little cat.

 

Original Post by lafleur_88:

Just a thought.... please dont flame me for my opinions.... I always felt that Drinking Milk was Disgusting for the fact that
a) humans are the ONLY mammals that drink milk after infancy
b) there are about six drops of puss in every glass of milk
c) the cows are treated HORRIBLY...

but thats just one opinion. im sure there are alot of other ways to get the health benefiets from milk. I prefer Soy Milk.

 Humans are also the only ones who cook their meat.  Should we not do that either?

As for the six drops of pus...yeah, I would check your sources on that one. 

As for the cows, if you're really concerned, buy organic milk.

Original Post by spek:

why do u think there both horrible for you...... from what ive read im kinda thinking "DAIRY" might be the winner....... it seems more natural do you think?

im more into clean eating.... i think it might fit in to that a bit more?

 Sounds great to me!  I'm a big dairy-supporter :D  It's such a great source of calcium, protein and good (natural!) fats.