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2017 Soy Salad Dressing Competition Recipes!

August 21, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

The Soyfoods Council and the Iowa Restaurant Association returned to the Iowa State Fair with Mori-Nu tofu to create healthy, soy-inspired, salad dressings with local chefs!

1st Place – Sesame Ginger Tofu Dressing by Chef Tag Grandgeorge, Le Jardin, Des Moines
2nd Place – Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing by Chef Lisa LaValle, Trellis, Des Moines
3rd Place – Spicy Toasted Sesame Tofu Dressing by Chef Patti Weidner, Hy-Vee, Des Moines
4th Place – Asian Inspired Tofu Vinaigrette by Chef Jacob Carnes, Goldfinch, Des Moines

Research Suggests Soy Protein Lowers Blood Pressure

July 25, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

Ankeny, Iowa, July 25, 2017— Most Americans know that blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks and stroke, but few are aware that soy protein may have blood pressure-lowering effects that can be added to the list of health benefits of eating soyfoods.

For two decades, health agencies around the world have acknowledged that soy protein directly lowers blood cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Now, recently published research suggests that soy protein also lowers blood pressure. A new statistical analysis of 12 clinical trials involving more than 1,500 postmenopausal women found that soy protein significantly lowered systolic blood pressure by slightly more than 3 points (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure by about 1 point.

Researchers also found that women in the study who ate at lest 25 grams of soy protein per day experienced a decrease of nearly 5 points in their systolic blood pressure and nearly 2 points in their diastolic blood pressure. Soy protein is available in a variety of soyfoods. For example, one-half cup of water-packed tofu provides 12.5 grams of protein; 1 cup of soymilk offers approximately 7 grams of protein. Reducing blood pressure by the amounts found in the research analysis could potentially reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke by as much as 10 percent. The cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein provide additional protection.

Jade Hummus with Pita Crisps

The Soyfoods Council offers crave-worthy recipe ideas for incorporating soyfoods into your diet. Versatile ingredients such as tofu, soymilk, edamame and tempeh can enhance your favorite recipes or offer snacking opportunities that add soy protein. Jade Hummus, for instance, is made in a food processor or blender. It combines cooked shelled edamame (blanched and frozen fresh soybeans), tahini (sesame seed paste), extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, garlic, lemon juice and seasonings such as cumin, paprika and ground coriander seeds. Serve this soy hummus with pita bread. For a simple but soy-rich Spiced Fruit Dip, blend together soft tofu, brown sugar and ground cinnamon.

For more health-related information about soyfoods, cooking tips and soy recipe ideas, visit The Soyfoods Council website: www.thesoyfoodscouncil.com.

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.

Soy protein promotes strength in postmenopausal women

July 21, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

Maintaining strength is an important key to preventing age-related functional decline. Research out of Brazil shows one way to do that is to engage in a resistance exercise program and to supplement the diet with soy protein.

For this study, 32 postmenopausal women began resistance exercise training 2-3 times per week. Half of the women were asked to consume a cup of milk after exercise and the other half were asked to consume milk but to which had been added 25 grams of soy protein. At the 16 week study period, both groups of women experienced increases in muscle mass and strength. However, women who consumed soy protein had significantly greater gains in strength for bench press and knee extension and for all 8 exercises combined.

The amount of soy protein added to the diet – 25 grams per day – is notable because research suggests that at this intake level, soy protein will lower both cholesterol and blood pressure. These benefits make adding soyfoods and soy protein to the diet an especially good choice for women wanting to become stronger.

Typically, soyfoods provide anywhere from 6 to 15 grams of protein per serving. So it is relatively easy to add 25 grams of soy protein to the diet. For those not wanting to eat soyfoods, two scoops of soy powder (isolated soy protein) provide about 25 grams of protein.

The soy isoflavone genistein protective against liver disease

July 20, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

Liver disease is a huge worldwide public health problem. Not the type of liver disease associated with alcohol consumption but what is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the general population. Until very recently, NAFLD was almost never seen in children. However, that situation is changing because so many children are now overweight or obese. Having too much belly fat greatly increases the risk of developing liver disease. When children develop liver problems it means they have to suffer the consequences of their condition for decades.

Moderate weight loss is the first line and the most effective intervention in NAFLD therapy, however, there is usually poor compliance on behalf of patients and less than 50 percent achieve weight loss goals even in supervised clinical trials. Based on the results of previously published research, Iranian researchers decided to conduct a first of its kind trial to determine whether the soybean isoflavone genistein favorably affects patients with NAFLD. Genistein is one of the three isoflavones in soybeans. These soybean constituents have been widely studied for their health benefits.

For this study, 82 patients with NAFLD were given either a placebo or genistein daily for 8 weeks. Both groups were instructed to continue to consume their usual diet and exercise habits.

At the end of the study, the genistein group had lower levels of insulin and was better able to use the insulin they produced. In addition, genistein reduced oxidation and inflammation. Finally, genistein reduced the percentage of body fat of the patients. Each of these changes suggests that genistein is useful in the management of liver disease and may actually help to prevent its onset.

Although for this study the researcher used genistein supplements, all of the traditional Asian soyfoods such as tofu and tempeh and soymilk are rich in genistein. Longer term studies are needed before definitive conclusions can be made but the current study plus the previously published research on this topic point toward soyfoods as being able to play a key role in the dietary management of liver disease.

Soymilk is different from the nut milks

July 19, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

Soymilk is different from the nut milks

More Americans than ever are drinking plant milks. As cow’s milk consumption drops and milks made from soybeans, almonds or coconut gain in popularity, the dairy industry is reacting. Their recent effort to limit the term “milk” to secretions from cows is part of a strategy to protect the industry’s market. Dairy farmers say that allowing other beverages to be called milk is misleading, causing consumers to believe that plant milks and cow’s milk have similar nutritional profiles.

It’s a weak argument. There is no evidence that consumers equate plant milks with cow’s milk. In fact, just the opposite is probably true. One factor driving people away from cow’s milk to plant-based options is a negative perception of the health aspects of cow’s milk.

Cow’s milk is valued largely for its calcium content, but most plant milks are fortified with this nutrient to similar levels. (Both cow’s milk and plant milks depend on fortification for vitamin D.)

Protein is a different story. Unless they are fortified with protein, milks made from nuts are extremely low in this nutrient. In contrast, soymilk rivals cow’s milk since it is rich in high-quality protein. It also provides healthy fats and a variety of vitamins and minerals, including iron, which is absent from cow’s milk.

Nut milks tend to be low in nutrition overall. The nutrients they provide come almost exclusively from the fortificants (vitamin D, calcium, etc.) added to them because they contain very little in the way of nuts. For example, a cup of almond milk contains the equivalent of just four almonds. The reason unsweetened almond milk is so low in calories is because it contains so few almonds!

Anyone looking for the heart-healthy benefits associated with tree nuts won’t get them from drinking commercial nut milks. On this one issue, the dairy industry is right: Consumers do need to know what they are purchasing and also need to know how different plant milks fit into overall dietary patterns.

For those who are limiting intake of animal foods, particularly families with children, soymilk is an especially good choice for ensuring adequate intake of high-quality protein. In fact, since intriguing research suggests the protein RDA may actually be too low for most population groups, the protein content of the different non-diary milks is probably an important consideration for just about everyone.

If the main use of plant milks is an alternative to cow’s milk in baking or to wash down the occasional cookie, milk is milk and one can choose whichever meets their own personal preferences. But if nutritional content is paramount, soymilk is clearly different from the nut milks.

Soyfoods are protective against diabetes

July 18, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing throughout the world. In large part this is because of the increasing number of people who are overweight or obese as one of the main medical complications of obesity is diabetes. Fortunately, losing weight if obese can dramatically lower diabetes risk. Eating a more plant-based diet is also helpful as people who are vegetarians or near vegetarians are much less likely to develop diabetes. In fact, their risk is reduced by about 50% even after taking into consider their lower body weight. And now, research from Vietnam indicates that adding soyfoods to the diet is very protective against this disease.

For this new study, researchers enrolled 599 newly diagnosed cases of diabetes between the age of 40 and 65 and the same number of people without diabetes. The two groups were of a similar age and had similar numbers of men and women. Information on the frequency and quantity of soyfood consumption, together with demographics, habitual diet and lifestyle characteristics, was obtained from direct interviews. The researchers then determined whether people with diabetes were more or less likely to eat soyfoods.

The results showed that a higher intake of soyfoods was associated with about a 70% reduced risk. That is, those individuals who consumed about two servings of soyfoods per day were 70% less likely to develop diabetes. That level of protection is almost unprecedented. It’s not clear from this study why soy is protective against diabetes but other research has shown that soyfoods increase the body’s ability to use insulin and lower blood glucose levels.

American Heart Association Highlights the Coronary Benefits of Polyunsaturated Fat

July 18, 2017 By The Soyfoods Council

American Heart Association Highlights the Coronary Benefits of Polyunsaturated Fat

A newly published presidential advisory from the American Heart Association (AHA) strongly advocates for Americans to replace the saturated fat in their diet with polyunsaturated fat. This advisory is timely because there has been a lot of confusion of late among the public about the role that dietary fat plays in heart disease. Actually, it is fairly obvious that the AHA advisory was written in response to this confusion. Well, the jury is in and saturated fat is out.

Despite all the public confusion, according to the AHA, evidence in support of replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated as a means of reducing risk of coronary heart disease has actually strengthened over the years. That is good news for consumers of soyfoods and soybean oil because the predominant type of fat in soybean oil is polyunsaturated.

In fact, a key piece of information upon which the AHA based their conclusions was a statistical analysis of four clinical trials which showed that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduced heart disease risk by a statistically significant 29%. Of those four trials, soybean oil was the sole replacement in one and was a main source of polyunsaturated fat in two others. In the fourth trial the source of polyunsaturated fat was described only as “vegetable oil,” which likely was soybean oil. Therefore, the AHA advisory not only highlights the benefit of polyunsaturated fat but soybean oil in particular.