Soy milk is a common ingredient in various diets, including low-carb, Mediterranean, and diabetes diets.
In fact, it is a staple in many vegan meal plans.
However, many people are confused about soy milk’s properties. Does soy milk have the same health benefits as dairy milk?
Are there any benefits to soy milk for people with diabetes?
This article will cover everything you need to know so that you can confidently answer questions about soy milk to customers who ask you.
Soy milk is made from soybeans and was first produced over 2000 years ago in China. Since then, soy milk has become popular worldwide, especially in Asian countries.
Soy milk is naturally low in carbohydrates and fat, making it popular among people with diabetes and those trying to follow a low-carb diet.
However, soy milk contains a lot of protein and should be used sparingly if you have kidney disease or high blood pressure.
Is Soy Milk Good for People With Diabetes?
The short answer to this question is no — not as a substitute for insulin therapy.
Soy milk alone will not cure diabetes, nor will it undo all the damage that’s already been done by the disease or its symptoms.
Soy milk for people with diabetes can be a good option if you’re also taking metformin and/or insulin, but again, its role is very limited.
It contains no protein of interest to people with diabetes kidney disease and is low in calcium compared to cow’s milk.
While there are certain benefits of soy milk that one cannot get from any other dairy, some of them are listed below:
- Boosts the immune system. Soybeans contain a lot of protein, but they are low in saturated fat and contain no cholesterol. Soybeans also contain lignans and isoflavones, which help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
- Improvement in bone health. The high levels of phytoestrogens found in soybeans have been shown to prevent osteoporosis, especially when combined with exercise.
- Reducing heart attack and stroke risk by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
- Lower blood pressure by as much as 10 percent compared to other dairy products.
- May help lower the risk of developing cancer or diabetes due to its high concentration of antioxidants like genistein and daidzein.
Now the question that one must be pondering over is if not soy milk for people with diabetes, then what kind of milk is the best for people with type 2 diabetes? Let’s find out.
What Kind of Milk is the Best for People With Diabetes?
There is no one answer for the best type of milk for people with diabetes. It depends on your blood glucose and A1C levels and what you are trying to achieve.
People with diabetes should drink low-fat or nonfat milk, but whole milk is also OK if it fits your diet.
If you have diabetes, you should avoid drinking fruit juices because they contain a lot of sugar and can increase your blood glucose levels.
Milk is better than fruit juice because it contains nutrients that can help control blood glucose levels (fiber and protein).
If you want to lose weight, limit how much milk you drink and choose to skim or low-fat milk instead of whole milk. If you want to gain weight, drink whole or 2% milk instead of skim or 1%.
If you have diabetes and don’t tolerate lactose well, it doesn’t mean that you need to avoid dairy products altogether. You just need to limit how much you eat or go for a low-lactose variety.
Pick low-fat or fat-free dairy products (such as skim or 1% milk) if your doctor recommends limiting your fat intake.
These options contain less than 1 gram of fat per serving compared with full-fat versions that contain up to 8 grams of total fat per serving.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends drinking low-fat or nonfat dairy products to help control blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, they recommend picking lower-fat options if you consume more than three servings a day of dairy products.
However, some studies have found that whole milk may be more beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes than lower-fat options because it can improve insulin sensitivity and help control blood sugar levels.
The main and certainly the only problem with soy milk is the very low protein content.
Soy milk contains only 4 percent protein, which is inadequate for most people’s daily needs.
As a side note, soybeans only contain 22 percent protein, but they make up for that amount in their other nutritional components.
Furthermore, soybeans can also interfere with certain medications used to treat diabetes and have problematic health effects. So, you must be careful about your diet if you have type 2 diabetes.