Soy Nuts, Roasted 1 lb. Soy beans are probably the single most versatile crop
in the world. They are used to make tofu, soy sauce, miso, alimentary pastes,
food oils, baby food, beer, candy, cereals, diet foods, grits, hypo allergenic
milk, meat substitutes, noodles, yeast, candy, coffee creamers, pharmaceuticals
and on and on. They are highly nutritious and delicious.
Because Japanese diets are traditionally high in soy,
researchers looked at a nutritional link, says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a
clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University. The
studies concentrated on the consumption of isoflavones, the phytoestrogens
found in soybeans. According to the Seattle-based United Soybean Board,
the Japanese eat 200 milligrams of isoflavones a day, as compared with
just 5 mg. for the average American. Dr. Minkin describes study results
as 'brilliant,' citing a decrease of both the frequency and severity of
hot flashes in women who increased their soy consumption. More exciting,
she says, is that soy may reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis,
both diseases with higher incidence among post-menopausal women, and higher
among Americans than Japanese. Mark Messina, Ph.D., an adjunct associate
professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif.,
and the author of 'The Simple Soybean and Your Health,' says further research
is needed before he'll be convinced of a link between hot flashes and soy.
Even in the definitive research, women had to increase soy intake, both
from supplements and by adding soy foods to their diets, for several months
before experiencing relief. But Messina concedes that the link between
a diet high in soy and lower risk of heart disease seems clear, and he
says there is no downside to soy.
