Soy, you’re determined to get your family eating healthier, and you keep reading statistics that tout Tofu & Miso as the latest  wonder foods.  Or perhaps you are a woman approaching menopause, or already menopausal, and have heard that Soy should be part of your diet to regulate some of the effects of hormonal changes.  If you are in either of these boats, I am in there with you. 

For years, I have been a tofu eater, and I love the stuff.  Unfortunately, the first time I tried to get my boys to share my passion with me, they walked away from the table. I even tried to trick them with tofu-dogs.  But they can sense a fake wiener from 10 paces.  It must have something to do with the way they bounce around ( and sometimes off) the BBQ grill.  I haven’t dared try to slip the tofu cold cuts into their lunches.  In fact, as the years have gone by, I have slowly succumbed to their eating habits. After trying to provide my meat-eaters balanced meals, while keeping to my mostly vegetarian diet, I had virtually given up.  Trying to please everyone, including my husband whose idea of a vegetable constitutes potatoes, corn, frozen peas and canned mushrooms, has only led to an over-abundance of dirty pots and pans, and a lot of fodder for my composter.  We have found ourselves heading out more and more to restaurants, or ordering in, and needless to say, our entire diet has gone down-hill.

It seems to me that there must be a way to get a healthy meal back on our table, and I have become singular in purpose in doing so.  By using some common sense, and putting a bit of effort into it, I think that I can get the family back on track.  The benefits of soybeans and soy products such as Tofu, Miso and Tempeh are overwhelming.   Soybeans contain a variety of phytochemicals. In particular, they are the only food source with nutritionally significant amounts of one type of phytochemical called isoflavones. This compound has been found to have weak estrogenic activity which accounts for women who eat soy regularly, such as Japanese women, suffering from the symptoms of menopause such as night sweats and hot flashes to a much lesser degree than a typical North American woman.  Also there is significant proof that isoflavones reduce the incidence of cancer, especially breast cancer, may help reduce cholesterol levels &  increases bone density in post-menopausal women, thus lowering the risk of osteoporosis. As if that’s not enough, Soybeans also contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which help regulate blood pressure and blood lipid levels, which helps to lower the risk of heart disease and prevent cancer.  But for your growing family, the most important fact is that soyfoods are the only vegetable offering a complete protein profile, are low in saturated fat and are cholesterol free.