From childhood, we know about the benefits of milk, but in the modern world people are more and more often found who completely abandoned animal products in their diet. And how do they get this benefit? A real discovery in this area was soy milk. Disputes have been going on about the benefits and harms of soy products for a long time, but the popularity of such a plant product is only growing, and in some countries people have completely replaced cow's milk with it.
Product history
Despite the fact that milk gained general fame relatively recently, it was invented even before our era. China is considered the birthplace of soy milk, which explains the most popular product today in Asia.
According to history, the inventor of such a herbal drink was the Chinese philosopher Liu An, whose mother had no teeth, but loved soybeans. To please his mother, he came up with a bean drink.
Why milk?
A lot of dishes are prepared from soy beans today, they often replace meat with vegetarians and are the main ingredients for cheese and sauces. Soy milk successfully replaces the usual cow, while it has nothing to do with animal products. The drink tastes sweetish, and looks very similar to regular milk, for which it got its name. The drink is white, with a liquid consistency and with a special smell. Interestingly, it can sour in the same way as regular milk, after which bean curd, kefir or yogurt is made from a plant product.
The production of soy milk is established in many countries, especially in those where soybean grows in large quantities. Large-scale production of the product is soaking the beans, grinding them with special devices and spinning. The finished product is heated before bottling to get rid of pathogenic microflora and sent to packaging, and then to store shelves. By the way, on sale you can also find soy milk powder, 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. He is - soy milk powder.
Composition of the product
A very important nuance for many people is that soy milk does not contain lactose at all, which means that it can be consumed by people who are intolerant 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 absorbed, protein can easily replace an animal with its composition.
It is especially important to know that the benefits of soy milk are its unique amino acid composition. Only soy contains a complete list of essential amino acids for humans and many other elements.
For vegetarians, such a product is a valid source of many essential nutrients. Milk contains a high concentration of tocopherol, which is attributed to anti-aging and antitumor effects. Also in the composition are vitamins of group B, C, lecithin and retinol, which stabilize the nervous system. Also, the drink contains small amounts of iron, sodium and magnesium, but there is practically no calcium in it, but many manufacturers enrich them with milk artificially.
It should be noted and the presence of soy milk plant hormones, which are analogues of female. Thanks to this composition, women are recommended to drink the product during menopause to prevent weight gain, osteoporosis and other disorders in the body.
The benefits of milk
In addition to the listed beneficial qualities of the product, there are others. So, in its composition contains fiber, which helps digestion and the fight against 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 stomach ulcers or hypersecretions, diabetes and typhoid fever. Also, soy milk is useful for prevention and if you suspect ailments of the cardiovascular system, since it has absolutely no cholesterol. The nutritional value of the product allows it to be used for feeding infants, and the presence of protein 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 sides.
Interestingly, soy sugar immediately enters the bloodstream without being digested, and is equated with glucose.
Harm to the body
Everyone should know that the phytoestrogens contained in soy milk tend to accumulate in the body when a product is consumed in large quantities. This, in turn, can lead to disruption of the endocrine system and hypothyroidism, decreased sperm activity in men and negative health effects in pregnant and lactating women.
Thus, in order to get only the benefits of soy milk and harm to avoid, when you use it, you just need to know the measure and not overdo it.
In addition, the presence of phytic acid in the composition is also a disadvantage of the product . It interferes with the complete assimilation of important trace elements, so their presence in the composition does not guarantee that the body will receive everything necessary.
A possible disadvantage is the intolerance of soy milk to the body.
Where can one buy?
Since in our country the product has not yet received the due popularity, then you can buy it only in large supermarkets or via the Internet. Soy milk is very rare on the shelves of ordinary shops, but if they have special departments for vegetarians, 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 released. Of course, low popularity affects cost. You can buy a package of such milk for no less than 80 rubles.
Home cooking recipe
In fact, making soy milk in your kitchen is not difficult, you just need to prepare soy beans for this. For 1 kilogram they will need to take 8 liters of water, a little salt and sugar, if desired.
For starters, beans need to be prepared by soaking in clean boiled and slightly salted 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. Beans themselves must be ripe for this, white.
The soy milk recipe continues by the fact that previously soaked beans are removed from the water and chopped with a blender or meat grinder until smooth. Cooked gruel should be poured with half the prepared water and left to brew for 30-50 minutes, then squeeze well 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 together. During the insistence of the cake, you can periodically stir it with a wooden spatula.
Finishes cooking homemade soy milk boiling it. At this time, you can’t leave the pan, since such a drink “runs away” much faster than cow’s milk. The finished product will have a slight pea flavor in its pure form.
Product application
Self-made boiled milk can be immediately consumed or used to make soups, pancakes, cereals and other drinks. If it is fermented, you can get excellent soy yogurt, kefir or tofu curd. When mixing the product with fruit juices, wonderful cocktails are obtained, and when added to coffee, no one will notice the difference with ordinary 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
Soymilk has long been known to mankind and still has not lost its popularity, but only increases it. Of course, this indicates the benefit of the product for many people, but it can only be obtained with moderate use. Experts do not recommend drinking more than one glass of drink per day. When buying or purchasing beans for its manufacture, it is very important to carefully watch that the packaging has the marking “non-GMO”. Only this can guarantee a high-quality soy milk, which will really be an assistant for the body.