Have you been wondering what all the hype is over soy? Well, soy has been part of Asian cuisine for centuries, but it is only recently gaining popularity in the West, mostly due to its health benefits. Researchers have looked into East-West differences in soy use to see whether soy intake could be related to disease incidence.
Here are some findings:
- By lowering LDL (”bad”) cholesterol but preserving HDL (”good”) cholesterol, soy plays a role in decreasing heart disease and its risk factors.
- Soy has unusual “estrogenic” effects: it mimics estrogen for women undergoing perimenopause, reducing such symptoms as hot flashes, flushing, and night sweats. Yet, it seems to have a preventive ability in certain hormone-sensitive tissues such as breast cancer.
- Soy appears to decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
How do you increase your intake of soy?
If you were turned off to the taste of soy years ago, it’s time to give it a second chance. Soy is a most remarkable bean — roasted, toasted, formed, “b-b-q’d” and turned into “ice cream” sandwiches. And yet, it does not lose nutritional value during these chameleon dances.
Because of its bland base flavor, soy can easily be assimilated into existing recipes and will take on the dominant flavor. Strong flavors such as chocolate and tomato seem to work best, as do some spicy foods. Rather than trying to count the amount of soy, just start by exchanging or adding a small amount at a time.
Here are my personal favorites for boosting soy intake:
- On a home-made pizza (it could be store-bought dough and sauce) replace half of the mozzarella with grated “mozzarella-style” soy cheese. For spaghetti sauce, replace half the real ground beef with soy “ground beef.” This also works for a taco filling.
- Make a soy burger with all the trimmings (”Boca” brand is good) on a hamburger bun with tomato slices, lettuce and pickles. This one has passed the “picky eater” test.
- Replace the milk in muffin and pancake batter with soy milk.
- A soy power shake: soy milk (chocolate “Silk” brand is found in typical dairy cases), soy protein powder (I prefer “spirutein” brand; it mixes well and isn’t chalky), and frozen strawberries all whirled together in the blender. Yum.
- Soy “ice creams” — here again the chocolate as a base flavor or the vanilla sandwiches are the tastiest and have passed the “picky eater” test.
Now party time!
You might try gathering several friends and having a soy tasting party. Everyone brings a different product for the group to taste. That way you can try greater numbers of products without the cost of potentially tossing out something that doesn’t pass your taste test. Experiment with condiments: different mustards, ketchup, pickles, chutneys, etc. If it doesn’t taste good, you won’t eat it; if you don’t eat it, you can’t reap the health benefits. Soy comes in so many forms, you’ll eventually find something for even the most discriminating of palates - yours.
