Review of SimplyNature Vanilla Soymilk VS. Westsoy Plain Low Fat Soymilk w/Video

Being lactose intolerant is a pain in the butt. Dairy products have become part of so many different food products that it's really hard to avoid it. Yet, I must, else I will suffer and, thus, so will everyone around me, due to the copious and noxious gas that is produced from the lack of the lactase enzyme in my digestive tract to digest the lactose. Where does that gas come from? It's a byproduct of what happens in my gut when an undigestable substance...decomposes, which leads to diarrhea that produces gas. This effect can take up to 3 days to stop, but it doesn't start immediately (at least not for me).

I've probably had this problem most of my life, as many humans and other mammals do stop producing lactase eventually (some estimates say 65% of humans are intolerant), and it is not recommended to feed milk or cream to adult cats (and other pets) no matter how much they like it as they may have the same problem. Anyways, I decided to do this review as a video, too, so you can choose.

It's really not a fair comparison. SimplyNature's soymilk is flavored with vanilla, which I prefer because I don't like the normal soymilk flavor (they just can't seem to get that right - I had yummy soymilk in Indonesia that wasn't flavored).

If you compare them, SN's is non-GMO and organic, and has more vitamins (A, B2, B12, D2, folate), minerals (calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium), protein and fiber, including B vitamins that vegans need, but it uses carageenan, a non-food additive that causes gas and diarrhea in some people, and has more sodium and fat; whereas WS is organic but not non-GMO, has less fat, more vitamin A but less D2 and no folate, B2 or B12, contains one mineral that SN doesn't: phosporus, as well as less iron (good for adult men), less potassium, carbohydrates, protein and fiber, 19 mg of isoflavones (which block cholesterol), and uses tricalcium phosphate. Both have the same amount of calcium in them as the same volume of milk (30% daily value).

Flavor-wise, SN's is somewhat better because it has vanilla, but they kind of skimp, so it can't compare with, say, Silk's and Soy Dream's vanilla soymilks. Both are tolerable, though neither is as good as the freshly made soymilk I used to buy in Indonesia. I can't drink SN because of the carageenan, but it may be a better choice for you. At $2.29 for a half gallon (1.89 L) vs Westsoy's quart (946 ml) at $1, it's only 14.5% more expensive. That makes both less expensive than Lactaid milk, without any risk of them not adding enough lactase to the Lactaid milk, and less expensive than several other brands, most of which use gums and/or carageenan. Westsoy is one of the only brands that doesn't have those additives, and doesn't bother my digestive tract.

Please note that chocolate milk (not just milk substitutes) now often has one or the other added, too.

One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that, rarely, the bottom flaps of the Westsoy carton will come loose, although I've never had it leak. Both use a special cap that cuts the inner seal when you open it, so you should always listen for a click when you open a new carton. No click - danger!

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