Soy - the bean to milk for all it's worth

Soy milk is becoming an increasingly popular option in coffee shops around campus. Used as a substitute for cow milk, the latte's traditional key ingredient, soy milk provides a dairy-free alternative for those who cannot or choose not to consume dairy.

A starbucks beverage, the scrawled letter S
signifying that it is to be made with soymilk

As research uncovers the multitude of it's health benefits, many have taken to choosing soy over the other – a choice made out of preference, not necessity.

Originating in China, soy milk moved to the Western world and became popular among groups of people who were unable to drink cow milk and needed a substitute, like the lactose or casein-intolerant. In recent years, the product has left the niche market and emerged into the mainstream American diet.

The University of Oklahoma's campus exemplifies this change. In the Oklahoma Memorial Union, the vegan-friendly Laughing Tomato sells single-serving sizes of Silk; Cate Center coffee shop Roscoe's offers it as one of their milk options, along with 2 percent and whole; the Bizzell library's Bookmark Cafe proudly proclaims, on a laminated sign, that they are “now offering soy milk”.

“I'm lactose-intolerant, so I like that they offer [soy milk] instead of the regular kind,” said Elizabeth Parsons, a business sophomore who opts for soy milk in her morning cappuccino.

The lactose-intolerant percentage of the population isn't the only market for soy milk. Students prefer it as a healthier option than regular milk. According to all-soy-products.com, soy milk is as nutritious as - and in some ways better than - cow milk. The two have comparable amounts of protein, vitamin A and calcium. 

Saturated fat and cholesterol, however, are both found naturally and in abundance in cow milk. According to NutritionData.com, one cup of 2 percent milk contains three grams of saturated fat – 15 percent of a persons recommended daily allowance – and 20 mg of cholesterol. Soy milk, however, contains much less saturated fat and no cholesterol.

As students become more health-conscious, soy milk becomes an increasingly appealing option. It is emerging as not only a substitute for traditional cow milk, but as a preference.