Foods rich in soy protein serve as a good alternative to meat, poultry, and other animal-based products, but did you know that incorporating soy into your diet is great for your health? This would make sense because soy is much leaner and healthier than meats and meat products. Studies have shown soy to be beneficial in reducing the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, building and helping with bone integrity, preventing certain cancers, and helping with hot flashes! Now that you know the health benefits of soy, you should be adventurous and branch out and try to add soy in your diet. (Note: It’s recommended to consume 25 grams of soy daily to reap the health benefits.)
Here are a few soy products to consider and try out:
Eat them alone or thrown into salads.
Normally found in the health or organic aisles of the store.
Milk: comes in a variety of flavors, which can be consumed by themselves or substituted while baking or cooking. (I personally like to use soy milk when cooking my oatmeal in the morning.) Or, try this Soy Steamer recipe.
Cheese: found in either the dairy aisle or the vegetable section, you can find cheddar or mozzarella flavored soy cheese.
Ice cream: try the many delicious flavors like strawberry, butterscotch and almond vanilla.
Soft or Hard Tofu: soft tofu has a thick and creamy texture that can be used in many different ways (i.e. salad dressings, desserts, and smoothies); whereas hard tofu has a firmer consistency and is more often used in dishes where it will retain its shape (i.e. pasta, stir fry).
There is a long list of soy meat products and many of them are actually really good tasting (i.e. soy burgers, soy veggie dogs, soy sausage).
SOY JOY has placed a soy-based nutrition bar on the market. Although these products may not be the most economical way to incorporate soy, it does provide you with a tasty easy to carry along snack.
Try out some of these products. Not only will it be good for your health, but it will also provide some diversity to your current diet and cooking regimen.