All about Soy
What is Soy?
The Soy Bean is a legume, native to East Asia. It can be used to produce a wide variety of products including Soy Milk, Soy Flour, Texturized Vegetable Protein and Tofu. It is a staple of the diet of the people of East Asia and is what is known as a 'complete' protein. This means it contains all the essential amino acids your body cannot produce yet needs. These amino acids are the same as you would find in animal meat products and dairy products. For this reason it is a popular alternative to vegetarians who otherwise would struggle to find a good substitute for the kind of protein provided by meat and dairy. Soy is the only vegetable source that provides this complete protein.
What are the potential benefits of Soy?
Soy has actually undergone quite a bit of research as to potential benefits or harm to your health. Specifically with regard to heart health, Soy is known to help reduce Total Cholesterol, LDL cholesterol - what is known as the bad cholesterol and Triglycerides.
There is much debate as to soy's role in preventing cancer and more study is certainly needed, but what is known about it is that it may be useful for preventing and treating prostate cancer. There are studies that suggest it may be helpful for preventing breast cancer, but may be harmful for women who actually have breast cancer. Post menopausal women must be careful as it may increase your risk for developing breast cancer. Soy is also purported to alleviate "hot flashes" for women undergoing menopause and help prevent osteoporosis.
Getting Soy into your diet
Replacing dairy milk with Soy milk may be the simplest way to inject some soy into your life. You can also eat protein bars made with soy for that amino acid injection your body needs. Then there is tofu and textured vegetable protein, two products that can successfully replace meat dishes. Both provide good texture and fiber to traditional meat dishes, and have little taste of their own, tending to 'take on' the taste of whatever it is cooked with. A traditional tomato based pasta sauce can be just as enjoyable with one of these subsitutes as one made with ground beef.
Please Like & Share this article Now! Takes like Two Seconds. Thank You!
Addthis Sharing network below.
To top of page