Whether you know it or not, there’s a good chance you’ve eaten something with a soy-based food recently. Some people don’t realize that some of their favorite foods such as edamame and tofu are made from soy. April is National Soy Foods Month, so it’s the perfect time to start learning about how to make your diet more plant-based — and less meat-driven — simply by swapping out less healthy ingredients and replacing them with soy-based foods. If you read food labels (as you should for all foods), you’ll be surprised to find soy in places you may not have suspected.
Soy is a lean source of plant protein with various health benefits including reducing cholesterol, squelching uncomfortable menopausal symptoms, boosting lean muscle mass, supplying fiber, and providing many essential vitamins and minerals including folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin K. In fact, soy is the only “complete” plant protein, meaning it contains all nine amino acids required by the human body to support health and well-being. For this reason, soy is often a staple food item for vegetarians, and particularly vegans.
In the recently released proposed Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a committee of experts encouraged us to choose a diet rich in plant protein to enhance our health and to protect our planet. Soy beans can play a starring role in this charge: According to the Soyfoods Association of North America, they are a sustainable, environmentally-friendly source of protein requiring less fossil energy, water and land to produce than animal sources of protein. When compared to rice milk, for example, a cup of soy milk contains 6.6 more grams of protein. When compared to cashews, dry roasted soy nuts contain less than half the fat and more than double the protein. And, when compared to beef, tofu has about one-third of the calories — and no cholesterol. In addition to adding flavor and hiking up the nutritional value of a dish, soy can easily accommodate people with food allergies, or those who prefer meatless meals.
However, soy is not without its share of controversy, mostly because it’s a source of phytoestrogens. These compounds are plant estrogens found in a wide variety of foods including soy, legumes and flax. Plant estrogens are much less potent than estrogen hormones in your body. Negative media coverage attempts to link soy intake with breast cancer; however, research has actually shown soy may help to prevent breast cancer in some women. Asian populations have eaten soy foods for generations and their rates of breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and menopausal symptoms have been lower than those in Western societies. Another health issue in question related to soy is thyroid disease. If you are on medication to control thyroid levels, you may want to consult with your health care provider to see if soy is right for you and when is the best time to eat soy-based products.
For the rest of us, soy foods can provide an array of health benefits, but that doesn’t mean that soy supplements will produce the same positive effects. When adding soy-based foods to your shopping cart, select whole soy products rather than highly-processed soy derivatives that can be found in certain packaged foods, energy bars and snacks. Processed soy — often listed as “soy protein isolate” on the ingredient list — may not provide the same wholesome benefits we get from whole soy foods such as edamame, soy nuts, soy milk, soy butter and tofu.
Even if you don’t have a dietary restriction that lends itself to including more soy foods in your diet, why not take advantage of the “swapportunity” to change up some of your typical dishes with this high-quality, heart-healthy, tasty plant protein? If you’re still stuck on how to introduce soy foods to your plate, here are some simple swap tips:
— Try a slice or two of baked tempeh, a fermented soy protein, in your favorite sandwich (here’s a great recipe).
— Swap soy butter instead of other nut butters for a school-friendly, nut-free lunch.
— Use ground, meat-free crumble in tacos instead of ground meat or poultry.
— Use soy nuts in your next trail mix.
— Make a smoothie for breakfast using soy milk for 7 grams of complete plant-based protein to rev your metabolism and keep you full until lunch.
— Enjoy the supply of fuel and fiber from edamame instead of high-calorie appetizers and snacks.
— Add tofu to your stir fry instead of chicken, beef or pork. Tofu acts like a sponge and takes on the flavor of whatever marinade or seasonings you add.
More from U.S. News
7 Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Diet
Why These Famous Vegetarians and Vegans Pass on Meat
Soy Vey! How and Why to Add Soy to Your Diet originally appeared on usnews.com
