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Vol. 5, No. 12
January 18, 2001Soyfoods USA ...a monthly e-mail newsletter designed to inform media sources, dietitians, and consumers about the latest soyfoods information.
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CONTENTS
1. The State of Soy
2. Super Bowl Party Recipes
_ Cincinnati Chili
_ White Chili
_ Cake Mix Soynut Cookies
3. Getting on and off our list***********************
THE STATE OF SOY
(EDITORS NOTE: With the beginning of a new year and the dawning of a new millennium in the minds of a few, it is appropriate to take stock of current research on the health benefits of soy. In a telephone interview with a highly regarded soy scientist, we caught a glimpse of where soy is today, and where it might be headed.)
Massive research on soy's health benefits combined with hundreds of new soy products on supermarket shelves portends an exciting future for the humble soybean, according to Mark Messina, Ph.D, author of the book, The Simple Soybean and Your Health. Although scientists do not fully understand the health effects of soy isoflavones, Messina says they do have a pretty good sense they are likely to be beneficial for one or more things. "There are clearly enough reasons now for health professionals to recommend soy to their patients," says Messina.
Some of the more interesting research he has been reading about lately includes positive data that soy isoflavones may be good for alcoholism, that genistein may serve as a prototype drug for cystic fibrosis, and that isoflavones may be useful for the treatment of malaria. "This is all real research published in some really good journals," observes Messina. "And when you look at what we know what isoflavones do, it is not surprising that they may have such wide sweeping health effects even though research in these areas is in its infancy."
Much of the research on soy is still inconclusive, but Messina is heartened by the fact that there are more scientists studying the health effects of soy than ever before. "It is remarkable how many scientists are excited about the health benefits of soy," says Messina. "I used to say that I knew not only all the research on soy, but all the researchers as well. Now I get these great papers from people I have never heard of."
This type of activity will take soy to the next level, he says. "It just takes a lot of evidence to really reach conclusions you can feel confident about. That is just the nature of nutrition, diet and disease and studying their relationships."
Messina says it is great that soy has attracted so much attention because this "has created a window of opportunity for many people to try soyfoods, and if they taste good, hopefully they will continue to eat them."
Regarding current promising research, Messina says it will be years before we can say with confidence that soy will reduce the risk of prostate cancer, although some recent work in that area indicates that as little as 1 to 2 servings of soy protein a day may be effective in reducing prostate cancer. "If that is true and we can move the onset of prostate cancer from 75 years of age to 80, it could have a profound effect on the health of men in this country because it is a slow growing type of tumor," predicts Messina.
Overall, there are some very promising areas related to soy and chronic disease risk, but in most instances, the data are still fairly preliminary, says Messina. "But because we know soy is likely to do at least a couple of things, there is certainly no reason not to recommend soy consumption for everybody. If it turns out that soy does all these wonderful things we hope it will do, that would be great. If not, you need only a few reasons to eat soy, and we already have those."
Aside from cholesterol reduction, research shows that as little as one serving of soy a day may also protect against heart disease because of direct effects on vessel walls, inhibition of cholesterol oxidation and clot formation, according to Messina. "These are more speculative findings at the moment, but they could prove to be more valuable as there are other treatments for lowering cholesterol," he says.
The same research situation applies to other chronic diseases. "There are some very interesting data regarding soy and osteoporosis, but we need two or three-year studies before we can reach anything approaching a very solid conclusion. And we just don't have that yet," explains Messina.
"We also need more research on soy and cancer, but it is very difficult to establish conclusions regarding diet and cancer in general," adds Messina. "Soy and prostate cancer data looks very good at this time, but soy's positive effects regarding breast cancer are not as strong."
Menopause data are not impressive either, according to Messina. However, he still recommends soy for hot flashes, telling women that they will be the first to know whether or not it is effective. "If nothing happens after three or four weeks, then they can try another approach," he says.
In summary, Messina says he feels there are enough reasons to feel good about eating soy. "Soybeans and soyfoods are unique because they contain isoflavones, which much research indicates may provide a number of health benefits," he says. "I recommend to everyone that they eat at least one serving of soy every day."
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SUPER BOWL PARTY RECIPES
January 28 will find the Ravens and Giants battling it out for the Super Bowl. To spice up your Super Bowl party why not a little chili? Here are two chili recipes featuring soy meat alternatives that were touchdowns with our family.
For snacks during the game, set out bowls of soynuts. And for the dessert we have come up with a quick and easy Soynut Chocolate Cookie.
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Cincinnati Chili
If you're from Cincinnati you already know about this famous chili. Its unique flavor makes it a totally different chili from traditional recipes. One story I have heard is that it is the creation of a Macedonian immigrant, which would explain why you sometimes see it as Greek Chili. It is also served in different ways. You can have 2-way (chili, spaghetti), 3-way (chili, spaghetti, onions), 4-way (chili, spaghetti, onions, cheese), or 5-way (chili, spaghetti, onions, cheese and beans). We have substituted the ground beef with soy crumbles, and it works great!
2 12 oz. packages of soy crumbles (roughly 2 pounds equivalent of ground beef)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crush red pepper
1 tsp allspice
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate square, grated
1 medium onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs honey
3 Tbs ketchup
3-4 cups waterAdd olive oil to a large (4-6 quart) pot over medium heat. Add onions and crumbles to heat. Add rest of ingredients, except water. Stir to mix spices thoroughly. Add water. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours or until thickened. Stir occasionally. Remove bay leaves before serving. Makes 10 cups of sauce.
10 servings. Per serving: 148 calories, 3.3 g fat (1.1 g sat fat), 0 cholesterol, 15.9 g carbohydrate, 4.7 g dietary fiber, 15.8 g protein (14.4 g soy protein), 800 mg sodium.
Have side dishes of kidney beans, cheese, onion and spaghetti ready for your guests to create their own version.
1 28 oz. can kidney beans, washed, and heated in two cups of water, then drained before serving
1 package grated cheddar cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked***************
White Chili
If you are not a fan of Cincinnati Chili, give this one a try instead. It is faster and easier to prepare. Make it as spicy or mild as you want. This chili is one of the top ten items requested at our home.
1 15 oz. can soybeans
1 15 oz. can navy beans
2 cups chicken flavored texture soy protein chunks or cubes*
1-1/2 cups diced onion
1 Tbs ground oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can green chiliesMix everything in a pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until it is heated thoroughly. Then eat!
Serving size: 1 cup. Per serving: 167 calories, 2.7 g total fat (0.2 g sat fat) 0 cholesterol, 18.8 g carbohydrate, 5.8 g dietary fiber, 19.2 g protein (12.1 g soy protein), 714 mg sodium.
* such as Dixie Diners' Club Chicken (Not!) Chunks or Boca Meatless Tenders
http://www.dixiediner.com
http://www.bocaburger.com***************
Cake Mix Soynut Cookies
Here's an easy way to make up some cookies for your party using soynuts. Any flavor of boxed cake mix will work, but we like chocolate.
1 box cake mix (chocolate)
1/2 cup vegetable (soy) oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup roasted soynuts (crushed to smaller pieces)Add oil, eggs, soynuts to cake mix. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.
Per serving: 149 calories, 8.3 g total fat (1.8 g sat fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 17.2 g carbohydrate, 0.7 g dietary fiber, 2.5 g protein (1.3 g soy protein), 167 mg sodium
Soy Cream Cheese Icing
These cookies taste great without icing, but if you want to ice them, here is a great soy cream cheese icing.1 8 oz. package soy cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugarIn bowl beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add one cup of powdered sugar at a time to reach the consistency for icing cookies.
24 servings. Per serving: 120 calories, 6.5 g total fat (1.4 g sat fat), 0 cholesterol, 15.4 g carbohydrate, 0 dietary fiber, .3 soy protein, 89 mg sodium.
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