Soy vs Skim Milk

Question
Hi Tanya,

Just a quick question. I'm trying to watch my weight but am a bit of a Starbucks addict. I don't really like the skimmed milk in the skinny drinks, and the barista recommended that I try soy milk instead as it has lower calories and less fat than skimmed milk. Is this true? Which is better for you - skimmed milk or soy milk?

Answer
Hi Sally,

It depends on the diet you are on. Since you are asking about skim milk, you probably watch fats - yes, soy milk is higher in fat calories, but it also has more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated( "good") fats.

With approximately same amount of calories, soy milk has less carbohydrates and cholesterol, but more fibers. Here are the numbers.

Soy milk, 1 cup:

Calories 80.85
Calories from Fat 42.12

Total Fat 4.68g    
- Saturated Fat 0.524g    
- Polyunsaturated Fat 2.04g     
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.799g     
Cholesterol 0mg    
Sodium 29.4mg
Potassium 345.45mg    
Total Carbohydrate 4.43g    
- Fiber 3.18g    
Protein 6.74g    

Skim milk, 1 cup:

Calories 85.53
Calories from Fat 3.97
Total Fat 0.441g    
- Saturated Fat 0.287g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0172g     
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.115g     
Cholesterol 4.41mg    
Sodium 126.18mg    
Potassium 405.72mg    
Total Carbohydrate 11.88g    
- Fiber 0g    
Protein 8.35g    

Please be advised that recent studies showed that low fat dieting is not as efficient from weight loss and cholesterol control points of view as low carb diets are. If you consider how the milks in question influence insulin release (pro-insulin : anti-insulin action of foods) you'll find that skim milk is very pro-insulin and soy milk is somewhat less pro-insulin though sill not anti-insulin. Read more about it here:
http://dietandbody.com/metabolic_syndrome//?page_id=8

Or, from the "fat burning" standpoint:
http://dietandbody.com/plan/keto_index.html

= TZ

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