Soy gets attention from the health food crowd with claims that it is a super food. Beef sellers and many partakers claim it is healthy when eaten in lean cuts. Making a choice between soy and beef is difficult for some consumers. Both foods are high in protein and both contain fat. Soy has some claims to fighting disease, while beef has a long track record of warnings and heart disease. Sorting out the truth takes some number crunching and research to determine exactly which food is the best for a healthy eater.
Protein Content
Soy gets attention from the health food crowd with claims that it is a super food. Beef sellers and many partakers claim it is healthy when eaten in lean cuts. Making a choice between soy and beef is difficult for some consumers. Both foods are high in protein and both contain fat. Soy has some claims to fighting disease, while beef has a long track record of warnings and heart disease. Sorting out the truth takes some number crunching and research to determine exactly which food is the best for a healthy eater.
Fat Content
Soy does not contain any cholesterol but beef does. Bottom round roast contains 64 mg, 95 percent lean ground beef contains 65 mg and tenderloin roast contains 67 mg. As for fat, soy contains mostly polyunsaturated fats. Green soybeans contain 7.7 g of total fat, tempeh contains 6.4 g and tofu contains 11 g of total fat. Beef bottom round roast contains 4.9 g, 95 percent lean ground beef contains 5.1 g and tenderloin roast contains 7.1g of total fat. In addition, bottom round roast contains 1.7 g of saturated fat, 95 percent lean ground beef contains 2.3 g and tenderloin roast contains 2.7. Soy can contain high amounts of fat but it is the type of fat that counts. Beef is high in cholesterol and contains higher amounts of saturated fat than soy.
Disease Prevention
Researchers have studied soy protein as a treatment for certain medical diseases, most notably heart disease. An analysis of many research studies in 1995 found that eating 50 g of soy could significantly lower your cholesterol, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. However, subsequent American Heart Association studies since 2000 show that the decrease is only 3 percent. Also, 50 g of soy protein per day is half the recommended daily amount of protein per day. Other studies examined soy and hot flashes, breast cancer and cognitive ability but the results for these are mixed.
Recommendations
The Harvard School of Public Health recommends soy protein in moderation. It is not a magical food. In some ways, it has benefits over beef but does not have the same amount of protein that beef provides. It still contains fat, though it is a better type. Eating a diet of lean meats and combining that with soy proteins is a way to incorporate this food into your lifestyle. If you need to cut down on saturated fat, consider substituting soy for some of your red meat meals during the week. That might go a long way toward decreasing your total saturated fat intake, thereby lowering your cholesterol.
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