Over the years, I’ve had several readers email me with concerns about soy lecithin and milk. Most couldn’t remember where they had read about it, but finally, one person paid close attention, and was able to send me those articles. Indeed, there are multiple online sources that falsely indicate soy lecithin as a dairy ingredient.
To be clear, soy lecithin is not derived from dairy, and it doesn’t contain milk. You can’t derive soy anything from milk, or from any other food for that matter. It’s soy lecithin.
Where did this myth start? A writer at Spoon University misinterpreted one poorly written sentence from a soy lecithin post on a body building website, and they ran with it. In fact, they put up an entire article titled, “Soy Lecithin Leads to Hidden Dairy in Tons of Food Products,” which was based solely on that one sentence.
But this does open up a curious topic that we haven’t addressed here on Go Dairy Free: lecithin.
Photo from Nuts.com. They sell this soy lecithin powder.
What is Lecithin? Can it be Made from Milk?
Lecithin is a term for a group fats that are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances. This means they have the ability to emulsify oil and water, for example. As you can imagine, this is very useful in food production. In small amounts, lecithin can help create a smooth, creamy consistency in dairy-free milk beverages, salad dressings, and other products, and can even aid in baking.
Lecithin is found in both plants and animals. It can be derived from various sources, including, but not limited to, egg yolk, fish, milk, soy, sunflower seeds, and cottonseed. Wait, did I say milk? Yes, lecithin can be derived from milk. But don’t fret, it isn’t common – at all.
Most lecithin used in the North American food supply is soy lecithin or sunflower lecithin. Egg lecithin is used to a much lesser extent (remember, eggs are not dairy!). And the other types are rarely used. In fact, to date, I’ve never seen a product that uses milk lecithin. I’m sure it exists, but it’s very rare.
And here’s the thing, FDA-regulated companies can’t “hide” dairy in the form of lecithin. There are certain highly processed forms of allergens that get a pass on allergen labels, but lecithin isn’t currently one of them. If a product contains lecithin that is derived from a top allergen (soy, egg, fish, or even milk), then the allergen must be clearly identified. See our Food Label Guide for more information.
Is Lecithin Healthy? Do People Use it at Home?
If you’re curious about lecithin, you can actually buy it for use at home. It’s sold as a supplement, and can also be used in recipes to help emulsify. I’ve used it to make milk beverages and homemade butter recipes. It isn’t essential, but can be the final touch to achieve creamy consistencies.
Lecithin is sold in liquid and granular forms, and is even sold as pills! People take lecithin for an array of purported benefits, including heart health, digestion, cognition, and other wellness reasons. Both soy lecithin an sunflower lecithin are readily available, and some companies even sell egg lecithin. Fortunately, milk lecithin isn’t in the mainstream market, yet.
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7 Comments
That does make sense, but a lot of the foods I eat that have no warning of dairy and claim to be dairy free absolutely kill my stomach. I’m extremely sensitive to lactose, to the point that even a slice of cheese could ruin my next couple of days. I can accept that soy lecithin isn’t what’s causing it, but now I don’t know what does.
Processed foods – whether natural or not – often contain ingredients that can cause digestive upset for many people. Ingredients like gums and concentrated proteins are common triggers, but there are others, too. Also, some people with lactose intolerance discover they have additional FODMAP issues. These are certain types of sugars found naturally in foods. I would speak with your doctor about other possible triggers. They might recommend testing a certain type of diet to see if your symptoms improve.
Whether you like it or not there are many products on the market which use soy lecithin containing small amounts of actual dairy. Take Bigelow spiced chai black tea for example, I just called them directly and they confirmed that the soy lecithin contained dairy. There is no indication in the ingredients nor allergy information indicating that it contains dairy.
Soy lecithin is soy-based, not dairy based. It’s quite literally extracted from soy fats. Nothing else is added. You can read the information above to fully understand the confusion. If they told you that they use a lecithin that is derived from milk, it’s possible (though extremely rare). If they told you the soy lecithin they use is derived from milk, then they are confused. In the case of Bigelow, they use butter esters, derived from milk, in some of their flavors, including the chai tea. I can see there is confusion because they list (soy lecithin) after the flavors. They are just disclosing that there is soy lecithin in the natural flavors. That isn’t the only “flavor.” They also contain butter esters, which by law, do not need to be disclosed as milk on the label (because they are far removed from the protein). But by kosher dietary laws, they still have to be certified kosher dairy, not pareve. And, technically, they still contain dairy, just not a type that is considered allergenic by the FDA.
Hi! Just read it as well and felt weird since it says “SOY” lecithin. It’s just alarming, she sounds like an expert.
I just read that article that you referenced… I thought it sounded weird — soy is a hidden dairy? That didn’t sound right.
Indeed!