<big>Three</big> After the melamine milk incident, I often told my friends that the milk on the market recently is the safest and that those who love to drink milk can do so without worry. However, this statement has caused a lot of suspicion online, with many claiming that I must have been paid by dairy companies to speak on their behalf. In fact, my concern about a sharp drop in dairy sales has nothing to do with companies I have no emotional connection with; it is entirely out of sympathy for the poor cows.
If consumers significantly reduce their milk consumption, dairy farmers across the country will go bankrupt. A single cow is worth over a hundred thousand yuan and represents the hope of their entire family. And those poor cows, after being overworked to produce milk, are routinely slaughtered once the market shrinks. Thinking about the fate of these cows is truly disheartening.
Another viewpoint suggests that we can only reduce the number of cows—and thus their milk production burden—by drinking less milk. Similarly, we can only reduce the number of cattle and pigs by eating less meat, thereby sparing them from a life of forced fattening. Perhaps that's true…
Six years ago, I was researching yogurt, but now I am researching soy milk. Many people have been asking if soy milk can replace cow's milk and whether drinking soy milk is better than drinking cow's milk. So, let me take the time to talk about a diet that uses soy milk as a substitute for cow's milk.
Compared to cow's milk, soy milk has five major advantages:
1. It contains plant-based health-promoting compounds, including soy isoflavones, saponins, soy polysaccharides, soy oligosaccharides, and other polyphenols. These are helpful in preventing various chronic diseases.
Cow's milk does not contain these components.
2. It contains vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, has a low saturated fat content, and is cholesterol-free.
3. It contains dietary fiber. Soy milk is primarily rich in soluble fiber, while the soy pulp (okara) contains a large amount of insoluble fiber. Cow's milk has no dietary fiber.
4. It has a lower calorie content, with a protein-to-fat ratio of 2:1, whereas cow's milk is 1:1.
5. As a plant-based food, soy poses a much lower risk of contamination compared to animal-based products. After all, it's difficult to adulterate beans, and making soy milk at home avoids any potential contamination or adulteration during processing.
Compared to cow's milk, soy milk also has its disadvantages: its calcium content is lower, it lacks vitamins A and D, and its levels of vitamins B2 and B6 are significantly lower than in cow's milk.
Just as some people feel unwell after drinking cow's milk, the same is true for soy milk. Some individuals are sensitive to oligosaccharides and anti-nutritional factors in soy, which can easily lead to bloating and gas. However, as long as one's digestive function is normal, this reaction is not significantly harmful to health. You can start with a small amount and gradually increase it, and the discomfort will disappear once your digestive system adapts.
To maximize the benefits of soy milk and compensate for its shortcomings, just remember three things when you have a bowl of soy milk daily:
1. Remember to spend at least half an hour in the sun each day to get enough vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption and strengthens bones.
2. Eat one egg a day, including the yolk, to get vitamins A, D, B2, and B6.
3. Eat half a block of tofu, or a large spoonful of sesame paste along with half a jin of green vegetables, to ensure an adequate intake of calcium.
In fact, you can still have a Western-style breakfast with soy milk, eating things like bread and sandwiches. Take a look at this breakfast menu:
Two slices of whole wheat bread. Spread a thin layer of salad dressing, soybean paste, or spicy sauce on one side of each slice. Sandwich in one soft-fried egg, three slices of cucumber, and two lettuce leaves. If you don't like eggs, you can use five-spiced dried tofu slices or "beer-flavored meat slices" and other flavored soy products instead. A cup of plain soy milk to go with the sandwich. Plus a handful of cherry tomatoes or an orange.
This way, you can enjoy the delicious taste and health benefits of soy milk while largely achieving the nutritional quality of cow's milk—it can be said to be the best of both worlds. Homemade soy milk can also have various health-boosting ingredients added to it, better suiting the specific health needs of each individual. The quality of various soy milk crystals, soy milk drinks, and soy powders varies greatly and cannot be generalized.
Different people, due to differences in their physical constitutions, adapt to different foods. Those who have insufficient dietary fiber intake, are prone to constipation, are prone to acne, have high blood lipids, or are post-menopausal women might find soy milk more suitable. On the other hand, for those who are physically weak, have poor digestion and are prone to bloating and diarrhea, or have dry eyes due to a vitamin A deficiency, soy milk might be less helpful than yogurt.
From an ecological perspective, a diet that is primarily vegetarian is more conducive to maintaining ecological balance. On the basis of ensuring nutritional balance, using soy milk and soy products to replace cow's milk and meat is an environmental good deed.
A friendly reminder: Remember to prioritize buying domestic soybeans! The high-quality yellow soybeans from the Northeast have less fat and more protein, making them far superior for making soy milk compared to imported American genetically modified soybeans. Black soybeans from Shanxi are the best, followed by those from Inner Mongolia and Hebei.