What's So Good About Soy, Anyway?

I have a long and loving relationship with soy. It began in 1970 when I was 17. My life led me out of the grey, toxic smog of the Pasadena foothills in Southern California to the vibrant, green organic gardens of a communal household nestled in the Kootenay mountain valley of BC.

Learning to Love Soy

My New-Age hosts tutored me in the use of natural food staples from around the world, including a wide range of beans, peas and lentils, whole grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and all the fresh delights the garden yielded. Out the window, literally, went my stash of hot dogs and Twinkies. I was ceremoniously introduced to the humble seed of my new diet: the soybean.

Thirty-five years later, I still love and use soy foods. Here are six reasons why.

1. Fast Food Versatility

In Asia, where soy rules the culinary roost, people of all ages eat a wide range of traditional soy foods including tofu, tempeh miso, tamari, and edamame (cooked green soybeans). Easily seasoned and quickly prepared, tofu and tempeh take the place of meat in any favourite international recipe. Tofu and tempeh can be marinated and baked for burgers; cubed, marinated, and saut? with ginger and garlic for a stir-fry; wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla with salsa and veggies as a Mexican burrito; or layered with grilled veggies in lasagne.

Miso, a good source of vitamin B₁₂, is another natural fast food that can be used for making everything from soup to salad dressing. This fermented soybean paste is used extensively in Japan as a tonic to aid digestion and improve energy.

Tamari, a naturally aged soy condiment, is far superior to the flavour and quality of common soy sauce, which is not aged and is made with caramel colouring and preservatives. Ideal as a dipping sauce or used to richly flavour soups and gravies, tamari leaves a clean finish on the palate. You’ll never go back to your old soy sauce after tasting tamari.

Soy milk and soy ice cream provide dairy-free opportunities for enjoying many favourite treats, from soy lattes to hot fudge sundaes. Soy cheeses and ready-made burgers and cutlets provide flavourful, low-fat alternatives to meat- and dairy-source foods. Fermented whole food soy powders are a popular rich and creamy-tasting base for creating a variety of shakes and smoothies.

2. Heart Healthy Foods

Traditional soy foods provide a natural source of vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fats, fibre, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health. Statistically, people living in countries where soy foods are a daily part of the diet have less heart disease. While dozens of published studies point to soy foods as having a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, a study conducted by researchers from a Japanese university found that soy eaters were leaner than non-soy eaters. They also had lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

3. The “green” Bean

Eating soy foods is a good way to eat lower on the food chain and protect natural resources. Land and water used in producing vegetable-source proteins such as soybeans is significantly less than producing animal-source proteins. Environmental agencies agree that water contamination caused by animal waste from feedlots poses a serious threat to human and wildlife health in many parts of North America.

4. Supporting Organic Growers

Organic soybean growers plant non-GMO seeds and use only safe, natural pest- and weed-control methods. They employ a wide range of sustainable farming practices that ensure our health and the health of the soil, air, and water.

5. Hormone Helpers

Soybeans, like nuts and seeds, contain protective phytonutrients that act as very mild plant estrogens. Research has shown that natural food-source phytoestrogens help saturate estrogen receptor sites in the body and prevent the uptake of harmful “xeno-” (from the Greek word meaning foreign) estrogens.

6. Good Value

Ounce for ounce, soy foods provide better nutritional and economic value than meat and dairy foods. Factoring in the cost to the environment and the known health risks associated with meat- and dairy-based diets further increases the overall value of including more soy foods in daily meal plans.

I will always be grateful to that merry band of gardeners who set me on my path to natural living. Thanks to them and the many other vegetarian flower children of the back-to-nature movement in the 1960s and ’70s, soy made the momentous leap from animal feedlots to North American dinner tables.

Quick Miso Energizer

Put 1 Tbsp (15 mL) organic miso paste (unpasteurized) in a ceramic cup. Pour in 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Sip slowly and enjoy.