| ≥1 piece |
The seven secrets of soy are just a 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.