The Soyfoods Council

#SoyInspired Gluten-Free Tips for Celiac Awareness Month

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Ankeny, Iowa, May 11, 2017— Approximately one percent of Americans have celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and reduces the rate of nutrient absorption from food. To increase public awareness of the disease, Beyond Celiac (formerly the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) sponsors Celiac Awareness Month in May. People with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten—found in grains such as barley, wheat and rye. Gluten triggers their symptoms and can affect the entire body, while avoiding gluten allows the small intestine to heal.

To aid in cooking and eating a gluten-free diet, The Soyfoods Council offers a free brochure, How to Eat and Live Gluten-Free! The Soyfoods Council provides information about the wide range of naturally gluten-free soyfoods that provide many of the same nutrients found in fortified breads and cereals that are on the do-not-eat list for those with celiac disease. For example, soybeans, tofu and soymilk provide calcium. Soy flour, TVP, tofu and soybeans provide iron and B-vitamins. Soy itself is a complete, plant-based protein that also supplies fiber.        

Soyfoods can make it easier to go gluten-free with simple ideas such as mixing soy flour with other gluten-free flours to create appealing baked goods. Find tips and guidelines in the brochure, How to Eat and Live Gluten-Free! It’s available on the Soyfoods Council website at www.thesoyfoodscouncil.com. Look for recipes such as Chicken and Noodle Toss made with gluten-free tofu shirataki noodles. The Soyfoods Council recipe database provides ideas for gluten-free snacks such as edamame, desserts like Gluten-Free Refrigerator Cookies made with soy flour, and Cool Chocolate Mousse featuring tofu, cocoa powder and Medjool dates. You can also keep current with the latest studies related to soyfoods and your health.

Try this Chicken and Noodle Toss recipe! 

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About the Soyfoods Council: The Soyfoods Council is a non-profit organization, created and funded by Iowa soybean farmers, providing a complete resource to increase awareness of soyfoods, educate and inform media, healthcare professionals, consumers and the retail and foodservice market about the many benefits of soyfoods.  Iowa is the country’s number one grower of soybeans and is the Soyfoods Capital of the world.

About the Role of Soyfoods in a Healthful Diet: Soyfoods have played an important role in Asian cuisines for centuries.  In recent years they have become popular in Western countries because of their nutrition and health properties.  Soyfoods are excellent sources of high-quality protein and provide a healthy mix of polyunsaturated fat.  In addition, independent of their nutrient content, there is very intriguing evidence indicating soyfoods reduce risk of several chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and certain forms of cancer.  All individuals are well advised to eat a couple of servings of soyfoods every day.

 

Tempeh Rice Bowl Recipe | Asian Breakfast Bowl

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We are big fans of the Instant Pot for making quick and easy meals. 

Try this simple “one pot” meal for a quick and easy Asian-style breakfast bowl (it’s great for lunch or dinner, too). 

Tempeh Rice Bowl
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  2. 1/2 cup diced onion
  3. 1/2 cup diced carrot
  4. 1 tablespoon white miso
  5. 1 8-ounce package tempeh
  6. 1 cup brown rice
  7. 1 3/4 cup water
  8. 2 cups tightly packed leafy greens, such as baby spinach, Swiss chard and/or arugula
  9. Crushed peanuts, for garnish
  10. Splash of tamari or soy sauce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
  1. Set the Instant Pot on the saute function, using the adjust button to increase to more heat. Add the sesame oil, onion, and carrot and saute for about three minutes. Add the miso and continue sauteeing until the miso becomes creamy and mixed well with the vegetables. Add the tempeh, crumbling with your fingers as you remove it from the package. Using a spoon crumble the tempeh while sauteeing. Do this for about 8 minutes. The tempeh should begin to resemble small beans (or meat crumbles). Add the brown rice and water. Turn the saute function off. Cover the Instant Pot, move the steam valve to sealing, press manual (high pressure) and adjust the time to 22 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
  2. Remove the lid. Stir in two cups of leafy greens. Prop the lid on the top of the pot, without sealing, for just a few minutes to allow the greens to slightly wilt.
  3. Serve in a bowl with crushed peanuts and a splash of tamari or soy sauce (if using).
Notes
  1. For a vegetarian version serve with a fried egg on top and meat lovers can add cooked chicken or shrimp.
The Soyfoods Council http://thesoyfoodscouncil.com/

Soy, Isoflavone Foods May Lower Mortality Among Some Breast Cancer Survivors

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Via the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Along with their many nutrients, soy foods contain proteins and isoflavones, compounds that have estrogen-like properties. High levels of estrogen can fuel some breast cancers, and these compounds are well studied for their link to cancer risk and survivorship. 

A new study now adds to this research, suggesting that consuming soy and other foods containing isoflavones after diagnosis may help some breast cancer survivors live longer. The link with more soy foods and lower mortality was found among women diagnosed with tumors that do not have receptors for estrogen. 

Read the full article  here.

Soy Protein is Heart Healthy!

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February is Heart Health Month.  Here are 5 reasons to include heart-healthy soyfoods daily.

  1. Soyfoods provide high-quality protein, are low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated fat and are one of the few good sources of both essential fatty acids.
  2. Consuming as little as one serving of soyfoods per day between during the childhood and/or teenage years may reduce breast cancer risk by as much as 50% later in life.
  3. The isoflavones in soyfoods may alleviate menopausal symptoms.  Just two servings of soyfoods per day provide the amount of isoflavones shown to be efficacious.
  4. New evidence suggests that soybean isoflavones may function as antidepressants and may actually enhance the efficacy of antidepressant drugs.
  5. Soyfoods may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer and may even be helpful for prostate cancer patients.

This month (and every month!) the perfect time to make sure you’re including one or two servings of soy protein daily. It’s easy! Here are a few ideas:

  • Use 1 cup soymilk (vanilla or plain) in the morning with cereal or smoothies.
  • Eat 1/4 cup soynuts mid-morning and afternoon to curb mindless snacking.
  • Include 2/3 cup shelled edamame in salads, soups (homemade or prepared) or vegetable mixes such as corn and edamame.
  • Add dry TSP/TVP to soups and chili to increase protein.
  • When making oatmeal cookies, replace half the oats with dry TSP/TVP.
  • Add drained and rinsed canned black soybeans into salsa, soups, chili and vegetable mixes.
  • Have frozen edamame in the pod in the freezer to have for quick after school or work snack.
  • Make your own salad dressing with soft silken tofu; blend with your favorite ingredients!
  • Have a bottle of soybean oil (vegetable oil) in your pantry. An all-purpose oil, use it for sauteing, baking and in salad dressings. 

 See? It’s so easy to include one or two servings of soy protein daily for a healthier heart…and lifestyle.

Research Sheds Light on Fat and Inflammation

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Fat is back. Not that it ever really went away. Even when very low-fat diets were all the rage, experts recognized that certain fats were more harmful than others and some were even beneficial.

A common misperception is that omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which are found in abundant amounts in most oils, including soybean oil, are pro-inflammatory. Meanwhile, it is thought that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats protect against inflammation. Chronic inflammation is believed to be a key process underlying many chronic diseases.

Back in the late 1970s, researchers suggested that the low incidence of  heart disease among the Inuit of Canada and Alaska was related to their fat intake.1 Specifically, this population eats a diet high in the omega-3 fatty acid eicosanoic acid from fish and low in the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid which is found in other types of meat.

The findings put omega-3 fats in the spotlight, giving rise to the popularity of fish oil supplements. But evidence in support of the health benefits of omega-3 fat has never been as consistent as anticipated.  In fact, recent commentaries published in two distinguished medical journals reached completely opposite conclusions about the benefits of omega-3 fat supplementation.2,3

Likewise, the harmful effects of saturated fat have been brought into question recently. It is now recognized that while saturated fat raises LDL-cholesterol, it also increases LDL particle size; large LDLs are less atherogenic than small LDLs.4  Nevertheless, prospective epidemiologic studies clearly show that replacing saturated fat with omega-6 polyunsaturated fat reduces CHD risk and mortality.5,6  And in the end, it’s this relevant endpoint—heart disease—that matters.

While replacing saturated fat with complex carbohydrates also reduces risk, the beneficial effects are smaller compared to omega-6 fats. Which raises this question: If omega-6 fats increase inflammation why would replacing saturated fat with omega-6 fat reduce CHD risk? 

Part of the explanation is that omega-6 fats reduce serum LDL-cholesterol.  More importantly, despite the common perception, the proinflammatory effects of omega-6 fat aren’t very well established.  In fact, a systematic review of clinical trials published in 2012 concluded that there is “virtually no evidence” from clinical trials that linoleic acid, the main dietary omega-6 fat, increases concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy people.7 

This finding may seem surprising since it is thought that in vivo, linoleic acid is converted into arachidonic acid, the omega-6 fat from which the alleged proinflammatory hormones (eicosanoids) are produced.  However, extensive clinical research shows that increasing linoleic acid intake has little effect on endogenous levels of arachidonic acid.8 Furthermore, not all of the eicosanoids produced from arachidonic acid are pro-inflammatory.9

These findings will hopefully change the way that different fats and oils are viewed in healthy diets. Until the dust settles, it’s clear that soybean oil is a choice that provides the best of all worlds, since it is rich in both omega-6 and omega-3 fats. While ideally most dietary fat should come from whole foods, added fats and oils can play important culinary roles.

~ Mark Messina, PhD, Executive Director, Soy Nutrition Institute

  1. Dyerberg, J., Bang, H.O., Stoffersen, E., Moncada, S., and Vane, J.R. Eicosapentaenoic acid and prevention of thrombosis and atherosclerosis? Lancet. 1978, 2, 117-9.
  2. Curfman, G. The unfulfilled promise of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. JAMA Intern Med. 2017,
  3. O’Keefe, J.H., Jacob, D., and Lavie, C.J. Omega-3 fatty acid therapy: The tide turns for a fish story. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017, 92, 1-3.
  4. Dreon, D.M., Fernstrom, H.A., Campos, H., Blanche, P., Williams, P.T., and Krauss, R.M. Change in dietary saturated fat intake is correlated with change in mass of large low-density-lipoprotein particles in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998, 67, 828-36.
  5. Li, Y., Hruby, A., Bernstein, A.M., Ley, S.H., Wang, D.D., Chiuve, S.E., Sampson, L., Rexrode, K.M., Rimm, E.B., Willett, W.C., et al. Saturated fats compared with unsaturated fats and sources of carbohydrates in relation to risk of coronary heart disease: A prospective cohort study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015, 66, 1538-48.
  6. Wang, D.D., Li, Y., Chiuve, S.E., Stampfer, M.J., Manson, J.E., Rimm, E.B., Willett, W.C., and Hu, F.B. Association of specific dietary fats with total and cause-specific mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2016, 176, 1134-45.
  7. Johnson, G.H. and Fritsche, K. Effect of dietary linoleic acid on markers of inflammation in healthy persons: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012, 112, 1029-1041.
  8. Rett, B.S. and Whelan, J. Increasing dietary linoleic acid does not increase tissue arachidonic acid content in adults consuming Western-type diets: a systematic review. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011, 8, 36.
  9. Fritsche, K.L. Too much linoleic acid promotes inflammation-doesn’t it? Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2008, 79, 173-5.

 

Vivian’s Edamame Succotash

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Nick Lucs, the man behind the popular blog Des Moines Foodster, joins us in 2017 to share soy-inspired finds throughout the city.

Vivian’s is an upscale but casual dining experience located in downtown Des Moines,IA at 4th and Walnut.

Jeff Duncan is the owner and the creator of Vivian’s Diner and Drinks. He has over 28 years of restaurant and catering experience in the Iowa, Chicago, and Florida markets. He was born and raised in Des Moines and has been back in this market for 11 years.

Jeff’s great, supportive family includes his wife and 5 children, one of which is 4 year old Vivian whom the restaurant is named after!

Vivian’s is his pride and joy; it has been Jeff’s dream to combine a modern diner type restaurant with Midwest quality and menu items with an upscale casual feel to Des Moines for a number of years.

The location is perfect in the heart of downtown in an historic hotel. Inside, you’ll find a beautifully, remodeled interior all done by Jeff and his wife. They personally describe it as, “clean lines, open ceiling, and light colors, we have added elements of wood, glass, stainless steel, sparkling tile and high-end polished fixtures.”

This is all very true.

The ambiance of the restaurant sets the stage for a relaxing dinner.

Lately, I have been really enjoying hanging out at Vivian’s bar before my dinner reservation. It’s also a great place to catch drinks after work or before a Des Moines Civic Center Show. It’s tough to pass up Vivian’s happy hour drink specials (drinks ranging $3-$6) until 6pm. Sip on a gin and tonic, one of my favorites, or grab a local beer off of the tap wall. Pizzas are also on special during this time and I highly recommend pairing one of them with a beverage….

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ABOUT

The Soyfoods Council is an affiliate of the Iowa Soybean Association. The mission of The Soyfoods Council is to serve as a catalyst, leader and facilitator to mainstream soy-based foods into the global marketplace—America and beyond. To mainstream soyfoods: to build the category of soyfoods products by making action-prompting connections between edible soybean growers and food producers, foods distributors, chefs, retailers and eventually consumers.

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The Soyfoods Council is your resource for information about soyfoods including how easy and delicious they are to prepare and consume.