Soy Milk vs. Almond Milk: Which is Healthier?

In comparing the two, soy milk and almond milk provide similar health benefits. Depending on your dietary requirements or physical fitness goals, one or the other will serve as the better option. In their plain forms without additives, both soy and almond milk contain high levels of vitamins and minerals essential for bone and cell growth.  

The Simple Similarities

At a glance, soy milk and almond look nearly the same according to their nutritional labels. Both have low levels of fats. Neither of the two contains trans fats or cholesterol. Another similarity lies within the mineral contents. Per every one cup serving of either soy milk or almond milk, each provides us with 30% of our recommended daily value of calcium.
Both almond milk and soy milk have low carbohydrate content, though in each type, most of the carbs come from sugars. Each has 1 gram of fiber per one cup serving, while 6 to 7 of their carb sources come from simple sugars.

The Simple Differences

While soy milk provides about 100 calories per every one cup, almond milk has about 40 less at only 60 calories. Soy milk has 4 grams of fats compared to the 2.5 grams in the almond alternative.
The protein content also varies between these two milk choices. Most natural almond milk choices will have no more than 1 gram of protein per serving, while soy milk usually has close to 7 or 8 grams.
Almond milk does have some nutrients that the soy product does not provide. Soy milk has no phosphorus, while almond milk has about 6% of our daily recommended value per serving. Almond milk also contains high levels of Vitamin E, while soy milk has none.
Generally, soy milk will carry more B Vitamins because of its high protein content in comparison to that of almond milk.

The Health Debate

We all know that almond milk comes from almonds while soy milk comes from soy beans. However, this little piece of knowledge acts as the main source of debate between these two products.
Some people have a strong objection to soy products based on its potential ability to disrupt hormone production in men and women. Since almonds have shown no sort of potential risk, many people feel much more comfortable consuming products derived from the snack nut.
In any sense, almond milk serves as the better choice for those fearing the effects of soy, even though the product does contain superior levels of beneficial nutrients.

Choosing Almond Milk

Since almond milk and the almond nut provide no serious known risk (provided you don’t have a nut allergy), choosing this option serves as the safer choice. One study in 2008 did in fact show how consuming excessive soy derived products negatively effects the sperm concentration of males.
For women, drinking too much soy has shown connection with an increase in breast cancer. This connection became prevalent in a study connected in the year 2000, but was later negated by a study that showed the exact opposite results.
One certain fact explains that soy and its long term effects on our health remain uncertain.