What is Soy, and why you must use Soy in your food?

Soy are a good source of protein
for vegetarians and vegans

What Is Soy?

You may have heard about soy foods in the news, including claims that soy prevents diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So what's the story on soy?

Soy, a versatile bean, is found in foods like soy milk, soy sauce, miso (soybean paste), tempeh (which is kind of like a soy cake), and tofu. Soy is also sometimes added to foods like breads, cereals, and meat products, and used as a meat substitute in vegetarian products such as soy burgers and soy hot dogs.

Foods that contain whole soy are a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans because they provide all the amino acids — a type of nutrient — that people need to stay healthy. (People who eat meat get all their essential amino acids from animal products.)

What Are the Benefits?

Many Americans have added more soy to their diets because of increased availability and scientific studies that have shown that soy may offer health benefits, including lowering blood cholesterol and reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Past research suggested that soy protein could significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol. But when the American Heart Association (AHA) reviewed the latest research, they concluded soy does not directly influence heart health.

The real health benefits of soy might lie in its nutritional content and the fact that people often use soy foods as a replacement for less-healthy foods. Soy foods are a great source of protein and contain other important nutrients, such as fiber, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods containing soy protein are also a healthy alternative to meats and other animal products that contain cholesterol and saturated fat.

Soy in Your Diet

Soy milk, soy burgers, and soy snacks are available in many supermarkets and specialty stores. When selecting soy foods, be sure to check food labels to be sure that the food is a good source of soy protein and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and added sugar.

If you're interested in eating more soy, introduce it into your diet gradually. And remember that the key to good health is to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods without focusing too much on any one food.

article source: Kidshealth Mary L. Gavin, MD;

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Do to the exclusion of some food groups from the diet, there are some key nutrients that may be hard for a vegetarian to receive from their diet. This is of a concern for vegetarians because if the body does not get enough nutrients then deficiencies and health problems will begin to occur. The following are the nutrients that vegetarians need to pay special attention to in their diets.
 

Iron:

Iron is an essential nutrient used in the body to form hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the body’s cells. There are two different types of iron heme (found in animal foods) and non-heme (found in plant-foods). The non-heme iron that vegetarians consume is harder for the body to absorb. One way that you can aid in the absorption of this non-heme iron is to eat foods rich in vitamin C with each meal.

Protein:

Protein plays a key role in growth, the maintenance of body tissues, building red blood cells, and synthesizing
hormones. The most common source of complete proteins the body needs is animal products. Vegetarians can get complete proteins from a few sources such as soy, milk and eggs (if included in the diet). If there are no sources of complete proteins, vegetarians can still meet their daily recommended intake of protein (45 g for women & 55 g for men) by eating a variety of foods that contain incomplete proteins. 

It used to be thought that in order to get all the necessary proteins needed in a day, but recently this has been debunked. It is important that you consume complementary proteins (that is proteins that are by themselves incomplete but when mixed with other incomplete proteins become complete) throughout the day, but you do not need to mix certain foods together at meals to achieve this. By eating a variety of protein rich fruits and vegetables throughout the day you are sure to get all the complementary proteins you need to make up the necessary proteins for your body.

Calcium:

Calcium is also involved in normal blood clotting, muscle and nerve functioning, and hormone and enzyme secretion. The main source of calcium in the U.S. comes from the consumption of dairy products. If you exclude or limit dairy products in your diet you will have to turn to plant sources and calcium fortified foods in order to get the needed amount of calcium. It is recommended that adults intake about 1300 mg of calcium each day.

Vitamin B-12:

Vitamin B-12 is needed by the body for normal red blood cell formation, makings DNA, and nerve function. The problem for most vegetarians is that this nutrient is only found in animal foods. Vegetarians who consume dairy products do not need to worry because they will get enough vitamin B-12 from these sources. Other vegetarians and vegans need to include products that are fortified with vitamin B-12 in their diet daily

Zinc:

Zinc is important for growth, tissue repair, and energy production. The main place that zinc is found is dairy products and eggs. For individuals who exclude dairy and egg products from their diet, some sources of zinc may include: bran, legumes, tofu, seeds, nuts, wheat germ, zinc-fortified cereals, lentils, and green vegetables. Caution must be used when taking supplements that contain zinc, because if they contain more than 100% of the RDA there is a risk of toxicity.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D plays a major role in the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract as well as incorporating calcium into our bones and teeth. There are few actual foods that contain significant amounts of vitamin D. The main sources are fortified milk, egg yolks, and liver. Vegetarians and vegans who do not consume these products can get vitamin D from fortified soy milk products and sun exposure. Direct exposure to the sun activates your body to make its own vitamin D, but there are other risks involved with too much sun exposure.