I picked up a quart of this Pacific Original Ultra Soy Drink for review last week, to try as a low-fat, soy-based substitute for cow’s milk. The package says that this product contains 140 calories per 8-ounce serving, 10 grams of soy protein, has added magnesium and calcium, and is also vitamin enriched. Nice. However, the calories-per-serving seems high to me, approaching that of whole cow’s milk. But this is a non-dairy beverage that is acceptable for those suffering from dairy allergies and lactose intolerance.
Still though, I’d avoid this soymilk when on a diet, as the added sugar (though it is evaporated cane juice) can excessively intensify cravings for this drink.
I find this soy drink approximately the same as dairy low-fat white milk in its texture and mildness of taste. But since this is a soy-based product, there are numerous differences; not only in flavor, but in color as well. The flavor here, unlike in cow’s milk, has a definite plantlike essence about it. It’s definitely soy, and does not appear to have been diluted or toned down at all. So if you like soy, you’ll appreciate the well-preserved soybean taste of this soymilk. Resembling pulverized soybeans, the color of this drink is a light yellow (not white as in cow’s milk). Indeed, aside from the mildness and opaque, milky texture, this beverage differs vastly from cow’s milk in terms of taste. Yet it accepts added flavorings (like chocolate or strawberry) without clashing much with them.
I enjoy this Pacific Ultra Soy Original Flavor soymilk. It is a great-tasting, thirst-quenching treat right from a glass, or sometimes, when I’m really thirsty, right from the box. If the soy taste is not your thing however, but you’d still like to capitalize on the health benefits of consuming soy, the mild soy flavor of this beverage can easily be masked by drink flavorings as mentioned above.
Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features
- No bland taste here. The added sugar and mildness of soy flavor solves that problem quite deliciously.
- Soymilk contains lots of naturally-occurring ALA omega-3 fatty acids that promote heart health. The label also indicates that this beverage comes bundled with extra added vitamins. Plus, it is soy-based, and as such, has lots of healthy soy protein.
- This soy drink is made with only whole soybeans (not extracted soy proteins).
- At roughly $2 per quart, Pacific brand original ultra soy drink is priced on par with other similar products I’ve evaluated.
- 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. 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.
- This soy alternative to milk has some additives; including carrageenan and sea salt, and several vitamin additives.
- The one-quart version of this product comes in a carton; not a plastic bottle. Its taste is thus, far less spoiled by the leeching compounds from plastic bottles that transfer to the original drink inside.
- 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 a year after the purchase date. Until you open it, this drink need not be refrigerated. So this product is great to stock pile. After opening, it remains fresh for seven to ten days in the refrigerator. It should be refrigerated after initial opening.
- I like the color and consistency of this dairy milk substitute. Its opacity resembles traditional dairy-based white milk.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- This beverage contain 8 grams of sugar per serving. So be careful not to enjoy too much at one sitting. It can become addictive, as personal experience attests.
- To produce a lower glycemic index product, thereby making this product better for diabetics, Pacific Foods of Oregon, the makers of this product, might use stevia even, to sweeten this product, rather than the evaporated cane juice.
- Due to the sugar content, in my opinion, it’s easy to consume excess calories via this product. This product’s lightly sweet soy flavor still tests one’s choice to consume in moderation thus. It’s got a delicious and addictive flavor, in spite of the soybeans being the predominant ingredient.
- As it is, diabetics should watch their blood sugar readings extra closely when consuming this product, as it contains a fair amount of sugar.
Ingredients
Organic soy base (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), evaporated cane juice, natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, carrageenan, riboflavin, vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol acetate), vitamin D2, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCL), vitamin A (palmitate), vitamin B12.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 cup, 8 fluid ounces (240 milliliters). Servings per container: 4.
- Calories: 140. Calories from fat: 45.
- Total fat: 5 grams, 8% DV.
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams, 4% DV.
- Trans fat: 0 grams.
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
- Sodium: 150 milligrams, 6% DV.
- Potassium: 460 milligrams, 13% DV.
- Total carbohydrate: 12 grams, 4% DV.
- Dietary fiber: 1 gram, 6% DV.
- Sugars: 8 grams.
- Protein: 10 grams.
- Vitamin A: 10% DV.
- Calcium: 30% DV.
- Vitamin D: 25% DV.
- Riboflavin: 30% DV.
- Vitamin B12: 25% DV.
- Magnesium: 15% DV.
- Vitamin C: 0% DV.
- Iron: 2% DV.
- Vitamin E: 25% DV.
- Vitamin B6: 25% DV.
- Phosphorus: 25% DV.
Product Rating
To tie up my thoughts then: This soymilk is a tasty, good value. I especially like that it has relatively little added sugar. It’s sweet enough as is and comes bundled with numerous health benefits besides. So I’d rate this product at 94 out of 100.
Where To Buy Pacific Original Ultra Soy Drink
Look for it in the pale-blue and white quart carton with the green and white Pacific logo on the front, and the white cap on top at larger grocery stores. They generally do not refrigerate this product.
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.
- 2012-06-18: Originally published.