[Ecky]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Soy contains an estrogen mimic. And probably is a GMO.

So do many plants we eat. You don't see people telling us to avoid wheat, oats, and broccoli because they contain chemicals which react similarly within the body as estrogen. These things are only an issue when eaten in unhealthy quantities, but that's true of anything.

I eat soy, oats, broccoli, and many other things which contain phytoestrogens, but I try not to eat them in unhealthy quantities.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Which is a normal part of the environment, to which the Earth has adapted over millions of years. Before we had domestic cows belching methane, we (in the US) had millions of buffalo doing the same thing.

Has anyone ever measured the methane emissions of humans? Particularly those on vegetarian diets that include a lot of beans :-)

The number of cows out there right now is around a billion and a half, far more than ever existed in the wild.

Anyhow, hydrogen cyanide has also been naturally produced by bacteria throughout history, and is a normal part of the environment, at some points in enough quantity to turn the oceans purple and cause the extinction of nearly all life on earth. I don't buy the "it's natural" argument - the earth's environment "naturally" swings enough to kill most life on it now and then, both as a result of one species growing uncontrollably, or from inorganic factors such as volcanic activity and metors. There's evidence that we're no different as a species than any of the others throughout history.

Originally Posted by Xist

I paid an excessive amount for cashew milk a few months back. I finished the carton, but hated every drop of it. Rice milk has all of the nutrients you would expect from watered-down rice, but I think I will make my own and try it anyway.

Or just make horchata!

As with dairy, other milks are acquired tastes. I expect most people could grow accustomed to drinking any of the "milks".

That said, it should come as no surprise to anyone that almonds, which have a reputation for being one of the least environmentally friendly foods grown, are environmentally unfriendly when used to make a milk alternative.

Not all plant-based foods are more "sustainable" and low-impact than animal-based foods. It's better to look at things on an individual basis, than to say things like, "well, I guess almonds are bad for the environment so I should just eat lots of steak instead."