Soy To Me (And To The World)

Sometimes my job is just that: my job. I have good days and I have bad days. I do some fun stuff and I do some boring stuff. This week, my job was more than just a job; it was inspiring.

I did an interview with Ingrid Newkirk, one of the founders of and the current president of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). While we talked some about her book, One Can Make A Difference (awe-inspiring; read it if you haven’t), we also talked about becoming vegetarian or vegan.

Even though my brother has been a vegetarian for over 10 years (the boy orders vegan shoes from the UK), and has been spouting its virtues forever, there’s something about hearing Ingrid talk about it that makes it seem do-able, at least on some level. She’s funny, articulate, compassionate and not the militant YOU MUST person I half expected.

While I don’t think I’m ready to completely give up meat, and I know for sure I’m not ready to give up cheese, I am now convinced there are a few small changes I can make. My first venture: soy milk.

I have to admit that changing my milk isn’t going to be a big sacrifice. I’m not a big milk drinker; you won’t see me pouring a glass as a refreshing beverage. Milk is usually only involved in doughnut or cookie scenarios. And cereal—although I don’t drink the milk at the bottom of the bowl (yeccch).

What the big question was in this decision is soy milk and diabetes. I’ve done some research on the World Wide Web and from what I can see, as long as I choose the unsweetened variety, the carb count can actually be less than regular milk. And I haven’t seen any documentation on it being bad for diabetics in any health sense. I’m currently between doctors and don’t expect to see one between now and when my current gallon of regular milk runs out or expires, so my consultation with him/her will have to wait.

When I go grocery shopping this weekend (that is, if the weather in Chicago rises above the -2 its supposed to be tomorrow and I’m brave enough to venture into the ice that is my atmosphere), I’ll pick up a carton, and I’ll be extra sure to check my sugar levels before and after drinking it for the first few times to make sure everything is copacetic (I won’t even eat the cookies to make sure everything is on the up and up). And if all goes well, I’ll make my change permanent.

Soy, I guess that’s it. (Ooo. Another fabulous reason for going soy—so many great puns and wordplay possibilities!) I’ll keep you posted on how things go, because I know everyone who reads this blog is teetering right here next to me on the brink of excitement over my foray into the world of soy.

As always, more to come (now with more soy!)…