few of the reasons more Americans
are trading their sirloin for soy
foods.
1. A nutrient-dense food. Few foods
contain as much nutritional bang for
the buck as this bountiful bean.
Ounce for ounce, calorie for calorie,
the soybean gets top-billing as a rich
source of protein, unsaturated fats,
fiber, B-vitamins, folic acid,
potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron -
and it's cholesterol-free. There is no
other single food that supplies so
much nutrition in such a tiny
package. While TV and print ads
tout milk as the perfect food, the
soybean actually deserves this title.
2. Soy contains powerful proteins,
healthier fats. Soy ranks right up
there with the American staples --
dairy, eggs, and meat - as a rich
source of protein, but without the
fat drawbacks of these high-protein
animal foods. Eggs, dairy, meat,
and poultry contain mostly
saturated fats, and they are high in
cholesterol. Soy fat is mostly
unsaturated and cholesterol- free.
Soy is the only plant food that is a
complete protein, meaning that it
contains all the essential amino acids
that the body can't produce.
(However, soy does not contain
enough of the amino acid
methionine for infants and children,
so this amino acid is added to soy
formulas).
3. Soy has intestines-friendly carbs.
Since soy is a plant food, it contains
no lactose, which makes soy milk,
soy cheese, and soy "yogurt" ideal
alternatives to dairy products for
persons who are sensitive to dairy.
Soy contains nutritionally valuable
carbs called "fructooligosaccharides"
(FOS), which nourish the helpful
intestinal bacteria.
4. Soy contains mood-friendly
carbs. Soybeans have the lowest
glycemic index of any food, so they
are slow to trigger an insulin
response, providing a more stable
blood sugar with fewer mood
swings from high and low blood
sugars. This makes soy an ideal
before-school breakfast food for
preventing the mid-morning low
blood sugar crash in sugar-sensitive
children.
5. Soy is a terrific source of bone-
and blood-building calcium and
iron. Soy gets the "Top Bean" award
for the two vital minerals calcium
and iron, nutritional features that
make it a valuable alternative to
dairy products and meat. Like other
legumes, soy is a rich source of
iron, in fact the richest of all the
vegetables and legumes.
6. Soy is the original health food.
Soy is a heart-healthy, cancer-
fighting, and immune- boosting
food. Comparing the overall health
of high soy-consuming cultures,
such as the Japanese, and low soy-
eating folk, like Americans, provides
the first clue that soy has health-
building properties. The average
Japanese person eats 2 to 3 ounces
(50 to 80 grams) of soy food daily
in various forms, such as miso,
tempeh, and soy milk. The average
American eats a scant 5 grams of
soy, and that mostly in the form of
oils (often hydrogenated) hidden in
high-fat foods. Comparing Japanese
and American health: the Japanese
enjoy a longer lifespan and lower
rates of cancer (especially colon,
lung, breast, and prostate) and have
a much lower incidence of heart
disease. It will be interesting to see if
a reversal in these diseases occur as
we export to the Japanese our beef
and they sell us their soy. Heart and
cancer doctors believe that adding
as little as two ounces of soy to the
daily American diet could lower the
risk of these deadly diseases. In
Oriental medicine, soybeans are
valued as the tonic for long life and
healthy living. In Oriental countries,
soy is known as the "meat without
bones" and the "cow of China."
While soy alone won't save your
life, here's how it can help.
Soy reduces cholesterol.
Research has shown that
replacing animal protein with 50
grams of soy protein a day can
reduce cholesterol levels by 12
percent. Even better news is that
soy protein lowers tryglycerides,
reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol,
and raises HDL (good)
cholesterol. In fact, soy is one of
the few foods that selectively
reduces LDL cholesterol. Much of
the cholesterol-lowering effect of
soy has been attributed not only
to the soy protein, but also to the
fiber and soy phytonutrients
(called isoflavones) that work
along with bile acids in the
intestines to escort cholesterol
out of the body. Among the
many health claims about soy,
it's cholesterol-reducing effects
are the most scientifically
proven. So, take your soy to
heart.
Soy contains essential fatty
acids. Another heart-healthy
feature of soy is the type of oil
the soybean contains. Soy oil is
over 80 percent unsaturated
fatty acids, and soybean oil
contains the heart-healthy
essential omega 3 and omega 6
fatty acids. (The lack of essential
fatty acids in cow's milk is the
reason why formula
manufacturers choose soy
instead of milk as a source of fat
in baby formulas).
Soy contains cancer-fighting
phytos. The phytonutrient most
prominent in soy products is
genestein, which has been
shown to have anti-cancer
properties. Soy also contains
phytoestrogen, which has been
shown to reduce the risk and
spread of prostate cancer. The
phytonutrient isoflavones are like
phytoestrogens that may reduce
the risk of breast cancer. The
anti-cancer properties of soy
seem to be associated primarily
with the non-fermented soy
products, such as tofu and
soymilk, but not with fermented
soy products, such as miso and
tempeh.
NUTRITIP
Salty Soy
Before processing, soybeans are
naturally low in sodium. But
when those soybeans are turned
into soy sauce, you can forget
about the low sodium claim. A
tablespoon of soy sauce can
contain around 1,200 milligrams
of sodium, half the maximum
amount of sodium. Enjoy your
Chinese food, but go light on the
soy sauce, or look for the low-
sodium variety.
Soy is known as the anti-aging
food. Because of the direct
correlation between the longevity
of a culture and the amount of
soy in its diet, a wise person
would, with increasing age,
switch from primarily animal
protein to fish, plant, and soy
proteins. Osteoporosis is almost
an accepted fact of getting older.
The good news is this does not
have to happen. Super soy to
the rescue! Research has shown
that the same amount of soy
that can lower the risk of heart
disease (40-50 grams a day) can
increase bone density and
reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
The anti-aging effect of soy is
primarily due to its protein
content.
7. Soy is a very versatile food.
Now that you've been shown
the joys of soy, you'll be happy
to know that it comes in many
forms, catering to different
tastes, much like the multiple
uses for wheat and dairy. There
are many ways to incorporate
soy into your diet.
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