SENTIENT TIMES June/July 2002

Soy to Enjoy & Soy to Avoid

By Rebecca Wood

There are tasty and healthful soy foods, and there are many that are neither. Is soy a good or a bad food? The answer lies in how the beans are treated. As with any food, careful processing of a quality ingredient yields a superior product, and poor quality soy that’s been cheaply produced and highly refined is a shoddy food. Do your health a favor and avoid such foods.

Inherently, soy contains anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, which interfere with the digestion of protein. Over 3,000 years ago, Asians discovered how to increase soy’s digestibility and flavor by soaking, fermenting and sprouting the beans. This eliminated the anti-nutrients and increased soy’s nutrition.

Fifty years ago Western food technologists saw the value of the common soybean as an affordable protein. Bypassing the traditional and time consuming preparation steps, they created new soy foods. In record time, soy became the least expensive protein source in virtually every country. While many of these products are excellent in quality and free of anti-nutrients, un-fortunately, not all are. This helps to explain the contradictory soy information we see in today’s media.

Have you ever considered why we don’t sit down to a bowl of soybeans as we would to a bowl of pinto or black beans? Because of their anti-nutrients, whole soy beans are a bear to digest. Unless, that is, they’ve been properly prepared or processed. Two exceptions are black soy and immature soy (edamame). The latter are widely available as green soybeans in the pod. The black soy beans have such a lush, creamy texture and chestnut-like flavor that they’re worth seeking out. They’re available dried from Asian markets and canned from Eden Foods.

With the following guidelines you can easily choose quality and avoid the toxic soy products. At first it will require some label-reading vigilance, but before long you’ll identify and then select only the trustworthy brand names. Choose quality soy foods made from whole beans such as miso, soybean sprouts, edamame, tempeh, soy nuts, soy nut butter, soymilk, shoyu, tamari, soy sauce and tofu. Make sure soybeans are from a quality source—favor organic soy products that do not contain GMOs, genetically modified organisms (unfortunately sixty percent of soybeans on today’s market have been genetically modified).

Avoid soy foods made from fractionated beans or that contain soy oil. Please note that some foods, like soy sauce, tofu and soymilk may be made from either whole or fractionated beans. Fractionated beans are processed in a way that denatures proteins and doesn’t remove the anti-nutrients. Such beans are typically dissolved in petroleum-based solvents and then extruded at thermoplastic temperatures to mold them into desired shapes and textures. If the label lists TVP, TSP, soy isolate, or soy protein, then isolate them from your diet. You’ll find these poor quality ingredients in some tofu, soy milk, soy sauce, meat analogs and extenders, energy bars, infant formulas, frozen desserts, meat replacement, protein drinks, soy cheese and soy deli foods.

Likewise, avoid products that contain soy oil including margarine and mayonnaise. Virtually all soy oil currently available in the US is a byproduct of the soy industry. It is a highly processed, de-natured oil that contributes to the formation of free-radicals.

The following recipe uses quality soy

Reuben Tempeh Sandwich (makes 4 sandwiches)

While not a classic Reuben, this is a highly flavored sandwich with great texture and crunch. And it’s easy to make. This recipe uses pan-fried tempeh, but you may steam, grill, broil or bake the tempeh.

1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces tempeh
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
8 slices rye bread or toast
Butter
Prepared mustard
Mayonnaise
1/4 to 1/2 cup drained sauerkraut
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

Mix water, ginger, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Slice the tempeh into long fingers, 1/2-inch thick (thinner slices yield a crisper product but may require additional oil). Dip the tempeh slices into the water mixture and drain briefly on absorbent paper to absorb water and prevent sputtering. Heat oil in a skillet and pan fry tempeh for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Drain on fresh paper towel. Assemble 4 sandwiches by spreading bread with butter, mustard and mayonnaise and layering on the tempeh, sauerkraut, lettuce and tomato slices.

Rebecca Wood is an Ashland, Oregon resident. Winner of both the Julia Child and James Beard Cook Book Awards, she has taught and written about healthy cooking since 1970. Rebecca integrates the culinary wisdom of various traditional medical systems to help people implement the diet that best suits their individual needs. Rebecca’s books include The Splendid Grain and The New Whole Foods Ency-clopedia. She has appeared on Discovery Channel’s, Home Matters TV program. Visit her Healing with Food page, or sign up for her next class, at www.RebeccaWood.com.

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