Soy has been attributed to several benefits including the ability to ward off hot flashes and helping to prevent prostate cancer. Not all of these claims have been fully backed by research, however, soy products do have known nutritional benefits such as high amounts of isoflavones, omega-6 fatty acid and all the essential amino acids. By adding soy products to your diet as an alternative to meat you can help to decrease your overall intake of saturated fat, calories and cholesterol. The ways to add soy to your diet are numerous.
Step 1
Replace dairy milk with soy milk; you can easily add soy to a variety of foods. Use soy milk made with whole soy beans to further increase the nutritional content. Pour soy milk over your cereal or substitute it for milk in baked goods recipes or in pancakes and waffles.
Step 2
Keep roasted soy beans in a bowl to snack on throughout the day. Take them with you to snack on at work or sprinkle them on top of salads. Dried soy beans can be found in a variety of flavors such as salt, barbecue, and hot and spicy.
Step 3
Use crumbled tofu instead of ricotta cheese in dishes such as lasagnas or put it on top of a salad. Using tofu as a replacement for ricotta cheese can make dishes suitable for people who are lactose intolerant.
Step 4
Add soy beef crumbles to meals as a replacement for ground beef. Try soy beef crumbles in tacos, spaghetti and taco salads. You can find some common brands of soy beef crumbles at most traditional grocery stores.
Step 5
Replace your traditional dairy yogurt with soy yogurt. Soy yogurts come in a variety of flavors and are generally lower in sugar than dairy yogurt.
Step 6
Blend silken tofu into fruit smoothies. This will increase the protein content of the smoothie and give it a slightly thicker consistency. The tofu will not change the flavor of the smoothie because the tofu takes on the flavor of the fruit.
Step 7
Grill up soy-based hot dogs and soy-based sausage links at a picnic. These products generally contain a high amount of soy protein and are low in overall calories and fat.
Step 8
Serve soy-based burgers on a bun for dinner. Look for burgers that are made primarily with soy because some veggie burgers are made with other products such as black beans and brown rice.
Step 9
Steam or boil whole soy bean pods, called edamame. Sprinkle the edamame with sea salt and serve as an appetizer or snack. Be sure to eat only the seeds and not the outer pod shell. You can find frozen edamame in the freezer section of your grocery store.
Step 10
Cook with extra firm tofu. Marinate thin slices of tofu in your favorite flavoring and grill them. Add tofu to your favorite stir fry recipe as a replacement for meat. Put cooked slices of tofu on sandwiches.
Step 11
Spread soy-based cream cheeses on bagels and fruit slices. Some brands of soy-based cream cheese can be found at traditional grocery stores, but you may have to shop at natural food stores to find wide selection of soy-based cream cheeses.
Tips and Warnings
- Soy should not be the only source of protein in your diet. Get your protein from a variety of sources.
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