I recently read an article that warns that soy milk is a rip-off and contains a lot of bad stuff. It advises making your own soy milk using soy beans, water and a soy milk machine. Is commercially available soy milk unsafe? If so, what do you recommend?
Originally published 11/15/2007
I've seen many articles warning that soy foods in general, including soy milk, aren't healthy and contain hidden substances that are dangerous. Critics of soy allege that it is bad for the thyroid, can cause cancer, Alzheimer's disease and mineral deficiencies.
None of these sensational claims has ever been proven.
Remember, for centuries Asians have been eating lots of soy foods, and the supposed terrible consequences of soy consumption haven't materialized among them. In fact some traditional soy-rich Asian diets are associated with lower risks of breast and prostate cancer than western diets.
Based on the weight of available evidence, I remain convinced that soy is safe and nutritious when eaten in relatively whole and unrefined forms in reasonable amounts. I recommend one to two daily servings, which can include a cup of soy milk, a half cup of tofu, tempeh or green soybeans (edamame) or roasted soy nuts. Soy milk provides all the benefits of cow's milk, without the butterfat, which is unhealthy, the milk protein (casein), which can increase mucus production and irritate the immune system in some people, and milk sugar (lactose), which can cause digestive distress if you lack the enzyme that breaks it down.
Soy milk is made by soaking dried beans in water, grinding them, heating them in water, pressing them, and straining the milk. Soy milk makers for home use are widely available, and people who use them say fresh, homemade soy milk is much better tasting than packaged products. And it will have no additives.
One cup of soy milk contains four to 10 grams of soy protein, and 20 to 40 mg of isoflavones, plant chemicals that may act like estrogen but probably account for soy's protective effect against hormonally driven cancers (especially when soy is part of the diet from early childhood). While soy milk is high in calcium, it doesn't have as much as cow's milk so it is important to look for a brand that is fortified with calcium.
I recommend certain precautions when buying soy milk. Since many soy crops are heavily treated with pesticides, always buy organic soy products. I also recommend avoiding brands of soy milk that contain the thickening agent carrageenan, a seaweed derivative, which I believe may be harmful, especially to the intestinal tract. If you are watching your weight, look for low-fat products.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
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译文:
豆浆是健康食品吗？
最近我读了一篇文章，文中说，豆浆是垃圾食品，豆浆中含有很多种有害物质，建议人们最好用大豆、清水和豆浆机自己制作豆浆。难道市面上的豆浆真的对人体有害吗？如果真是那样的话，您是认为应该怎么办？
2007年11月15日第一版
我看到的很多文章中都说豆类食品（一般就是指豆浆）不是健康食品，它们本身包含了很多隐性有害物质。豆类批评家宣称，豆类食品对甲状腺有害，会导致癌症、阿尔茨海默病以及矿物质缺乏。
但是，这些耸人听闻的说法一个也没有得到证实。
不要忘了，千百年来，很多亚洲人都以豆类食品为食，但是那些可怕的假想并未在他们身上实现。实际上，亚洲一些传统的含豆丰富的饮食比西方饮食更能降低乳腺癌和前列腺癌的的发病率。
在大量事实的基础上，我确信，豆类食品营养丰富，适当、适量食用豆类食品，会对人体健康大有好处。下面就列举几样日常的豆类食品，如一杯豆浆、半杯豆腐、豆豉、绿豆（毛豆）或炒豆。牛奶中含有的营养，豆浆中都有，而且豆浆中不含对人体有害的乳脂，不含产生粘液并刺激一些人免疫系统的牛乳蛋白质（酪蛋白），不含乳糖（如果人体缺乏生化酶，乳糖可以导致消化能力降低，因为只有生化酶才能消化乳糖）。
豆浆的制作方法是这样的：先将干豆用水泡湿，然后磨碎，放在水里煮，再挤压豆水混合物以过滤出豆浆，这样，新鲜的豆浆就做好了。家用豆浆机很普遍，用过的人都说很好。自制豆浆比包装过的豆浆味道更鲜美，而且没有添加剂。
一杯豆浆含有4到10克大豆蛋白，20到40毫克异黄酮---植物化学物质，其作用像雌激素，但是可以抗癌（最好是在孩子很小的时候就开始食用豆类食品）。尽管豆浆是高钙饮品，但是豆浆中含的钙不如牛奶的多，所以在买豆浆的时候最好选加钙的。
买大豆的时候一定要注意：因为许多豆类作用都含有杀虫剂，所以买有机大豆最好。不要买含有增稠剂卡拉胶（一种海藻衍生物）的品牌豆浆，因为那会损害人体，尤其损害肠道。如果您想保持身材，那么最好饮用低脂肪豆浆。
安德鲁.威尔，M.D.