"National Soy Foods Month"

Soy has been used for thousands of years in Asian cuisine. Can millions of creative cooks be wrong? Soy is truly a wonder food-you can bake it, bread it, shred it, sauté it, fry it, whip it, sip it, and dip it. Just about the only thing you can't do with soy is skip it!

Soy isn't just good for your taste buds—it's good for your health, too. Famous for their longevity, residents of the Japanese islands of Okinawa credit soy foods with keeping them active long after their 100th birthdays. Every year, millions of Americans wishing to emulate Okinawans turn to soy to ward off everything from breast and prostate cancer to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes and from menopausal symptoms to dementia. Researchers say soy's high isoflavone content is responsible for its disease-preventing properties. "[I]f Americans lived more like Okinawans," write the authors of The Okinawa Program, "we would have to close down 80 percent of the coronary care units and one-third of the cancer wards in the United States, and a lot of nursing homes would be out of business."

Looking for creative ways to spice up your meals with soy?

Health food stores and, increasingly, many mainstream supermarkets, carry an amazing array of spectacular soy foods—everything from soy-based hot dogs, burgers, deli slices, sausage and bacon, to milk, yogurt, cheesecake, and ice cream.

Soy comes in several shapes, sizes and varieties — here's a cheat sheet:

Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans, is another hearty meat substitute. It has a nutty, tangy taste, and can be sliced for sandwiches, cubed for kebabs, or grated and used in place of ground meat. Before adding tempeh to recipes, steam it for 15 minutes to stop the fermenting process.

Tofu, or bean curd, is a protein-rich food made from soybeans. It comes in a variety of textures (soft, firm, extra firm) and can be used to replace not only meat, but soft tofu can be blended to make creamy dressings, puddings, and dips.

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is made from low-fat soy flour which has been processed into chunks of various sizes. It has the fooled-you mouth-feel of meat. Try it in your favorite loaf recipe or in chili and sloppy joes. TVP is actually higher in protein than most meat; it's also fat-free, has far fewer calories, and is much cheaper!

Dairy-Free and Delicious
Nondairy soy milks can be used in place of cow's milk on cereal, in baked goods and sauces, and even in "milkshakes." One of the best-selling brands, Silk, can be found in more than 80 percent of supermarkets. Many varieties are fortified with calcium and other nutrients, and some are low-fat. Got a sweet tooth? Don't miss out on mouth-watering "mock treats."

Ready to Cook? This April, PETA is offering soy lovers a 20 percent discount on Peter Golbitz's Tofu & Soyfoods Cookery, which is packed with more than 100 recipes to help take the mystery out of cooking with tofu, tempeh, textured soy protein, and other delicious soy foods. You can also check out other vegetarian cookbooks.

See Also:

Can you do tofu?

Sample some of PETA's favorite soy recipes