The benefits of soy probably have not heard of before

Soya foods, from soya milk to tofu, are often touted for their health benefits. But if you add soya to your diet, be mindful about what you are pushing off the plate. “If you ask if a food is healthy, my general answer is always, ‘Compared to what?’” says Dr Meir Stampfer, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health. “I would not necessarily recommend eating more soya if your baseline diet is already healthy.”

Soya for general nutrition: 

Soya foods are made from the soya plant, which is a legume that produces pods containing soyabeans. Soyabeans are rich in protein, polyunsaturated fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals. A single cup provides 28 grams of protein – more than onethird of the daily amount required by an active 180-pound man. The most easily obtained soya foods in grocery stores include whole green soyabean pods (edamame), dry or cooked soyabeans, dryroasted soya nuts, soya milk, tempeh and tofu. Soya’s place in your diet Soya foods are nutritious, but you also have to think about what you are replacing with the soya. The calories that most people consume daily usually remain constant unless they are trying to lose weight orbecome more physically active and need more fuel. That means if you add soya to meals, you will tend to eat less of other things. If you eat soya instead of less healthy foods, the nutritional scales tip in your favour. “The worse your general diet, the better soya is going to look,” Dr Stampfer says. “If you eat soya instead of red meat and refined carbohydrate, that’s probably going to be a plus.” For example, a potentially healthy soya substitution would be a stir-fry with tofu instead of meat stroganoff, or soyabean soup as a side dish instead of a baked potato. However, if your overall diet is already healthy, substituting soya foods might make no real difference in diet quality or could degrade it.

Soya for men’s health:

You may have heard that soya is good for your heart or prevents prostate cancer, but these claims are either unproven or come with some

important caveats. Heart health Preliminary studies suggest that eating 50 grams of soya protein per day reduced ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol – but only by 3 %. You would need to eat more than a pound of tofu per day to get those 50 grams of soya protein. It’s a lot of effort for such a small impact on cardiovascular risk. Prostate cancer So far, studies conducted to find hard proof of soya’s anti-cancer effects have produced mixed results. The evidence for soyabased dietary supplements is also weak. “It’s not that these benefits are disproven,” Dr Stampfer says. “It’s just that we don’t have enough evidence to recommend it with confidence.”

Soyful!

A Chinese study suggests that eating soya products such as soya milk and tofu may also extend your life if you have lung cancer. Researchers believe that soya may have an effect on cancer cells because soya products contain isoflavones, such as genistein, daidzein and glycetein. These proteins are phytoestrogens, plant compounds that have some of the same biologic activity as female hormones. But because the estrogen effect of soya isoflavones is weaker, researchers suggest that soya estrogens may actually offer some protection against cancers that would prefer a stronger estrogen presence. The study states that soya isoflavones inhibit growth of non-small cell lung cancer, decrease tumor development, and increase apoptosis (cell self-destruction), which would be beneficial to lengthening survival after cancer diagnosis. While soya products such as tofu aren’t as common in the Indian diet as they are in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, soya is finding its way into more and more products, in the form of soya isoflavones, soya protein, soya isolates, and soya lecithin as an emulsifier. The least processed forms of soya are edamame, soya nuts, soyabeans, tofu, or soya milk. Another good way is to try soya yogurt or soya milk. Soya in moderation is a healthy alternative to meat. It’s got all essential amino acids in it, and is a high-quality complete protein, but a nonanimal source.

Try some soya: Here is how...

❖ Eat edamame, boiled, steamed or microwaved, and lightly salted as a snack or side dish.

❖ Use soya in main dishes, like chilli or vegetable soups and stews, or tossed cold into salads.

❖ Substitute soya milk for cow’s milk at breakfast, for making smoothies, and for baking.

❖ Eat it as a snack or use in granola, baked goods, or salads. (Watch the sodium level in salted versions).

❖ Marinate and grill; slice or crumble soya into stirfries, casseroles, salads, sandwiches, and stews.

❖ Dice it into stir-fries, salads, or entrees, or bake and slice into sandwiches or salads.