To: Regular West Soy Milk Customers
I have tried several soy milks now and they all take a getting used to. Due to $$ concerns, I just purchased West Soy Milk and it contains Vitamin A Palmitate and Vitamin D2. I have 2 questions for those of you familiar with this brand. The back of the container says "contains the Vitamin A and D in 2% milk". I didn't think Vitamin A palmitate was non-vegan and I know vitamin D2 IS vegan, so am I missing something? Are these vitamins from west soy from animals? I am going to call the company but thought if any knew off hand whether all West Soy Products are vegan.
As for my 2nd question, the West Soy Milk Plain contains 5 grams of sugar but I prefer the unsweetened which has 1 gram of sugar because I can use it in cooking. But since the plain is cheaper I'd like to buy it on a regular basis ($2.32 for a half gallon.) Would using the plain one in cooking create an undesired sugary result for dishes like dishes and casseroles - mashed potatoes, rice casseroles, etc.?
Have you thought about making homemade soy/rice milk?
Here are two good recent threads about making it at home. The second thread includes a link to a you tube clip that shows you how.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=16047.0
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=16015.0
I drink West Soy plain nonfat. It does add a sugary taste to dishes. I don't use it for cooking cassorole things. I have plain powdered soymilk sitting in my pantry for that.
Maybe the package means: "it has the same vitamin A and d levels as 2% milk"
i believe that the "contains the Vitamin A and D in 2% milk" statement is to say that it contains the same amount of these two additives as dairy milk does.
i'm sure that vitamins A and D are added to 2% cows milk ( i checked, and the internet seems to agree with me on this, lol) - and so i think that the westsoy label is saying 'hey, our product contains the same amount of these vitamins as cows milk' not 'we get these vitamins from dairy milk, and then add them to our soya milk'.
I also think that the writing on the package meant "same amount of Vit.A and Vit.D as milk."
I recently found out that a little sweetness can add a nice touch to many dishes, especially curries, so while I still don't use vanilla flavored soymilk (because that would just be weird), I don't particularly buy unsweetened soymilk for cooking unless I am avoiding sugar for other reasons.
Would using the plain one in cooking create an undesired sugary result for dishes like dishes and casseroles - mashed potatoes, rice casseroles, etc.?
I am a regular west soy buyer. YES using plain will make things sweet. It makes gravies sweet. I just posted about this awhile back. The only place I've had problems is gravies and green bean casserole... basically whenever it's mixed with flour. Otherwise it great!
I like to buy chocolate silk and water it down with west soy plain. it makes the silk last longer and i don't desire such strong a chocolatey taste so it's prefect for me. maybe you can water the plain west soy down with some unsweetened. like i said i use it for everything and have only had problems with sweetness on gravies.