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Soy beverages have higher nutritional value than cow’s milk Not long ago, people thought soy drinks were for vegetarians and could only be found in natural food stores. But for some time now, soy drinks have been proudly displayed at supermarkets next to cow’s milk. They have also increasingly found their way into consumers’ refrigerators. It’s not surprising, given all the benefits associated with this extraordinary food! Soy is a legume that has been grown in Asia—particularly Korea, Manchuria, Japan, and China—for over 3,000 years, but has only been known in North America since the early 20th century. Milk is extracted from soy beans by boiling, then crushing and filtering them. When soy milk was first marketed in Canada , it was sold plain and could only be kept in the refrigerator. Not everyone liked its slightly acrid taste and uneven texture. Fortunately, these inconveniences were remedied with the addition of various ingredients: natural sugars (barley malt, rice syrup, honey, cane sugar, etc.), natural flavours (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, carob bean), food texture additives (xanthan gum, gum arabic, carrageenan), and oil (canola and sunflower). To make them more competitive with cow’s milk, producers enriched their beverages with calcium, zinc, and vitamins A, D, B2, and B12. With all these improvements and soy’s initial qualities, soy beverages now have a higher nutritional value than cow’s milk. That’s because they contain high quality soy protein, unsaturated fat, and a high level of lecithin, an essential nutrient for healthy neurons. They are also a better source of isoflavones, a substance with numerous health properties. Phytoestrogens Isoflavones also protect arteries and bones. They help lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, as well as prevent breast and prostate cancer. They adapt to the body’s needs, help stabilize hormonal activity by imitating human estrogens, and have the ability to occupy hormonal receptors, preventing excess hormones from being released and causing cancer (especially breast cancer). The suggested daily dose of soy protein for the general population is 15 g, which provides about 50 mg of isoflavones. A cup of soy beverage contains an average of 6 to 9 g of soy protein and 20 to 35 mg of isoflavones. Some soy beverages contain as much as 40 mg of isoflavones per cup. I recommend that women seeking truly natural hormone therapy take 250 ml of soy beverage with an added tablespoon of ground flaxseed as an afternoon snack. This mixture can also replace cow’s milk in breakfast cereal. Osteoporosis And the taste? Not to be overlooked is the fact that enriched soy beverages fall into the very select category of functional foods, or foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.1 Because soy protein is not complete, grains like oats are added to soy beverages to provide more complete proteins as well as dietary fibre. Like soy, oats are also known as a “functional food.” Regular consumption of oats—rich in soluble fibre—lowers the risk of heart disease by reducing blood cholesterol. Soluble fibre also controls our sugar level because it slows carbohydrate absorption in the small intestine.
Bibliography
About the Author Right from the start of her career, she has appeared on programs broadcast on Canal-Vie, TVA, TQS, Radio-Canada, CKRL (89.1 FM), and CHOI (98.1 FM). She also writes articles for Alive Magazines, the "Souris Mini" boutiques magazines, the Proteus Network website (www.passeportsante.net) and the Aliments de Santé Laurier website (www.alimentssante.com). Today, she regularly gives talks on healthy eating, provides ongoing training to dietitians, offers consulting services, and pursues research on functional foods and nutraceuticals for the Proteus Network (www.passeportsante.net). She is also the co-author of the book Santé la Gaspésie, published in 2003. |
By
Hélène Baribeau, M.Sc., P.Dt., Nutritionist