Discover Soy!
February is Soy Foods Month in Minnesota. "So what," you say? You cynics may want to note these health benefits before turning up your nose:
- Antioxidants: Scientists have found compounds in soyfoods that help protect your cells against free radical damage like heart disease, premature aging and many forms of cancer.
- Cancer Fighter: Studies have shown Asian men & women who regularly eat a diet high in soyfoods, have a much lower risk of dying from prostate or breast cancer than we do. Recent studies are also showing a reduced risk of lung and colon cancers.
- Heart health: Consuming just 2 ounces of soyfoods a day can reduce your blood cholesterol by 10 % in just one month (New England Journal of Medicine, 1995).
- Reduces Menopausal Symptoms: Soy is rich in a natural plant estrogen called isoflavones and thus helps many women lessen their menopausal symptoms and possibly eliminate their need for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Just 1 cup of soybeans provides the same benefit as 1 tablet of Premarin, a synthetic hormone used during menopause that is made from horse urine.
- Immune Boost: The amino acid chains in soybeans may actually help you fight sickness and disease better.
- Osteoporosis: Japanese women who eat soy regularly have half the rate of hip fractures of American women, who eat mostly meat protein. A diet high in meat protein has been linked to the excretion of calcium rather than the absorption of it.
Making the change to include soyfoods in your diet can be gradual. Maybe tomorrow you start by making a shake for breakfast with your favorite fruit, some honey and some tofu. The next day you do the same and then maybe eat some roasted soy nuts for a snack. Maybe you add miso to your favorite salad dressing, add soymilk to your coffee instead of cream and start saut?ing your food in soy oil. It really isn't hard. The benefits seem immeasurable and remember it takes as little as 2 ounces a day to start to see the health benefits.
Here are some of the soy foods we feature at Lakewinds:
Tofu: Tofu comes from soybeans that have been washed, soaked, ground and boiled into soymilk. This soymilk is then congealed or curdled into blocks. It delivers 12 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving, no cholesterol and can be a good source of calcium.
Tempeh: Tempeh, a native of Indonesia, is made by culturing and fermenting whole soybeans and then pressing them into cakes. It has a firm, meat-like texture and a slightly nutty or mushroomy flavor. Because it is a fermented food, it's nutrition is considered superior to that of tofu, delivering 17 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving, lots of fiber, B vitamins, calcium and iron.
SoyMilk: This beverage extracted from soybeans is lactose-free and easily digested. It is then made into other products like Soy Yogurt, Soy Sour Cream, Soy Cheese or Soy Ice Cream.
Miso: this fermented soybean paste is made by mixing soybeans with salt, water and koji (a grain-based mold) and is aged, much like wine--sometimes for as long as 5 years. It is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and natural enzymes that help in the digestion of foods.
Soy Sauce, Shoyu and Tamari: Our flavor-adding sauces are all naturally brewed, unlike some of the hydrochloric acid extracted soy sauces sold in conventional stores.
Soy Oil: This slightly refined oil has a high smoke point that makes it an excellent choice for frying and saut?ing.
Soy Flour: Made from ground soybeans, this flour has a slightly strong flavor. Use it in place of _ of the flour in any of your recipes. You may want to bake your goodies at a slightly lower temperature to prevent premature browning.
Soy Nuts: Made from soaked, dried and roasted soybeans, these little snacks sold in our Bulk department pack a great crunch and nutrition snack that is high in Coenzyme-Q10 (which is great for your heart). These can also be ground into a nut butter and spread on your favorite sandwich and topped with jelly of your choice!
Frozen Sweet Beans: Fresh soybeans that look like baby lima beans but taste even better!
Soy Protein Powder: A nutritional supplement used as a drink mix for boosting your beverages to that next level of nutrition.
And so on and so on--there are literally thousands of soy foods flooding into the market each year. Soy mock meat products, called meat analogs, allow you to enjoy a meatless hot dog or hamburger at the family's summer cookouts, meatless breakfast sausage, fakin' bacon, or cold cuts on your sandwich. These products still deliver the health benefits that soy beans boast.
The days of mushy, brown tofu stroganoff have passed us. Soyfoods cooking has entered a new era of elegant, gourmet qualities. Try recipes from The Complete Soy Cookbook, by Paulette Mitchell, Soy of Cooking by Marie Oser, The Natural Kitchen: Soy! By Dana Jacobi or the New Soy Cookbook, by Lorna Sass--they are sure to impress even the heartiest meat-&-potatoes person you know.