photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

We are fortunate to have several wonderful students interning with us this summer. One of their assignments is to read and react to several of the articles on our website. One intern chose a couple of articles about lower cost vegan diets. One article was about a week of vegan menus whose cost would not exceed the food cost allotment from the United States Department of Agriculture’s food assistance program. Another article was about eating vegan using foods from the dollar store. The intern noted that fortified soymilk was used in the low cost menus and wondered if people would drink straight soymilk. They asked, “are there more realistic ways to incorporate soymilk into the diet?”

When we developed these low-cost menus, we wanted them to meet a hypothetical family of four’s needs for most nutrients, to provide adequate calories, to use foods that would be available in chain grocery stores or dollar stores, and to be easy to prepare. The menus included one or more servings of fortified soymilk every day. We did that because fortified plant milks are a convenient way to provide calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. The higher protein content of soymilk, compared to many other plant milks, helps those with lower calorie needs meet their needs for protein without exceeding their calorie requirements. As fortified foods go, plant milks are relatively inexpensive, compared to breakfast cereals or plant-based burgers, and are likely to supply vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D from vegan sources. Be sure to check the nutrition information on product labels since fortification practices vary.

We could have simply suggested using a vegan multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement. This is a good option for many people but may not be feasible for those on a limited budget. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy vitamins and supplements, so these would need to be paid for out of pocket. In contrast, fortified foods can be purchased with SNAP benefits.

There are alternatives to drinking straight soymilk. At breakfast, It can be used on hot or cold cereals, in pancakes or muffins, and in coffee or tea. Soymilk can be the basis for cream soups and sauces and can appear in mashed potatoes. It works well in puddings, cakes, and cookies. Blend frozen fruit and soymilk into a thick smoothie for a snack. The trade-off is that all of these take some preparation. From a convenience standpoint, a glass of chilled soymilk goes well with a peanut butter sandwich.