8th Continent Now Using D2

[Michelle]

Before I went totally vegan, 8th Continent was my favorite soy milk (I know they us Solae and sugar, etc., but it tastes better than any other out there and I'm all about the ethics not so much the health of veganism). When I started visiting this website, I found out that it was made with D3. So, like so many other people probably did, I wrote to them and asked if they would consider switching to D2 because many more people (including myself)would drink it if they did. So, I just thought I'd let anybody who's interested know that I bought a bottle of original flavor 8th Continent today in the new bottle which is a new formula and it contains D2!!!

I was so excited that I had to come here (after being estranged for a few months while we've been remodeling our house) and mention it just in case anyone else might like to know.

Have a great night (or day)
Michelle

[ConsciousCuisine]

Nice to see you back!!! How's you baby?

That's cool about that soymilk...I've never had it before and may try it if it's vegan now!

[Michelle]

Thanks Conscious!

She is great and we aren't so far from being done with our house now, so maybe I will get to come around more often soon.

A lot of people are against 8th Continent not just because they were using D3, but also because it is not organic and has added sugar. However, I'm not so worried about those things...goodness knows I eat plenty that is not healthy :P Anyway, in my opinion, it is much better tasting than any of the other brands I've tried--it is the only one that I can drink straight :P. When I found out that they had been using D3, I switched to Rice Dream. However, I've been keeping a check on the ingredients just in case.

Take care
Michelle

[FR]

Cool, I may give it a try if it is the cheapest, and after a review of the other ingredients. I am not going to drink it if it has Solae.

[Michelle]

Cool,. I may give it a try if it is the cheapest, and after a review of the other ingredients. I am not going to drink it if it has Solae.

It definitely uses Solae. Sorry

Take care,
Michelle

[twinkle]

What's Solae? - that's one I haven't heard of

[Tigerlily]

What's Solae? - that's one I haven't heard of

I'm not sure either but a google search came up with this:

http://www.solae.com/

It seems like it's genetically modified soy...??

[Veganbear]

I e-mailed the company after reading this and this is what I got back:

I wrote them:
I read on a message board that 8th Continent now uses vitamin D2 instead of D3. Is this true? If so, is your soymilk now vegan, or are there other animal-derived ingredients in your soymilks? Thanks.

And they replied:
Thank you for contacting 8th Continent with your inquiry. At this time, we cannot state that any of the 8th Continent Soy Milk products are vegan

We hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know if we can help you again.


Sincerely,

Jenny Path
Consumer Services

[Tigerlily]

I think they say this because there still is a chance that some of their older D3 products are still floating around and to cover all their bases.

[Veganbear]

I think they say this because there still is a chance that some of their older D3 products are still floating around and to cover all their bases.

I hope that's all it is. I loved 8th Continent before I found out it wasn't vegan! Maybe I'll e-mail them again and ask WHY it's not considered vegan.

[Sunnie]

Yikes! I thought ALL soymilks were vegan! I hope "Silk" soymilk is vegan. Does anyone know if it is?

[Veganbear]

Yikes! I thought ALL soymilks were vegan! I hope "Silk" soymilk is vegan. Does anyone know if it is?

From the Whitewave website:


Are Silk products vegan?
All of our products and flavors are completely vegan. There are no animal derivatives hidden in any of the ingredients. The lactic acid and live cultures used in Silk Cultured Soy come from a vegetable source. All vitamins used to fortify Silk Soymilk are derived from vegetable sources including Calcium Carbonate which comes from limestone.

[GoodbyeGirl]

i don't understand. what do D2 and D3 mean?

[FR]

Ergocalciferol is vitamin D2. Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium from the stomach and for the functioning of calcium in the body. Ergocalciferol is 9. 10-secoergosta-5,7,10(19),22-tetraen-3- 01,(3b,5Z,7E,22E)-, (C28H44O) with a molecular weight of 39665. Ergocalciferol is a white, colorless crystal, insoluble in water, soluble in organic solvents, and slightly soluble in vegetable oils. It is affected by air and by light. Ergosterol or provitamin d2 is found in plants and yeast and has no antiarichitic activity.

Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) is produced by ultraviolet irradiation of a provitamin D sterol (ergosterol) which occurs in yeast and fungi. Both of these agents which have equal biologic activity are metabolized in the liver to calcifediol (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) which is then hydroxylated in the kidney to calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol). Calcitriol is considered the most active form. Dihydrotachysterol is produced by synthetic reduction of ergocalciferol. Patients with chronic renal disease cannot convert calcifediol to calcitriol. Alfacalcidol (1hydroxyvitamin D3), a synthetic analogue of calcitriol, is rapidly converted in the liver to calcitriol, bypassing the renal conversion step.

Ergocalciferol is used in the treatment of refractory rickets (vitamin-D resistant rickets), familial hypophosphatemia, and hypoparathyroidism. Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) is used to promote healthy bones and teeth, to help boost the immune system and is sometimes used in the treatment of psoriasis. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is the form most often added to milk and other foods, and the form most often found in nutrition supplements. Ergocalciferol (D2) has the highest activity from the group of Vitamin D. it regulates: phosphorus-calcium metabolism and the processes of ossification; absorption of phosphorus and amino acids in renal tubules.

The Difference

D-2 (ergocalciferol) is derived from yeast, while D-3 (cholecalciferol) is derived from lanolin (from sheep) or fish. D-2 and D-3 are both used to fortify milk and other dairy products. Some D-3 vitamin supplements are made with fish oil. D-3 can also be produced by plants and fungi, but this isn't as common as using lanolin or fish as a source.

[FR]

Oh, and D1 is derived from sunlight.

[mn_nurse]

Although it is made in my home state, I still would not recommend 8th Continent soymilk even if it is now using D2. Have you seen the ingredients? It contains artificial flavors, sugar & fructose, along with some other "unknown" ingredients. White Wave's Silk has minimal ingredients and they use evaporated cane syrup as a sweetener and sea salt. I would stick with them if you don't want to make your own milk.

[ravenfire]

I never really cared for soy milk either, didn't like the aftertaste. However, I love rice milk and Wild Oat's brand is really good, cheap, and highly enriched.

[mn_nurse]

Definately all a matter of taste. I love homemade soymilk. I've tried rice milk, but to me it just tastes like rice water. But it good that you have found an alternative you love.

[chickendude]

I tried e-mailing them about a month ago, and they never responded. I tried again about a week later, still no response. Their FAQ still says that it's not vegan (although it states that the reason is the D3 vitamin, although the bottle I found stated it had D2). I'm still very confused as to whether or not they obtain their D2 from animal sources. Does anyone know for certain that it's vegan? They won't answer any of my e-mails... It's certainly one of the better-tasting soymilks available, and a good way to get nonvegans to transition towards drinking regular soymilks.

[mn_nurse]

I know someone who works there, so I will ask. I remember recently asking about that, and he stated they were hesitant to say "vegan" because they have to go through more stringent tests, but that they were definately switching their D. Like I stated before, I still wouldn't use that kind-try Silk. It's much healthier and I definately think it tastes better. Any non-vegan friends of mine that drink soymilk drink Silk or my homemade.

[chickendude]

Yea, I drink Silk soy milk or the Rice Dream rice milk, but the 8th Continent stuff just has so many unique flavors that it's nice to say that soy milk doesn't have to have the stereotypical aftertaste associated with soy milk. My mom and sister drank it, and even if it's not fully vegan it's better than regular milk, but still...heh. And I've read so many horror stories about soy milk machines and such that I'm somewhat hesitant to get one...do you make yours without a machine? I'd like to try other types of nut milks.

[mn_nurse]

I use the SoyaPower soymilk maker (http://www.soyapower.com/) and it works quite well. I had the SoyaJoy (which is a little cheaper) (http://www.soyajoy.com/) and it also works well, but the cleanup is a little easier with the SoyaPower. I'm not sure what the horror stories you have heard are, but it's really quite easy to make the milk. I buy the beans online, soak them overnight, then make the milk while I'm doing something else. The toughest part is the straining and cleanup, but if you do it right away, it's not so bad and takes about 15 minutes. I've also made almond & cashew milk with it, and they are both fabulous (but very rich). I used to buy Silk, but I've saved a ton of money using my own machine and it's really not too time-consuming because you can do other stuff while the machine does the work. You can flavor it to be vanilla, add cocoa for chocolate, or chai tea for chai milk. I know people who also add coffee syrups to make amaretto, irish cream, etc.

[chickendude]

Ooooh..I love the chai soy milk! I believe there was a discussion on this board...http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2365. I might look into that SoyaPower for going off to college. Is it very noisy? I don't believe that soy milk will be widely available, so if I could make my own that'd be wonderful!

[mn_nurse]

The makers can be a little noisy when they grind (which is only 5 times and lasts about 10 sec each), but the SoyaPower isn't too bad. It's definately the quietest one because of the new insulation. I think if you did it during the day (not too early!) at college, you would be fine. If you don't have a sink in your room, then you'll need a dorm kitchen or somewhere to make it though because it would be kinda gross to clean it in the bathroom.