Silk Vanilla All Natural Soy Milk Review

I purchased several Silk products yesterday for review, including this    Silk Vanilla All Natural Soymilk.  I’m always on the prowl for low-fat, soy-based substitutes for dairy-based milk products with an added twist of lightly sweet, vanilla flavor, as has this one. The package says that this product contains 100 calories per 8-ounce serving, and has fifty percent more calcium than dairy milk.  So far, so good.

Still though, I’d avoid Silk Vanilla Soymilk when on a diet, as the added sugar (though it is evaporated cane juice) can make me crave this beverage excessively.

I find the texture and thickness of this vanilla flavored drink approximately the same as dairy low-fat white milk, though it’s definitely sweeter. But since is a soy-based, flavored product, there are differences. The taste immediately suggests that this is not by any stretch, cow’s milk.

I enjoy the Silk brand vanilla flavor. This product is among my favorites of all the brands I’ve tried. Silk drink is a great-tasting, thirst-quenching treat from a glass, or sometimes, when really parched, right from the carton. It accepts added chocolate or strawberry flavorings quite well, and for those of you who are not overly impressed with the soy flavor, you can easily mask it with other flavors.  However, some of said flavors may clash with the vanilla.  So, sample and see.

 

Benefits, Pros, Features, and Advantages

  • No bland taste from this soy drink product from Silk. The added sugar and mildness of soy flavor solves that problem quite deliciously.
  • Silk Vanilla soy drink is made with only whole soybeans (not extracted soy proteins).
  • At roughly $2.98 per half-gallon carton, Silk brand Vanilla soy drink is priced on par with other similar products I’ve reviewed.
  • This drink has only 0.5 grams of saturated fat, no cholesterol, and contains a bit of “good” fat, and 1 gram of fiber per serving. But it does contain 6 grams of sugar per serving. So be careful not to enjoy too much at one sitting. These great numbers suggest that this product is indeed a heart-healthy soy product.
  • The packaging protects this soy beverage from excessive light, which can also impact the flavor as well as sap some of the nutrition. It has a pale, ivory color.
  • This Silk milk-alternative has some additives; including calcium carbonate, sea salt, carrageenan, natural flavors, and several vitamin additives.
  • The one-half gallon version of this Silk product comes in a carton; not a plastic bottle, and I believe that its taste is thus, far less degraded by the leeching plastic compounds from plastic bottles that transfer to the Vanilla drink inside, that can destroy its chocolaty almond flavor.
  • This soy milk product is available at health food and bigger grocery stores like Walmart, Giant Eagle, and Hometown Market.
  • It stays fresh for nearly two months after the purchase date in the refrigerator. So this product is great to stock pile. After opening, it remains fresh for seven to ten days, again, in the refrigerator.
  • I like the color and consistency of this dairy milk replacement. Its opacity resembles traditional dairy-based white milk.
  • While this brand does not have added DHA omega-3 fatty acids, the label indicates that it comes bundled with extra added vitamins. Plus, it is soy-based, and as such, has lots of healthy soy protein.

 

Disadvantages, Concerns, Problems, and Cons

  • To produce a lower glycemic index product, thereby making this product better for diabetics, Silk might use pure agave nectar or stevia even, to sweeten this product, rather than the concentrated sugar cane juice.
  • Due to the sugar content, in my opinion, it’s quite easy to consume excess calories via this product. This product’s vanilla flavor, though only lightly sweet, still tests one’s decision to drink in moderation. It’s got a delicious and addictive flavor in spite of the soybeans being the heaviest ingredient.
  • Diabetics should thus watch their blood sugar counts extra closely after drinking Silk Vanilla All Natural soy milk, as it contains a fair amount of sugar.  Account for this in your insulin doses.

 

Product Rating

To sum up then, I believe that Silk Vanilla All Natural Soymilk is a delicious and economical treat. I’m pleased with this particular soy drink recipe! So I’d rate it at 90 out of 100.

 

Where To Buy Silk Vanilla All Natural Soymilk

Look for Silk vanilla soy drink in the blue and white carton with the blue Silk logo on the front, and the white cap on top, in the refrigerated dairy section at your favorite larger grocery store. Certainly, healthy drinks need not taste bad, and Silk products prove this definitively.

 

References

 

Revision History

  • : Moved this post to the   Tom’s Diet Quest   blog, added whitespace, revised tag and category assignments, fixed typos, and adjusted ad placements.
  • 2012-04-07: Originally published.