Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow's milk. It naturally has about the same amount of protein (though not the same amino acid profile) as cow's milk. Natural soy milk contains little digestible calcium as it is bound to the bean's pulp, which is insoluble in a human. To counter this, many manufacturers enrich their products with calcium carbonate available to human digestion. Unlike cow's milk it has little saturated fat and no cholesterol, which is a benefit.
Soy milk is promoted as a healthy alternative to cow's milk for reasons including:
- Source of lecithin and vitamin E
- It is safe for people with lactose intolerance or milk allergy
- Contains far less saturated fat than cow's milk
- Contains organic chemicals that may possibly be beneficial to health.