2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Since childhood, we have known about the benefits of milk, but in the modern world, there are more and more people who have completely abandoned animal products in their diet. And how can they benefit from this? Soy milk has become a real discovery in this area. The benefits and harms of soy products have been debated for a long time, but the popularity of such a plant-based product is only growing, and in some countries people have completely replaced cow's milk with it.
Product Story
Despite the fact that the general popularity of milk has received relatively recently, it was invented before our era. China is considered the birthplace of soy milk, which explains the greatest popularity of the product today in Asian countries.
According to history, the inventor of this herbal drink was the Chinese philosopher Liu An, whose mother had no teeth, but was very fond of soybeans. To please his mother, he came up with the idea to make a drink out of beans.
Why milk?
Soybeans are used in many dishes today, they often replace meat in vegetarians and are the main ingredients for cheese and sauces. Soy milk successfully replaces the usual cow milk, while it has nothing to do with animalsproducts. The taste of the drink is sweetish, and outwardly it is very similar to ordinary milk, for which it got its name. The drink is white, liquid consistency and with a special smell. Interestingly, it can turn sour in the same way as regular milk, after which bean curd, kefir or yogurt is made from a vegetable product.
Soy milk production is established in many countries, especially in those where soybeans grow in large quantities. Large-scale production of the product consists of soaking the beans, grinding them with special apparatus and pressing. The finished product is heated before bottling to get rid of pathogenic microflora and sent to packages, and then to store shelves. By the way, on sale you can also find dry soy milk, often used to feed children, but not in its pure form. To get it, the finished liquid is evaporated, and the remaining powder with a nutty flavor is packaged for sale. It is soy milk powder.
Product composition
A very important nuance for many people is that soy milk does not contain lactose at all, which means it can be consumed by people who have intolerance to this substance.
In addition, the calorie content of the product is two times lower than that of cow's milk, only 40 kcal, which makes it possible to drink it with various diets. There are few fats and carbohydrates in the drink, they are easily digested, the protein can safely replace the animal with its composition.
It is especially important to know that the benefits of soy milk lie in its unique amino acid composition. Only soy contains a complete list of essential amino acids for humans and many other elements.
For vegetarians, this product is a valid source of many essential nutrients. Milk contains a high concentration of tocopherol, which is credited with anti-aging and antitumor effects. Also in the composition there are vitamins of groups B, C, lecithin and retinol, which stabilize the functioning of the nervous system. The drink also contains small amounts of iron, sodium and magnesium, but there is practically no calcium in it, but many manufacturers enrich milk with it artificially.
It should also be noted that soy milk contains plant hormones that are analogous to women's hormones. It is thanks to this composition that the product is recommended for women to drink during menopause in order to prevent weight gain, osteoporosis and other disorders in the body.
Benefits of milk
In addition to the listed useful qualities of the product, there are others. So, it contains fiber, which helps digestion and fight toxins. The product itself is very light and does not burden the digestive system. Its dietary properties are due to the more delicate structure of milk, which makes it possible to reduce the secretion of gastric juice during its use. This is important for ulcers or hypersecretion of the stomach, diabetes and typhoid fever. Also, soy milk is useful for prevention and for suspected diseases of the cardiovascular system, since it has absolutely no cholesterol. The nutritional value of the productuse it for feeding infants, and the presence of protein in the composition makes it possible to form muscle mass without eating meat. This herbal drink is very useful for obesity, but the presence of hormones in it can be considered from several angles.
Interestingly, soy sugar immediately enters the bloodstream without being digested, and is equivalent to glucose.
Harm to the body
Everyone should know that the phytoestrogens contained in soy milk tend to accumulate in the body when consumed in large quantities. This, in turn, can lead to disruption of the endocrine system and hypothyroidism, a decrease in sperm activity in men and negative he alth consequences for pregnant and lactating women.
Thus, in order to get only the benefits of soy milk and avoid harm, when using it, you just need to know when to stop and not overdo it.
In addition, the presence of phytic acid in the composition also belongs to the disadvantages of the product. It interferes with the complete absorption of important trace elements, so their presence in the composition does not guarantee that the body will receive everything it needs.
A possible intolerance to soy milk can also be considered a disadvantage.
Where to buy?
Since the product has not yet received due popularity in our country, you can buy it only in large supermarkets or via the Internet. It is very rare to find soy milk on the shelves of ordinary stores, but if they have special departments forvegetarians, then you should look for a drink there.
For the nutrition of children, you can purchase a special soy mixture, which will necessarily contain additional components, a pure product for babies is not produced. Of course, low popularity affects the cost. You can buy a package of such milk for no less than 80 rubles.
Recipe for cooking at home
Actually, making soy milk in your kitchen is not difficult, you just need to prepare soy beans for this. For 1 kilogram of them, you will need to take 8 liters of water, a little s alt and sugar if desired.
First, you need to prepare the beans by soaking them in clean boiled and lightly s alted water overnight or even for 18 hours so that they swell and soften. It is important that they are completely covered with liquid at all times. The beans themselves must be ripe, white in color.
The soy milk recipe continues with the fact that the previously soaked beans are removed from the water and ground with a blender or meat grinder until smooth. The prepared gruel should be poured with half of the prepared water and left to infuse for 30-50 minutes, after which it is well squeezed through cheesecloth. The resulting cake is poured again and left for 30-50 minutes, after which it is again squeezed out and both portions of milk are mixed with each other. During the infusion of cake, you can periodically stir it with a wooden spatula.
Finishes the preparation of homemade soy milk by boiling it. At this time, you can not leavepans, because such a drink “runs away” much faster than cow's milk. The finished product will have a slight taste of peas in its pure form.
Product application
Boiled milk prepared by yourself can be eaten immediately or used to make soups, pancakes, cereals and other drinks. If you ferment it, you can get excellent soy yogurt, kefir or tofu curd. When mixed with fruit juices, wonderful cocktails are obtained, and when added to coffee, no one will notice the difference with regular milk. In the preparation of soups, pastries, cereals, sauces and even mayonnaise, vegetable milk is used in many countries.
The product can also be used in the field of cosmetology as a component of masks, creams and peels.
Conclusion
Soy milk has long been known to mankind and still has not lost its popularity, but only increases it. Of course, this indicates the benefits of the product for many people, but you can get it only with moderate use. Experts do not recommend drinking more than one glass of the drink a day. When buying or purchasing beans for its manufacture, it is very important to look carefully so that the packaging is labeled “non-GMO”. Only this can guarantee the receipt of high-quality soy milk, which will really help the body.
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