It’s suppertime across Missouri, and moms from Bethany to New Madrid and everywhere in between are hard at work to get a well-balanced, healthful, satisfying and delicious meal on the table for their families. For many parents, meat and potatoes, spaghetti or Taco Tuesday are go-to meals they can count on to meet the tastes and nutritional needs of their family. But there’s one ingredient that’s easy to incorporate, brings many added benefits and supports Missouri farmers — soy foods.
“We often incorporate soy into our family suppers,” says Meagan Kaiser, Missouri soybean farmer, mom of two and Chair of the United Soybean Board. “It’s easy as our family likes the neutral flavor of high oleic soybean oil for cooking — especially for frying fish.”
Proven Benefits from Soy
Soy foods offer potential benefits. And, even better, these benefits are proven! The 2020-2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which focus on encouraging healthy eating and meeting nutritional needs throughout all stages of life, recommend soy as part of a healthy diet across the categories of dairy, oils, vegetables and protein foods.
Offering foods from protein sources to cooking oil, soy consumption is aligned with a wide range of benefits. Soy oil and protein may reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation, lower cancer risk, there’s so much to gain from adding soy to your family’s plate.
It’s becoming well known that soy foods and soybean oil can contribute to heart health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein and soybean oil, confirming they may be able to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. This is the most common type of heart disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because soy is rich in isoflavones, soy foods may help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, including prostate cancer. These isoflavones are especially beneficial for women, as they may help to alleviate hot flashes and lower the chance of osteoporosis.
A Versatile Oil
One soy food that many people are already eating is soybean oil, which is often sold in grocery stores labeled as vegetable oil. This versatile, soy-based ingredient comes with health benefits such as a heart-healthy fat profile that has the ability to support bone health and skin health.
Vitamin K is vital to bone health, and just 1 tablespoon of soybean oil contains about 20% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) in a single serving. This vitamin is important in regulating bone metabolism and necessary for making proteins that are crucial for maintaining bone mass.
Another important nutrient found in soybean oil is vitamin E, an antioxidant nutrient that helps protect body cells, support healthy skin and aid proper nervous system function and protection. Furthermore, studies show that vitamin E may protect against skin damage and help treat certain skin conditions, such as acne and atopic dermatitis.
The soy industry is working to provide more soybean oil options, especially for the high-volume food industry. High oleic soybean oil is an innovation from the soybean industry and soy checkoff. This oil has no trans fats and is especially suited for use in the food industry with its high smoke point and emulsion stability.
A Complete Plant Protein
As a plant-based protein, soy is a top option. It provides all of the essential amino acids for human nutrition, making soy a complete plant protein similar to animal protein. Soy is a source of folate, potassium and fiber, and it’s the only plant protein that carries the FDA’s heart health claim confirming it may be able to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Soy provides high-quality protein and good fats, while modestly lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Human research indicates that breast cancer patients can safely consume soy foods. Observational studies in the Asia-Pacific region even show soy food intake is associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk. However, several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that consumption must occur early in life for soy to reduce risk.
While it’s not always easy, it’s important for parents and adults to model healthy eating habits for the children in their lives. Learning healthy eating habits can start early in life and may impact future chronic diseases. And, like with adults, soy foods can play a beneficial role in the diets of infants, children and adolescents. In younger children, fortified soy milk is the only plant-milk dairy alternative approved by health professionals for children ages one to five.
Deliciously Simple Soy Foods
When cooking for a family, moms are looking to add as many nutritional benefits to meals and snacks as possible — even if it
means sneaking some vegetables in where kids won’t notice. But with many soy foods, sneaking isn’t needed! Soybean oil, soy plant protein and even soybeans themselves are all ingredients that pack a nutritional punch and easily meld into everyday recipes. Soybean oil is easy to add into any meal. You can cook with it, stir it into a salad dressing or use it when baking. When it comes to plant protein, you can add some soy-based protein crumbles to spaghetti sauce or taco meat. Serve some roasted edamame or crunchy roasted soybeans for a snack. The opportunities to add soy to a family’s menu are endless.
Whether you are looking to start adding soy to your family’s dinner table or interested in new ideas for incorporating soy into your menu, Missouri Soybeans can help. For soy food recipes and ideas, visit MoSoy.org.
