Written by Emily Guido, PNW Intern, Fall 2020
Soy is one of the most powerful yet underrated plant-based foods out there. It’s incredibly versatile, a blank canvas for any seasoning profile and it’s healthy! Soy is a great source of protein, calcium, iron and B-vitamins and it comes with a load of health benefits. Studies show that consumption of soy is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure and lower blood sugar. There are also a lot of myths around soy that you may have heard of. Check out our original soy blog post that touches upon that.
Here are 10 reasons why you should eat more soy:
Excellent source of plant-based protein
Fiber-Rich
Full of minerals including iron, calcium, and potassium.
Great source of B-vitamins
Associated with lower risk of heart disease
May help reduce risk of cancers, including breast cancer
Helps lower blood pressure
Assists in balancing blood sugar
Anti-inflammatory properties
Incredibly versatile for any type of dish, including dessert!
So how can you get more soy in your diet? Well first off, there are many different soy products to choose from: edamame, tofu, tempeh, soy curls, soy milk and more!
Edamame
Edamame is simply just whole, unprocessed, young soybeans. Most commonly you will see them as an appetizer at a Japanese restaurant, steamed in the pod and salted. You can also buy them frozen in almost any grocery store. A half a cup of edamame is about 90 calories, 7g of protein, 2.5g of fat, 10g of carbs, 3g of fiber and 10% of the RDA for iron. This little green bean is incredibly versatile and can easily be thrown into a stir-fry, salad, soup, burrito, you name it!
Tempeh
This is a fermented soy “cake” that’s usually a mix of soybeans and whole grains like barley and brown rice, packed together into a block. For some, the flavor can be a bit funky at first but then quickly becomes an acquired taste. Since this product is fermented, it contains probiotics or healthy bacteria that can be beneficial for gut health. One 3oz serving of tempeh contains 170 calories, 16g of protein, 5g of fat, 14g of carbs, 6g of fiber and 15% of the RDA for iron. You can thinly slice some tempeh, marinate it to taste like bacon and pan fry it, which is a common way it is served. Cube it, toss it in a seasoning blend, and bake it for a nice crisp texture. It’s also a great substitute for meat in dishes that use chicken, pork, or even fish.
Soy Curls
Soy curls are a meat alternative created by the company Butler Foods, LLC, to resemble strips of chicken. They are made from whole, non-GMO and pesticide free soybeans, cooked and then dehydrated and packaged. Once rehydrated, they have a nice chewy and shredded texture similar to chicken! One serving of soy curls (¾ cup dry) contains 120 calories, 11g of protein, 5g of fat, 8g of carbs, 6g of fiber and 10% of the RDA for both iron and potassium. The best way to prepare soy curls is to rehydrate them in some vegan-friendly chicken broth to really make feel and taste like chicken! And then you can cook them however you’d like: sautee, batter and fry, soup, air fry - the options are limitless! You can purchase them through the Butler Foods website or through Amazon.
Tofu
Can’t go wrong with some good old-fashioned tofu. Some may call it bland, tasteless; but I see it as the foundation for endless recipes. Tofu is actually made in a way similar to that of cheese: soybeans are cooked and blended together with a coagulant like calcium, and then the curds are pressed together into blocks of tofu. There are different varieties of tofu based on firmness starting with silken tofu, which has a super soft, smooth texture that’s great for creamy desserts or even smoothies instead of using a protein powder. Then there’s medium firm, firm, extra firm, and even super firm. Firm and medium firm tofu are good for crumbling into tofu scramble (like scrambled eggs), and the firmer tofus are great as a meat alternative. The nutrition info for tofu varies slightly depending on the firmness, but 6 oz of medium tofu contains 120 calories, 12g of protein, 6g of fat, 4g of carbs, 16% the RDA of iron and 20% the RDA of calcium. Check out this simple, crispy tofu recipe that you can have with any dish!
Soy Milk
The most OG plant milk on the market, and the easiest way to consume more soy. It’s thick, it’s creamy, it’s delicious and it’s nutrient profile is comparable to that of dairy milk. One cup of fortified soy milk contains 80 calories, 7g of protein, 4g of fat, 4g of carbs, and is loaded with vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, A, B12, calcium and magnesium. Soy milk is great in cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, curry, creamy sauces, or even just a cold glass with cookies.
So now you know some different kinds of soy and how versatile of a bean it is. I hope you try some of the tips I mentioned, and remember: just have fun and get creative!
