NEHSUFOODS -DAIRY ALTERNATIVE -Why SOY

Why SOY

What's New and Beneficial About Soybeans

We recognize that soybean consumption is a matter of much current debate. There has been much written about it on the Internet, with claims that eating soybeans can endanger your health. To provide you with a comprehensive perspective on this topic, we have reviewed the research on soybeans. Throughout this food profile we have addressed the key controversial issues, focusing on them especially in our Health Benefits and Individual Concerns sections. Reading through this food profile you can explore our discovered insights into this traditional food, including how the research is quite different when it comes to whole soybeans versus isolated soybean derivatives and how fermented soybean foods may provide more benefits than unfermented ones. Read the full profile for more details.
Researchers have recently asked a very simple question about soybeans: what would happen in terms of nutrition if U.S. citizens replaced their current intake of meat and dairy products with soy? Using previously collected information on the U.S. population and average U.S. dietary intake, these researchers determined that replacement of meat and dairy with soy would result in significantly improved intake of folate and vitamin K; larger amounts of calcium, magnesium and iron; and 4 additional grams of fiber per day. At the same time, replacement of all meat and dairy with soy would lower average cholesterol intake by 123 milligrams per day and lower average saturated fat intake by 2.4 grams per day. Protein would decrease somewhat (by approximately 8 grams per day, or 9% of average protein intake). Given the relatively high average daily intake of protein in the U.S. (which in some cases, is nearly double the Dietary Reference Intake level), this 9% decrease in total protein intake does not seem problematic to us—making this "soy substitution" seem like good nutritional trade-off. We're not advocating replacement of all meat and dairy foods with soy! High-quality meat and dairy foods can play a very supportive role in many diets. But alongside of the many controversies swirling around soybeans and health, we think it's important not to lose sight of the strong nutritional value of this legume.
Soybeans have long been recognized as a plant food that, when compared with other plants, is relatively high in protein. Protein is the reason that soybeans have historically been called "meat of the field" or "meat without bones." But only recently have researchers taken a very close look at the protein content of soybeans and arrived at some fascinating conclusions. Even though soy protein is a plant protein and typically lower in certain amino acids (protein building blocks) than animal proteins like those found in chicken eggs or cow's milk, once adjustments have been made for digestibility and other metabolic factors, soybeans turn out to receive a protein quality rating that is equal to the ratings for egg or cow's milk. Along with this increasing interest in soy protein has come the discovery of very small and unique proteins in soy, typically referred to as "peptides." Examples of unique peptides in soybeans include defensins, glycinins, conglycinins and lunasin, and all are now known to provide us with health benefits, including benefits in the areas of improved blood pressure regulation, better control of blood sugar levels, and improved immune function.
Because research studies have provided some mixed results about the impact of soy consumption on our cardiovascular system, researchers in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky recently analyzed results from 43 previously published studies involving on soy protein and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). What they found was an overall decreased risk of CHD when approximately 30 grams of soy protein was consumed on a daily basis. Decreased LDL cholesterol was found to be an important part of this lowered risk. While we think it makes the most sense to consume soybeans in their whole food form (versus soy protein alone), and that daily protein intake should come from a variety of different foods, the findings in this study lend support to the conclusion that soy can play a beneficial role in support of cardiovascular health.
When we think about antioxidant foods, the first foods that come to mind are usually vegetables. But recent research on soy has underscored many of the impressive antioxidant benefits that we get from this legume. No phytonutrient in soy has received more widespread attention than genistein—an isoflavone that has been extensively studied in relationship to cancer risk. Yet, genistein is a soy component that could easily be singled out for its antioxidant properties! Increased activity of antioxidant enzymes—including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase—has now been linked to intake of genistein from soy. Another group of antioxidant phytonutrients called phenolic acids has also been recently investigated in soybeans. When we enjoy this antioxidant-rich legume, we also benefit from its phenolic acids, including caffeic, coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic acid.

WHFoods Recommendation

When including soybeans, try to stick with the whole food forms, and also consider giving preference to fermented versions like tempeh, fermented tofu, and soy miso.

Unfortunately, in the United States, we seldom consume soybeans in their whole natural form (either fresh or dried). Instead, we process soybeans by using hexane or other solvents to remove the oil (which can be sold as cooking oil or oil to be added to other processed foods), and then we take what's left over (defatted soy flour) and either (1) combine it with other proteins to make animal feed or (2) wash it with water to create soy protein concentrate. Soy protein concentrate becomes the source for two forms of soy that are even more processed: TVP, or textured soy protein that can be produced through a process called extrusion, and SPI (soy protein isolate), which can be produced by making the soy protein concentrate more solubilized. SPI is used in many low-fat soy milks.

All of the above processing steps create a soy product that is very different from the soybeans' whole food form. A full-fat soy milk, for example, can be made by simply cooking whole soybeans in water and using a cloth to strain the soymilk (liquid) from the fibrous part of the cooked beans. Tofu can be made from full-fat soy milk by using salts or acids to coagulate the milk into curds that can be pressed into "cakes." (Tofu can be further preserved through fermentation.) Natto is another good example of a whole food form of soybean. Natto can be made by taking whole soybeans, adding a bacteria called Bacillus subtilis, and giving the bacteria time to ferment the beans. Natto, tofu, and full-fat soymilk are whole food forms of soybean that stand in sharp contrast to processed forms like TVP and SPI.

Since genetically modified (GM) soybeans have reached 90% market penetration in the United States select organically grown soy products to avoid GMO.

Public Health Recommendations

Many public health organizations—including the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society—recommend legumes (the category in which soybeans are classified) as a key food group for preventing disease and optimizing health. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 3 cups of legumes per week (based on a daily intake of approximately 2,000 calories). Because 1 serving of legumes was defined as 1/2 cup cooked, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans come very close to this as they recommend of 1/2 cup of cooked legumes on a daily basis. Based on our own research review, we believe that 3 cups of legumes per week is a very reasonable goal for support of good health. However, we also believe that optimal health benefits from legumes may require consumption of legumes in greater amounts. This recommendation for greater amounts is based upon studies in which legumes have been consumed at least 4 days per week and in amounts falling into a 1-2 cup range per day. These studies suggest a higher optimal health benefit level than the 2005 Dietary Guidelines: instead of 3 cups of weekly legumes, 4-8 cups would become the goal range. Remember that any amount of legumes is going to make a helpful addition to your diet. And whatever weekly level of legumes you decide to target, we recommend inclusion of soybeans among your legume choices.