6 Reasons Why Soy Milk Is a Healthier Option for Your Body

Soy milk is a common replacement for dairy milk, and if you follow a vegan diet, you might be very familiar with it. You can include soy milk in your everyday drinks, such as cereal, coffee, and even smoothies. It offers your body plenty of benefits, including protein and calcium, and if you are lactose intolerant, even better. However, if you have any allergies or take medication, it’s advisable to consult with your doctor first before making any changes to your diet.

We at Bright Side always want people to choose the healthier option, and we offer a list of benefits that soy milk contains and why it may be better to say goodbye to dairy products.

1. It can promote hair growth.

You might have heard that dairy products are good for maintaining healthy hair, but research shows that it may not be the case. Dairy products hold a lot of fat in them, and fat leads to an expansion of testosterone levels throughout your body. The testosterone then produces something called DHT, which is a hormone and the primary cause of hair loss. But in addition to causing hair loss, it also promotes other hair issues, like dandruff and psoriasis.

That’s why it may be best to replace dairy with soy milk if you want your hair to be on fleek! This is because soy milk is made from whole soybeans, which include compounds like spermidine that can even assist in hair growth.

2. It may reduce symptoms of menopause.

If you are going through menopause, then soy milk might just be your knight in shining armor. Estrogen levels tend to drop while going through menopause, and usually, women use hormone replacement therapy to manage their symptoms. However, there has been a rising theory of how soy foods can help with hot flashes and night sweats — they include isoflavones, which are considered phytoestrogens. These things can operate in a similar way as estrogen, just a bit weaker.

Simply adding a cup of soy milk to your breakfast or snacking on dry and roasted soybeans in the afternoon can help ease the symptoms.

3. It can help you sleep better at night.

Research shows that soy milk can actually help you sleep better, as it has something called tryptophan in it. This is an amino acid that helps your body produce melatonin, otherwise known as “the sleep hormone.”

If you’re one of those people who cannot fall asleep after laying in bed for hours, try having a glass of soy milk every night before bed to experience calm, undisturbed sleep. It’s worth mentioning that kids can drink soy milk as well at night, as it can also help them to sleep better.

4. It can minimize the effects of skin aging.

Soy has the glowing power to minimize the outcome of skin aging, whether you drink it or use it as a cosmetic product. Soybeans by themselves are filled with a lot of polyunsaturated fat, and they have many antioxidant components that are great for helping your skin thrive. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, and if your face is exposed to it often, then drinking soy milk can be your remedy to lessen wrinkles and fine lines.

5. It may prevent depression and boost your mood.

Dairy products carry certain opiates called casomorphins, and research has shown that they can deeply affect your brain if you consume a lot of them. But soy milk is just around the corner to balance out your mood.

Try to drink 2-4 cups of soy milk each day to improve and brighten up your outlook. However, it’s important to eat and drink soy-based products that are hardly processed to get the maximum results — so adding tofu, miso, and plant-based substitutes for dairy to your diet can become your new habit.

6. It may reduce belly fat.

Soy milk is actually one of the soy-based products that have all the necessary and helpful bits to support weight control and obesity and stabilize blood pressure. It has proteins that can build muscle, and it may make you feel full while also suppressing your appetite.

While dairy milk has the bad kind of fat, soy milk has the good kind — you can drink it without feeling guilty. Not only that, but it contains vitamins that help with burning fat and are good for maintaining your energy levels. The results of one study showed that women who drank soy milk had inches on their waist reduced after only 4 weeks.

Bonus: celebrities who drink soy milk

1. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman went vegan in 2011, and since then she has used her voice to help animals and invested her money in vegan brands. Quite often, she has been asked in interviews how she keeps her skin so luminous, and her answer was, “Diet is a big part of it. I’m vegan, and I drink a lot of water. If I have dairy, I break out immediately.”

2. Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde went vegan at a very early age when she was 12 years old. She says that “not eating meat really keeps me trim. It’s a lifestyle choice, but meat, and what’s usually served with it, is a big calorie packer.” She keeps a fit and healthy lifestyle and includes soy milk and rice milk in her everyday diet.

What type of milk do you prefer, and why?