You Ask, I Answer: Soy

I have heard some forms of soy (i.e.: the fermented kinds) are more healthy than others.

I have also heard tofu is basically a processed product "cut" with the equivalent of plaster of Paris.

Soy and soy-based products are tooted by the supposed health conscious community as wonder foods, and i think people are often misinformed in regards to soy products being healthy.

For instance: those faux chicken patties. How can something so processed be healthy?

Wouldn’t a person be better off choosing an organic grain-fed chicken breast over something of this nature? likewise, organic soymilk [unsweetened of course] vs organic milk??

And what about soy estrogens???

-- Brooke Green
Brooklyn, NY

Thank you for bringing up the issue of “wonder foods.”

Although certain foods are more nutritious than others (quinoa surpasses white bread, for example,) I think it is dangerous to label anything as a “wonder food.”

Such a term inaccurately suggests such foods can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Remember -- all calories, regardless of the source, add up.

Extra virgin olive oil certainly has its health benefits, but drowning a salad in 4 tablespoons of it adds 500 calories.

Anyhow, the key with soy -- like with any other food -- is to mainly consume it as minimally processed as possible.

This applies to other foods as well. Take potatoes as an example. It is obviously better to consume them baked and with their skin than out of a Pringles tube.

So, tempeh (fermented tofu) and edamame offer more nutrition than a processed soy product that could very well contain added sugars, excess sodium, and trans fat.

This can also be equated to whole grains.

Some people think a whole grain cookie is automatically healthier than a standard cookie. Not necessarily.

If the whole grain cookie has twice the calories, sugar, and trans fat of the standard cookie, the whole grain benefit is thwarted.

I consider the issue of faux chicken patties versus organic chicken breasts to be more about personal ethics than nutrition.

I think many people choosing faux meats do so out of a personal decision to not eat meat, rather than from a “what is less processed?" angle.

Keep in mind, though, that many times meat-based frozen products are nutritionally inferior to soy-based ones.

As far as tofu is concerned -- it is one thing to eat "tofu hot dogs" (which are highly processed and thereby high in sodium and chock full of preservatives,) but cubes of regular tofu (pictured, right) thrown into a vegetable stir fry is a great way for vegetarians to get protein, calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

As for the soy-based estrogens, the only people who should be concerned are women living with breast cancer who consume four or more servings of soy on a daily basis.

Otherwise, there is absolutely no research showing that one or two daily servings of soy in a healthy individual poses any sort of health risk.

I don't recommend gobbling down oodles of soy every day because it contributes quite a bit of Omega 6 fatty acids to the diet (which in itself is not bad, but the typical US diet provides way too much of it and not enough Omega 3's -- nowhere near the ideal ratio.)

You Ask, I Answer: Vegan Child's Nutrition

I have a picky eater at home, an 8-year-old I adopted last year from another country.

She is still very suspicious of new foods, and I have taken to sneaking supplements into her diet wherever I can.

She's vegan and I'm vegetarian; I open up iron supplement capsules and sprinkle small amounts of iron into her food; same with B-complex capsules and multi-vitamin caps. I

She gets plenty of protein and fiber, since she's happy to eat tempeh, beans, quinoa, peanut butter and lots of vegetables and fruits.

I'm mostly concerned with her iron, B-complex, calcium and Omega-3 intake.

The last two I can handle with flax oil, wakame powder and various calcium supplements.

Actually, I still think she could be getting more calcium if she'd drink milk, but she won't.

-- Jennifer Armstrong
Saratoga Springs, NY

Although I understand your concerns regarding your child’s nutrition, I believe she is doing just fine based on the eating patterns you describe above.

First of all, I am impressed that an 8 year old appreciates the taste of quinoa and tempeh – nutritious foods that many adults shun, or downright don't even know about.

Most people with children your age are concerned about the increasing consumption of Doritos, Oreos, and soda!

Alright, let's discuss the specific nutrients you inquired about.

As far as iron is concerned, there is no absolutely need to provide capsules.

An omnivorous 8 year old should get 10 milligrams of iron a day; since your daughter is vegan – and therefore consuming solely non-heme sources – I would place her requirement at 15 milligrams.

Note that between the ages of 9 and 12, this requirement will lessen to approximately 12 milligrams.

Considering the iron amounts in these vegan foods, you’ll see why iron pills are basically a waste of money:

Quinoa (1 cup): 6.2 milligrams
Soybeans (1/2 cup): 4 milligrams
Lentils (1/2 cup): 3.2 milligrams
Kidney beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas (1/2 cup): 2.5 milligrams (average)

And don’t forget enriched and fortified grains.

Half a cup of fortified oatmeal provides 6.5 milligrams of iron, and a cup of enriched cereal (say, Cheerios) provides 9 milligrams!

In terms of calcium, she currently needs 800 milligrams a day, but this will jump to 1,300 from age 9 to 18!

Again, though, no need for supplementation.

It does take more planning than an omnivorous diet, but it can be done.

Check out these values:

Calcium-fortified orange juice (1 cup): 300 milligrams
Soy yogurt (1 cup): 300 milligrams
Soymilk (1 cup): 300 milligrams
Tofu (4 oz.): 260 milligrams
Collard greens (1/2 cup): 175 mg
Almonds (1 oz): 80 mg

Although Vitamin B12 is often cited as an issue in vegan diets, fortification has made this former problem a lot easier to manage.

Many popular cereals are fortified with vitamin B12.

Let's go back to the Cheerios example -- 1 cup provides a third of a day’s needs.

A cup of some (fortified) soymilks, meanwhile, contains 40 percent of a day’s worth of B12!

Wakame – a kelp – is also a great source. It’s one of the few seaweeds that contains human-active B12 (as opposed to the analog type, which is useless in our bodies).

In the event that B12 needs can not be met through food, I do recommend supplementation. Make sure it is specifically a B12 supplement and not a multivitamin containing B12 (vitamin C, vitamin E, and iron can impede absorption).

Omega-3 fatty acids are the most difficult to get from a vegan diet, since walnuts and flaxseeds only contain alpha linoleic acid (they do not contribute EPA and DHA, the two essential fatty acids found in fish).

However, Omega-3 supplements made from algae are vegan and contain EPA and DHA!

While we're on the topic of supplementation, I think everyone -- carnivore, vegan, and everywhere in between -- should supplement their diet with vitamin D.

One last thing – don’t get discouraged by your daughter’s adverse reactions to new foods.

Research has determined that it takes approximately eight to ten tries for a new food to be accepted by a young child.

The key is slow integration.

For instance, let’s say your daughter enjoys baby carrots but the first time she tried celery she wasn’t too keen on it.

Rather than outright swap carrots for celery pieces overnight, throw in four or five chopped bits of celery next time you pack some baby carrots in her lunch box.

This subtle addition of a new flavor will be less intimidating to her and less of a shock to her palate.

Do this another five or six times. The results might surprise you!

You Ask, I Answer: Soy

I eat a good amount of soy every day. What is your opinion on the studies that claim soy is anything but healthy?

-- Gretchen Trimm
Greensborough, NC

The soy debate has been going on for a while, and it only appears to be intensifying.

Whereas many people appear to focus on whether soy is inherently good or bad, I think a more helpful way of looking at this issue is to consider how we are eating our soy.

For instance, let’s take potatoes. I could easily make the case that potatoes are unhealthy if I base my research on people who only eat them as French fries, chips, or mashed potatoes loaded with butter and bacon bits.

A similar thing is happening with soy.

The studies showing the benefits of including soy in one’s diet referred to nutritious variations of it, whether it’s tossing actual soybeans into a salad, eating tempeh, or having steamed or grilled tofu.

Unfortunately, once soy became popular in the United States, it was used to make soy chips, soy pretzels, and soy ice cream. In other words, soy became overshadowed by sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and a variety of food additives and unhealthy ingredients.

Remember that the closer your food is to nature, the higher its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant component.

If someone's only source of soy is unhealthy foods (i.e.: McDonald's hamburgers and hamburger buns contain soy by-products), their nutrition status would clearly not benefit.

Just like a plain baked potato is a better source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium than a potato-ish concoction in a can of Pringles, minimally processed versions of soy offer health benefits not found in a convenience snack made out of soydust.

I would not suggest anyone stop eating soy or consider it a harmful addition to their diet. If anything, products like edamame and tempeh are a great source of fiber, healthy fats, and protein.

However, I also think it is wrong to view soy -- or any other food -- as miraculous or healthy if consumed in extremely high amounts.

All-Star of the Day: Tempeh

“Oh wow, this is good!” is the typical reaction of my non-vegetarian friends once I ask them to try tempeh.

Before we continue, let me disclose the following. I have been a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats seafood) for nine years now. That being said, I am not on some sort of vegetarian inquisition, attempting to make the whole world give up meat.

In fact, from a nutrition standpoint, I don’t have a problem with diets that include meat products as long as they are lean and prepared in a healthy way and the overall diet includes plenty of plant-based sources of nutrients.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Despite being familiar with meat alternatives, I myself didn’t try tempeh until a few months ago. I was instantly hooked. I loved the nutty flavor and texture, and its nutrition even more so.

Tempeh has been an Indonesian staple for approximately 2,000 years and is now making its way into mainstream US culture. In fact, many commercial supermarkets across the country offer it alongside their tofu and faux meats.

Its partly so nutritious because it is a whole food which undergoes very little processing, meaning its health properties remain intact.

To make it, soybeans are cooked and then fermented with a special agent. The fermented product is then incubated until a patty or thin cake is formed. Raw tempeh looks moldy, but it is 100% safe to eat.

There are many ways to prepare it. My favorite is to cut it into small strips, which I then sautee, and put in a salad. It also makes for an excellent stir-fry ingredient.

Just how good is tempeh, you ask? Half a cup provides 210 calories, 19 grams of protein (a little less than half a chicken breast), 7 grams of fiber (the equivalent of two medium apples) and 550 milligrams of blood-pressure stabilizing potassium (slightly more than a medium banana).

That half cup also contains 30% of the recommended amount of riboflavin, a B-vitamin that, among many other tasks, oversees our liver’s detoxifying process.

Tempeh also delivers all of soy’s isoflavones (plant derived compounds) in one tasty package.

Since so many of soy’s health benefits are targeted to women, let me throw this tidbit out to my male readership. One of soy’s isoflavones, genisten, has been shown to lower our risk of colon cancer (for best results, it is recommended to consume 12 ounces of whole soy products a week).

Genisten is so powerful that not only does it prevent the spread of malignant cells, studies also suggest it interferes in such a way that it sets off their own self-destruction!

Curious for a taste? Lightlife offers several varieties of tempeh -- including my favorite, with added flaxseed (another all-star I will discuss soon), that offers 11 grams of fiber and 20 grams of protein per serving.

If you’re grocery shopping this week, pick up some tempeh and sizzle some strips at brunch time. It might just be the new bacon for you!