Considering that soy milk is made from soybeans that have been soaked in water, ground, and strained, does it count as a vegetable?
Soy milk is part of the milk group on the Food Guide Pyramid because it is nutritionally close to cow’s milk when it is fortified with calcium. Soy milk has about the same amount of protein as cow milk and is fortified with calcium, which makes it a great option for people who are lactose intolerant. Before being made into soy milk, soy beans are counted in either the vegetable or meat/beans group of the food guide pyramid. Soy milk is made from soaking mature soy beans, so why wouldn’t it still count as a vegetable? Since the liquid extracted from the soy beans does not have the same nutritional values as the whole soy bean, soy milk jumps from the vegetable group to the milk group. Question: “Do peanuts, thus peanut butter count as a vegetable?” Answer: Nuts and seeds count as meat alternatives, not vegetables. Question: Do soy products count toward vegetables? Answer: Do soy products count toward vegetables?According to Jane Andrews, Wegmans registered dietitian, edamame, the soybea
