Pass the Tofu Tacos
Soy-based foods are disease fighters, but they can taste pretty weird
Nancy Bannon sees nothing incongruous about downing a Big Mac and a glass of soy milk in the same day. After learning that soy foods can prevent hot flashes, the 48-year-old sales manager from Mount Holly, Vt., decided to add them to her otherwise "not so healthy" diet. She has yet to experience the rush of heat that often signals menopause. "Can I say it's because I'm drinking soy? I have no idea," she says. "But I feel it doesn't hurt."
More and more Americans agree. Soy food sales have increased 35 percent in the past year to $494 million, spurred by reports that soy carries a remarkable range of health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and preventing cancer. Soybean growers expect consumption of the bean to increase by 10 percent a year, especially now that the federal Food and Drug Administration has allowed food manufacturers to promote the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy. That means that tofu, tempeh, soy milk, and other soy products once found only in specialty markets are now at the local Safeway.
The Asian experience. The soybean has a proven track record. The Japanese, who eat plenty of soy-based foods, have far fewer chronic diseases than Americans. In Asia, the rates of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease are four times as low as in the United States. And only 10 percent of Asian women report menopausal signs such as hot flashes, insomnia, and irritability, while over half of American women do. Researchers attribute these discrepancies largely to diet.
Despite the benefits, though, soy suffers from a fatal flaw: It can taste pretty lousy. Its shortcomings were made abundantly clear in a recent informal test by News You Can Use staffers. Soy pastrami, one of a selection of unnaturally colored lunch meats, was pronounced "vile." Barbecue-flavored tofu tasted like "overcooked scrambled eggs." And the kindest thing one reporter could say about a soy hot dog was "Look! It bounces!"
But there were some pleasant surprises. All the tasters agreed that the country stew with brown sauce and veggie meatballs wasn't bad. And the roasted soy nuts were so good (if high in cholesterol) that most tasters went back for seconds. Soy is also palatable in protein bars, which taste better than many popular nutrition bars, and soy protein powder, which can be mixed into dairy or fruit smoothies, says Julie Seed, a dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at New England Medical Center. (Forget about soy sauce: It won't help lower your cholesterol, and it's high in salt.) Soy milk, which ordinarily tastes something like liquid hay, is better when poured over cereal, because it often absorbs the flavor of the cereal and added fruit. Dietitians caution, however, that soy snacks should be regarded as substitutions, not additions to the diet, since added calories, such as the 14 grams of fat found in a cup of soy nuts, can add extra pounds.
The magic ingredient in the soy plant is a set of hormonelike chemicals called isoflavones, which work with other components of the plant to lower cholesterol. That is why medical experts discourage the use of isoflavone pills. Studies have shown that the pills do not have the same cholesterol-lowering effects as whole soy foods. Women who use hormone replacement therapy, in particular, should not be taking high-dose isoflavone pills, experts say.
McVeggie. But older women who consume soy foods are likely to benefit, studies suggest. A recent study showed that post-menopausal women who ate 40 grams of isolated soy protein a day for 12 weeks experienced a 45 percent drop in hot flashes. The isoflavones have an estrogen- like quality that alleviates symptoms and helps prevent bone loss. Paradoxically, isoflavones have an anti-estrogenic effect that may help both men and women. Researchers suspect that this anti-hormonal activity may fight breast and prostate cancers. That's why New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre, who has suffered from prostate cancer, eats meatloaf made from tofu. And several McDonald's restaurants in New York are offering soy-based McVeggie burgers.
Tofu can even appeal to your sweet tooth. Cookbook author Dana Jacobi says her first impression of a dessert cooked with the white, mushy bean curd was "awful." But after experimenting, she has found that a teaspoon of lemon juice in most recipes removes the earthy flavor. Now, she says, "I make the best tofu cheesecake around."
This story appears in the November 22, 1999 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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