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Soy
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Soy products are made from
soybeans. A soybean is a legume like any other pea or bean. While soy is
widely consumed in Asian countries, the United States is the largest producer of soybeans
in the world and produces about 75% of the world's needs. Most of the soybeans grown
in the U.S. are exported or used to produce soy oil.
Soybean pods are green and 'fuzzy' on the outside. The Japanese boil and salt the
pods and serve them as an appetizer. To eat them you open the pod, pop the beans in
your mouth and discard the pod. |
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Health
Benefits of Soy
Unlike other legumes, soy is very high in protein and lower in carbohydrates. This
makes soy a natural dietary replacement for animal protein.
8/3/01 Soy
Protein Suppresses Breast Cancer Hormones - Article from NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - Antioxidant compounds found in soy foods have been shown to reduce levels of
hormones associated with breast cancer risk in women. Now, the results of a small study
suggest that other factors associated with soy may also play a role in lowering cancer
risk
Reasons
To Add Soy To Your Diet?
- According to Dr.
Andrew Weil (graduate of Harvard Medical School and Harvard College) in his book 8
Weeks to Optimum Health, "soy contains isoflavones, unusual compounds that may offer
significant protection against cancer". Additionally, women particularly can benefit
from lowering intake of hormone residue from animal food sources. These hormones are
responsible in part for increase in fibrocystic changes in breasts as well as breast and
uterine cancer. In order to make an impact on your health you should have at least
47 to 60 milligrams of isoflavones a day.
- Reduce
cholesterol in your diet. There is a strong correlation between high cholesterol and
heart disease. Cholesterol only occurs in animal products. Soy therefore contains no
cholesterol. Soy does however contain fat so it is important to purchase lower fat
soy products to reduce the overall fat intake in your diet.More information about cholesterol
- Eat lower on the food chain. Grains are
grown with chemicals, animals are fed grain and frequently fed hormones. You eat the
animal flesh and along with it comes all the chemicals from the grains and the hormones
from the animal. Thus, eating lower on the food chain reduces the chemicals and hormones
in your diet. These substances have been shown to cause a variety of disease including
cancer
- Soy is a natural source of dietary fiber
which decreases the risk for colon cancer.
- Soy is a less expensive protein source than
animal protein.
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IMPORTANT NOTE
Not all soy products are healthful and readily digestible. Products should be
carefully selected to enhance your daily nutrition.
The Other Side Of The Story
There is increasing evidence that too much soy can increase cancer
growth in cancer patience and it may increase the incidence of
thyroid problems among other health problems.
A Little Is Good, A Lot is NOT Better
It is one one thing to add a few servings of fermented (and some
fresh) soy products to your diet. As with many Asian diets,
small amounts of tofu or even green soy beans, miso or soy sauce
added to your diet can be quite healthful. Unfortunately soy
in many other forms is being added to prepared foods in everything
from hamburger buns to soups, sauces and frozen entrees.
Eat Fresh
Once again we have to say "READ LABELS". The best defense is
to simply eat fresh and avoid packaged or prepared foods. If
that does not fit into your lifestyle then you need to really pay
attention to the ingredient labels. Avoid soy fillers, soy
oils, and hydrolyzed soy protein.
Read more:
Dr Kaayla Daniel
- The Whole Soy Story
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Recipe
Links
Chocolate Mousse Pie
Other Vita-Soy Recipes, Search
Page
Simply Soy Bread Recipes
Vegging Out Soy Recipes
Corn Scones
Soy Foods Cookbook - Great Resource for
recipes categorized by miso, soy flour, soy milk, soynut butter, tempeh, and more.
Soybean
Cooking - How to roast soy nuts plus other recipes
Where To Find It
Browse
Our Soy Resources
The Soybean Store
Whole Foods Markets
Soy Bean Resources -
Good page of links
Soy Milk Machines
Other Articles of Interest by
GourmetSleuth
GourmetSleuth features articles that encourage the use of
fresh healthful ingredients.
Artichokes - Everything you need to know about artichokes and
then some. Includes history, recipes, how to clean, prep and cook.
Arugula - Learn about this yummy
salad green and try a new recipe from Chef Ken Calascione.
Chile Pepper Heat Scale - Ever
wonder how hot that chili pepper is? Our page lists over 80 fresh and dried chili
peppers along with their Scoville heat rating.
Plantain - The cooking banana
eaten all over the world, but very popular in Latin Americas. Pictures, recipes and
information on how to select and use.
Stevia - Looking for a natural
alternative to sugar? Read about the herb Stevia. Links to many recipes as well as a sugar
to stevia conversion table. Cookbook resources.
Book
Selections
Learn more about soy as well as other
healthful foods in this excellent foods reference. Ms. Wood provides complete a-z
encyclopedia of foods including preparation and storage tips as well.
Buy
NOW from Amazon.com
Dr. Weil's book is an excellent guide to
gradually improve your health. His discussions of basic nutrituion, exercise and
supplements is easy to read, understand and follow.
Buy
NOW from Amazon.com |
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Soy Products
 Photo: The
Soybean Store
Pictured products from left to right are soy
flour bread, soy milk, soybeans and tofu.
Typical
Soy Products
Edamame- The Japanese name for fresh soybeans. The
soybeans (either fresh or frozen) are boiled in their pods with salt then chilled and
served as an appetizer.
Soy Flour - Dried and ground soybeans. This product can be
difficult to digest.
Soy Milk - Soy milk is made simply from dried
soybeans and water. It is an excellent replacement for milk. Use it fresh to
drink, or pour over cereal, or in most recipes that require milk. This is a great,
easily digestible way to increase your soy intake.
Miso - Is
a fermented soybean paste the consistency of peanut butter. Use it as a seasoning or
as a broth or soup (common in Japanese restaurants) as well as for sauces, dips or
marinades.
Tofu - Tofu is soybean curd. It has a naturally
bland flavor but has the ability to easily take on the flavor of other ingredients cooked
with the tofu.
Soy Sauce - Soy sauce and Tamari are made of
soybeans, salt and water. Soy sauce contains a wheat product called koji. Tamari contains
no wheat. Soy sauce is used as a flavor enhancer. For the best flavor purchase a
high quality soy sauce or Tamari product which has been well aged. Some of the very
inexpensive brands may have a very harsh flavor.
Dried & Roasted Soybeans -
Soybeans can be dried and roasted and used as a snack food. These can be
very difficult to digest.
Product Reviews
Our first product review is a
recipe for Chocolate Mousse Pie made with tofu. We compare the basic nutrient values with
tofu versus an "egg" version and show pictures of the finished product. Read Review
Chocolate Mousse Pie (Tofu)
Basic Soy Milk Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb. uncooked soy beans, washed and cleaned of stones
Fresh water
Brown or white sugar
A small piece of fresh ginger or fresh orange peel
Equipment
1 large pot
Muslin cloth (cheese cloth doesn't’ work very well)
Containers to store the soy milk in
A food processor
Big bowls or containers
1. Soak the beans in a large bowl
overnight.
2. The next day, dump out the water that
the beans have been soaking in.
3.Place some beans and fresh water in a
food processor in a ratio of 1 part bean to 2 parts water, and grind the beans.
4. Spoon out the ground soy beans into
another bowl and repeat the previous step until all the soy beans are ground up.
5. Place a handful of the ground beans in
the middle of a piece of muslin cloth. Gather the four corners together and squeeze the
soy milk into a pot. Repeat this step till all of the beans are squeezed dry.
6. Place the pot of freshly squeezed soy
milk on the stove. Wash and cut a small piece of fresh ginger and place that into the pot
of milk. You can substitute the ginger with fresh or dried orange peel. The ginger or
orange peel will take away the beany smell of the milk.
7. Bring the milk to a rolling boil and add
the sugar of your choice. The amount of sugar is up to you. Stirring the milk occasionally
will prevent a film from forming.
8. Remove the ginger or peel, cover the pot
and let the milk cool down. Then pour into containers and refrigerate the milk
immediately.
9. The left over ground soy can be used to
make soy burgers or as a filler in your favorite chili.
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