Good News Tucson - A Family Values Publication

Can Soy Bring You Health? by Rachael Martin, MS, RD

Most Americans are continually on the lookout for ways to improve health, energy, and stress. We often look to food for some help (or rescuing). This is why I'd like to briefly discuss a sometimes overlooked food source-soy.

You don't have to become a vegetarian or adopt some crazy eating habits to incorporate soy foods into your diet. With changes in technology and food interests over the years, soy-containing foods are quite easy to find.

Why should you consider adding this food to your diet? Soy, a simple plant made into many sources of foods, holds within it many health benefits that are being studied widely by food scientists. Some of the health properties that have been attributed to soy include: cholesterol-lowering benefits, aid with menopause, help with cognitive function, and improved metabolism of glucose.

To explore some of the health benefits for yourself, you might consider looking at PubMed, and several government sites online that provide some original research into soy. Soy is a nearly complete protein. It lacks the amino acid Methionine and is low in Lycine. This is not of concern if you incorporate soy into a regular mixed diet.

So where do you find this amazing plant food? A purist will say from "natural" sources only, such as soy milk, tofu (the by-product of soy milk production), tempeh (compressed whole soybeans), miso (fermented soy), and edamame (raw soybeans). These are all great sources, and simple to prepare.

There is a rising market, however, of "processed" soy products. The purist will be annoyed with me for promoting these, but as a vegetarian for over 30 years, I personally welcome the addition of the variety that comes with these products. Among them include: soy lunchmeat, hot dogs, burgers, "nuggets," corn dogs, and "chick'n" strips.

These foods resemble the meat-based, and mimic them in taste (my kids love them all-and don't notice any difference between these and the "real" thing!).

You can easily add soy foods to your diet by replacing similar products in recipes. For example, make a stir-fry with tofu or chick'n strips instead of chicken. Have soy-based veggie burgers, or hot dogs. (It is best to compare brands with these, as the taste does vary, and some veggie burgers are based with vegetable protein, not soy). Try making a sandwich with some soy lunchmeat mixed in. A salad topped with chick'n strips is easy to prepare.

Tempeh burgers have a similar texture to hamburgers, and a distinctive taste. Try this with barbeque sauce. Soymilk can be a base for a morning smoothie, with some fruit and ice mixed in for a meal on the run.

Hopefully this quick discussion will inspire you to do some exploring, and add some variety to your diet!

Rachael Martin, M.S., R.D. is the owner of Eating and Body Image Solutions, a nutritional therapy and consulting business. She also works as a freelance writer and speaker on nutritional topics. Her specialties include mental health nutrition, eating disorders, weight management, longevity nutrition and PCOS.
She can be reached at 235.1568 or at ebis-rd@earthlink.net