March 03

Soy: The All-American Meal
This versatile and nutritious food can improve your heart health, lessen your chances of cancer, strengthen bone density and ease the discomforts of menopause.

By Susan Weiner

   Whether you prefer your soy as flavorful, meat-free burgers, “chicken,” hotdogs, meatballs and cold cuts, or in desserts as sweet and diverse as yogurt, pies and ice cream, soy enjoys the blessings of premiere health institutions like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Plus, the FDA suggests adding more soy to your daily diet.

Soy Street, USA
   To some people, soy foods appear to be a newfangled food idea tailored to meet the needs of today’s health-conscious shoppers. But soy foods possess a long and illustrious history dating back more than 2,000 years, to when the Chinese first discovered wild soybeans. Valued as more than just a food, soybeans were used medicinally to treat disease and skin ailments.
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg became interested in the healthful properties of soybeans during the 1920s. A proponent of vegetarianism and the benefits of soy, Dr. Kellogg developed North America’s first meat and dairy substitutes made from soybeans, and prepared the special cuisine for guests vacationing at his world-famous spa, the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan.
   Today, soybeans are reincarnated as tofu, tempeh, soymilk, soy flour, miso, soy sauce, and meat and dairy alternatives as diverse as bacon, chicken, bologna, cookies and ice cream.
Soy has wended its way into everyday foods not typically associated with soybeans. Even if you’re not a knowing fan, you’ve probably been enjoying soy for years in chili, bacon bits, cereals, protein bars and sauces. Often used as filler in meat products, soy is commonly found in foods you may have considered all-meat, including hamburgers, hot dogs and meatballs.

Tofu-mania
   If the thought of using a block of tofu for cooking leaves you feeling perplexed, it’s understandable. After all, the white square of soy is probably unlike any other food you’ve ever encountered in the kitchen.
   But if you’ve ever eaten Chinese, Japanese or Korean foods, chances are you’re long familiar with the versatility of tofu. Commonly prepared with ginger, coconut milk, cilantro, soy sauce and other Asian flavors, tofu is a traditional ingredient in miso soup, sukiyaki, teriyaki and stir-fries.
   Tofu, also known as bean curd, is made by curdling the mild white “milk” of the soybean. An easy-to-digest, complete vegetable protein, one-half cup of tofu weighs in at only 86 calories but provides 10 grams of protein.
   Among folks with elevated cholesterol levels, a soy-rich diet has been found to lower cholesterol levels by an average of 9.3%, and drop LDLs—the lipoprotein cholesterol that leads to heart disease—by 12.9%. Triglyceride levels, another precursor to heart problems, have been observed to drop an average of 10.5% (New England Journal of Medicine, August 3, 1995).
Still intimidated by tofu? Make it “disappear” in a shake, smoothie, pudding or tofu mayonnaise. For babies, tofu can be blended or ground in a baby food grinder and added to vegetables and fruits. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses soy formula for infants.
   “Tofu can be prepared in a variety of main dishes, breads, desserts, soups, salads, salad dressings and dips for any meal, snack or party,” explains author Louise Hagler (Tofu Cookery, The Book Publishing Company). For those with soy sensitivity, simple digestive enzymes can prevent digestive upset, suggests Dr. Stengler.

Oh Boy, Soy!
   If you’re more comfortable eating soy in foods that look and taste familiar, soy-based meats, cheeses, pastas, yogurts, cookies and ice creams can help you seamlessly add more health-enhancing soy to your diet. Textured vegetable protein, known as TVP (made from soy), adds a meaty consistency to chili, tacos, casseroles, lasagnas, soups and burger patties.
   Soymilk is a delicious milk substitute recommended for vegetarians and those allergic or intolerant to cow’s milk. Low in fat, rich in iron, thiamine, niacin, protein, minerals and isoflavones, calcium-enriched varieties fortify the milk with the nutrients it lacks—vitamin D, calcium and B12.
   Soy comes in all shapes and sizes, and studies show soy may help slim your shape and size, too.
   Soy lowers bad cholesterol, makes the body more sensitive to insulin and pushes food into muscle cells, not fat cells, explains Larry Alexander, MD, of Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, Florida.
   “It works on fat metabolism so that you don’t actually wind up storing as much of your calories as fat,” says Dr. Alexander. The Soy Council of America agrees, and suggests it’s easy to add soy to your diet by noshing on soy snacks, including roasted soy nuts and flavored milks.

Bean Benefits
   The National Cancer Institute estimates that one-third of all cancer deaths and eight out of ten of the most common cancers are directly linked to the typical American diet. Soy foods are rich in anti-carcinogens, substances that prevent or control cancer.
   The major soy food-consuming countries have markedly lower death rates from breast and prostate cancer than the US, where the traditional diet does not include soy-based foods. According to the American Cancer Society, in Japan the death rate from breast cancer is just one-fourth ours; in China, about one-fifth; and in Korea, only one-tenth. The natural chemicals called isoflavones and other anti-carcinogens in soybeans solidify the case for eating more soy foods.
   Soy isoflavones resemble the hormone estrogen and are referred to as phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens. These soy isoflavones may block toxic estrogens—found in animal foods—from binding to the receptor sites on tissues such as the breast, uterus and prostate. By occupying these sites, soy phytoestrogens help prevent cancer growth.
   Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 74 years who consume tofu and other soy-based foods daily have been found to have significantly reduced levels of an estrogen called estrone, the predominant form of estrogen circulating in women following menopause and a key factor in developing breast cancer (AACR, September, 2002). Isoflavones may reduce the risk of cancer by inhibiting the enzymes responsible for estrogen production and metabolism.
   Among folks at risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), those who maintained a low-fat diet high in soy protein and soy isoflavones reduced their CAD risk due to reductions in blood lipids, oxidized LDL cholesterol, homocysteine and blood pressure (AJCN, Vol 76, No. 2, 365-372, August 2002).

What You Can Do
   Keep in mind that washing down your Big Mac and fries with a glass of soymilk is not enough to reap soy’s benefits. Boost your soy intake by 25 grams or more each day: Sprinkle one-quarter cup of soy nuts on your salad; use one cup of soy milk in cereal, coffee or tea; or add one-half cup of canned soybeans to side dishes of rice, noodles, stir fries, soups or vegetables.
   Blend tofu into cereal, pancake batter or muffin mix; substitute crumbled tofu for half the eggs in your egg salad sandwich; savor an avocado tofu dip with raw vegetables and soy crackers for dipping.
   TVP crumbles can be added to sloppy joe’s, vegetables, pasta dishes and sauces. Puréed tofu is ideal in low-fat desserts like puddings and pies; diced tofu cubes can top off a Greek salad, casserole or pizza.
   With just a little effort and some imagination in the kitchen, the flavorful health benefits of soy can be all yours. Both your taste buds and your health will thank you.

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