So Good? Certainly Not Bad... (Soya Milk)

Name: angeelu

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Product:	Soya Milk
Date:	21/04/03 (1907 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dairy free, Tastes ok, Can be used as per normal milk (i.e. on cereals, in drinks, in cooking)

Disadvantages: Not all that nice to drink by the glass full

There are a variety of different soya milk's available, and if you're about to try soya milk for the first time it can often be difficult to decide which one to go for, afterall they're typically more expensive than milk so you've got more to lose if you don't like it. One particular brand of soya milk that I tend to stick to is So Good...

On first glance you could probably be forgiven for thinking it is milk - afterall, it comes packaged in one of those cardboard-type cartons that some varieties of milk come in... the main graphic on the front of the carton is a glass with a white, milky looking liquid being poured into it... but this is not milk... So Good is a dairy-free alternative to milk.

So Good is made from soya protein with added vitamins and calcium. The ingredient list backs this up by listing such things as 'calcium phosphate', 'zinc gluconate', 'vitamin E', 'vitamin A' and 'vitamin D' amongst others... but what is it actually like?

On pouring So Good, you immediately notice that it lacks the pure white colour that cows milk has... it's certainly white, but just not quite as bright white. Smell wise, it's not dissimilar to regular milk - but there's something about it, something impossible to desribe, but its enough for your nose to let you know that this isn't milk. On to the taste... if you drink milk regularly then from what I'm told by others who've tried it, chances are your first impression will be that this stuff is pretty revolting... my thinking behind that is that your mind is telling you it looks like regular milk, your taste buds are expecting regular milk, but when what they get isn't actually milk you just think it's plain wrong! To someone who doesn't regularly drink milk (or who hasn't had milk in a long time) then it's just like t
rying something new... being chilled, it has that refreshing, cooling qua
lity when it's in your mouth, but there's also a slight sweetness to it - it's kind of creamy, though not a sickly creaminess - more a pleasant smoothness. Once you've drunk some you seem to get a sweet aftertaste in your mouth. The overall taste really is quite difficult to some up... it's definitely not bad, but it's hardly delicious either.

So - why would you want to try So Good? For me, the reasons behind me originally trying So Good and subsequently making it into a regular purchase are that an illness I suffer from is made worse by consuming dairy products... I'm not lactose intolerant as such, and don't have to completely avoid all dairy products, but I do find that drinking milk, even just adding a small amount to a hot drink or having it on my cereals does make me quite ill. However, there are many reasons besides the fact that this product is dairy free to consider giving it a try... As listed on the front of the carton, So Good:
1 - actively lowers cholesterol
2 - builds strong bones
3 - maintains a healthy heart

...So Good contains 20% more calcium than semi-skimmed milk (that's about the equivalent of over a third of your recommended daily requirements in one glass). Additionally it contains 5x more Vitamin A, 80x more Vitamin D, 23x more Vitamin E, 44% more riboflavin, 30% more folic acid, and the same amount of Vitamin B12 - therefore if you're after a product that will help you get the vitamins and minerals you need, this could help. There's 1.7g of fat / 50kcal per 100ml in this product. Being soya based, So Good is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans, and So Good publicise the fact that all the ingredients used are from non-GM sources.

Versatility wise, So Good doesn't just have to be drunk... in fact, because of the sweet aftertaste I don't really enjoy it as a drink. So Good is gr
eat on cereals - this way you hardly notice the sweet aftertaste. It
can also be used in cooking - I have used it in baking, to make sauces and in recipes such as macaroni cheese in place of regular milk and have found it produces just as good results.

Price-wise, it's more expensive than your regular cows milk. In most supermarkets it's priced at around 98p for a 750ml carton in the chiller cabinet, however it's also available in a long-life version in a 1 litre carton for about the same price. Although it's slightly higher priced, it does tend to last longer than milk - cartons are generally dated with a use by date for about 4 weeks from purchase (that's only a rough estimate based on my recent purchases - obviously this can be affected by how much is bought in your local supermarket as to how regularly supplies are replenished). Once opened, the carton advises to use within 5 days, however I've been known to use a carton over a period of a week before now and it's tasted just as good a week after opening.

To conclude then - So Good is an excellent alternative to milk. It's just as versatile, and is a great source of vitamins and calcium. Although perhaps not to everyone's taste if drunk on its own by the glass full (it's certainly not to my taste!), it's great on cereals and used in cooking. Overall rating - 4 stars.

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