All About Soy
The Basics of Soy
The soybean is one of a large family of plants called legumes. Legumes tend to be higher in protein than other plant foods - in fact, the mature soybean is about 42% protein, 33% carbohydrate, 20% oil, and 5% hull.
Soy's Protein Power
Among all legumes, the soybean stands apart. Both mature and green soybeans are protein powerhouses. Compare the grams of protein in one-half cup of green or mature soybeans to the same size serving of several familiar plant foods, including other legumes like pinto, Lima, and kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and English peas. Not only does the soybean contain more protein than other plants, the protein it contains is of higher quality. In addition, the soybean is the only plant source of protein considered a complete protein. This means it not only provides all the essential amino acids your body must get from food, but these essential amino acids are also in the right balance to meet human needs.
From Soy Bean to Soy Shake
For many Westerners, eating soybeans or even traditional soy foods regularly would mean drastic changes in eating habits. Fortunately, today's soy protein ingredients allow people to get all the benefits of soy - in a wide variety of favorite foods like soy "burgers," drinks and shake mixes, soy protein bars and more.
All these soy foods contain soy protein ingredients, which include soy flour, soy protein.
When mature soybeans arrive in the processing plants, removed are the damaged beans and any foreign material. To remove the hulls the beans are cracked. The remaining soy chips process into flakes - these flakes retain the oil found in the soybean.
Soy Flour
Full-fat or natural soy flour is about 40% protein, based on dry weight. Grinding the full-fat soy flakes turns it into a powder. De-fatted soy flakes are the starting materials for making the three primary soy ingredients: soy flour, soy protein concentrate and isolated soy protein. Grinding the de-fatted soy flakes to a fine powder creates the de-fatted soy flour. At 50% protein (based on dry weight), de-fatted soy flour is the least refined of the three primary soy-protein ingredients.
Soy Protein Concentrates
Soy protein concentrates are 70% proteins, based on dry weight. These are made from de-fatted soy flakes that have had most of the sugars removed but have kept much of the soy fiber. Soy protein concentrate is lower in carbohydrate than soy flour.
You can remove the sugar from soy flakes in two different ways. The most common method uses alcohol, the other uses water.
When using alcohol to remove the sugar, removing the solvent is the first step before making soy protein concentrate. As you will soon see, the use of alcohol extraction in the manufacture of soy protein concentrate is an important issue. Alcohol processing not only removes the sugars from de-fatted soy flakes, it also removes valuable alcohol-soluble phytochemicals that naturally occur in soy.
However, when water removes the sugars from the flakes, there is a good retention of the naturally occurring phytochemicals in the final product. After the removing the sugar by the water washing process, drying the mixture makes the final product.
Isolated Soy Protein
At 90% protein (based on dry weight), isolated soy protein is the most concentrated form of soy protein. Manufacturers make most isolated soy protein using water to extract sugar from de-fatted soy flakes. The protein is then precipitated and dried.
Here again, excessive processing can wash away some of the phytochemicals that were originally present in the soybean.
The Facts about Phytochemicals
There are thousands of phytochemicals, or "plant chemicals" present in plants. The type of processing used to manufacture soy protein ingredients is getting a lot of attention. Alcohol processing or extensive water washing can remove substantial amounts of these substances - and that raises attention because a number of these phytochemicals are under study for their potential health benefits.
Learn About Labels
To make sure you are getting soy protein and naturally occurring bioactive components in your soy-based foods, read labels carefully. Be sure to choose products made with ingredients that retain these substances.
Check to see if the product contains isolated soy protein. Do not forget to compare the fat and calories. You want to be sure you are getting the most protein with the least amount of fat and calories.
Recipes:
Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Ingredients
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup milk or soy milk
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Optional garnish: Raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries or fresh berries
Directions
Combine all ingredients except garnish in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes; stir and continue cooking one to two minutes longer, until creamy. Add your favorite fruit garnish if desired.
Recipe makes one serving.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 330
Fat: 10g
Protein: 9g
Fiber: 4g
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Soynut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup light butter or margarine
1/2 cup soynut butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup finely chopped roasted soynuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees. In a large bowl, cream together margarine and soynut butter until smooth. Add brown sugar, beating well. Beat in egg white and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and gradually add to soynut butter mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Shape dough into 1-inch bowls and place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten cookies with a fork in a criss-cross pattern and sprinkle with soynuts. Bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges about eight to ten minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition information per cookie:
Calories: 49
Fat: 2.5g
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrate: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
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Guaca-Tofu-Mole
Ingredients:
12.3 ounces lite firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup fine diced sun-dried tomato
1/4 cup minced green onion
2 tablespoons salsa
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Two small ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and mashed
Directions:
Process tofu until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for several hours. Recipe makes about 3 cups. Serve with baked tortilla chips.
Recipe makes 24 servings.
Nutrition information per two chips plus 2-tablespoons dip:
Calories: 41
Fat: 9g
Protein: 1.7g
Carbohydrate: 7g
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BBQ Baked Soybeans
Ingredients:
3 cups dried soybeans
14 cups water
One medium onion, chopped
Two cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine soybeans and 6 cups water over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for one hour. Drain beans, return to pan and cover with remaining water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for three hours, stirring occasionally. (Add more water if necessary).
Preheat oven to 325-degrees. In a two quart casserole, stir together onion, garlic, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, molasses and mustard. Drain beans, add to casserole, and mix well. Cover and bake five to six hours, stirring occasionally, to desired tenderness.
Recipe makes 12 servings.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 266
Protein: 13g
Fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 392mg
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Cinnamon Soy Rolls
3 cups white flour
1 cup soy flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten
4 teaspoons or 2 packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces firm tofu
1-1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Cinnamon
Cooking spray
Frosting optional
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flours, gluten, yeast, sugar and salt. In a small bowl, mash tofu with a fork and whisk together with water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in tofu mixture and stir together quickly to mix. Knead slightly with back of spoon, just to combine ingredients well and moisten all of the flour. Transfer to a plastic container with ample space for rising and a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning, lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. On a floured surface, roll half of the dough into a 10-1/2-inch square. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar and raisins, leaving a margin of 1/2-inch at the far edge; then sprinkle with cinnamon. Starting with the near edge, roll up tightly, then pinch along the far edge to secure. Repeat with the second half of dough. With seam side down, slice each roll into 8 equal pieces and place, spiral side up, on prepared sheet. Cover with a cloth and set aside to rise in a warm place, about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400-degrees and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool. Frost if desired.
Recipes makes 16 rolls.
Nutritional information per roll:
Calories: 147
Protein: 6g
Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 143mg
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Mexican Soy Dip
Ingredients:
One can fat-free refried beans
One 14 ounce package Lightlife "gimme lean" soy meat replacement
1 package taco seasoning mix
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces soy mozzarella cheese, shredded
16 ounces fat free sour cream
Two tomatoes, diced
One green pepper, diced
One 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
One 4 ounce can chopped black olives
Directions:
Combine refried beans, soy meat replacement and taco seasoning mix in food processor. Process to mix well. Spread in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon sour cream over bean mixture and top with cheddar and soy cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with tomato, green pepper, chilies and black olives. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Recipe makes 35 servings, 1-tablespoon each.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 91
Fat: 2.5g (25-percent)
Protein: 7g
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Tofu and Chicken Curry
This recipe provides: soy isoflavones, sulphoraphane, curcumin, vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene, potassium, and flavonoids!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
One medium onion, diced
One red pepper, diced
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
3 tablespoons mild curry paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 cup soymilk
12 ounces extra firm lite tofu, pressed well and cubed
Directions:
Heat canola oil in nonstick saucepan. Saute onion for five minutes. Add red pepper and broccoli and saute five minutes longer. Add chicken and saute five more minutes, until chicken is golden. Stir in curry paste, tomatoes and soymilk until well combined. Add tofu gently. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve over brown rice or barley.
Recipe makes six servings.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 310
Fat: 12g (45-percent)
Cholesterol: 43mg
Fiber: 5g
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If you're adding soy to your diet, here's the perfect E-Cookbook for you!
SOY eBook
A complete guide to Soy, including Brand Name nutritional data and comparison charts for all Soy Dairy Products, what their nutritional benefits are, where they are lacking, etc. - plus over 70 super-healthy, tasty recipes using soy! Many use Soy Protein Powder, available in health food stores and now, in many supermarkets as well! Only 12.00!
See also:
The Health Benefits of Soy
Soy: Your Complete Guide eBook
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