Food for fitness freaks

Article from Living Magazine on the power of Soy which as we all know is high in protein although it’s amino acid profile is a little weak:

When even doctors start singing paeans to soya, it is time to take this lesser-known legume seriously

Yes, this isn’t the sexiest-looking ingredient on your table. Your mouth hardly waters thinking of the yellow seed and its varied forms. Yet, it’s equally difficult to put this aside, especially if you’re a fitness and diet freak. Soya’s magical qualities may sound incredible, but you have got to believe it when doctors swear by it!

Veggie option
In the last few years, soya has become the vegetarian’s answer for protein-rich food, the nutritionist’s antidote for diabetes management and the oncologist’s prescribed diet for cancer patients. Benefits of eating soya vary from improved memory, height-weight of children, prevention of heart diseases, reduction in menopausal symptoms to stoppage of bone deterioration.

“High protein content is, in fact, the biggest advantage of including soya in regular food,” explains Beena Mathew, a nutritionist with NIMHANS.

“At the same time it has low saturated fat, which makes it ideal for weight management and heart disease. We at NIMHANS teach those with diabetes to make dishes using soya flour, as it contains fibre.”

She mentions that soya is a perfect food for all age groups. As it digests easily, even senior citizens can eat it without difficulty.

Experts point out that the ability of soya to help retain calcium in the body is beneficial for pregnant and lactating women, and makes it superior to animal foods.

Yet, culinary connoisseurs often wonder if soya is something taste buds can tolerate, if it can give chicken and mutton a run for their money. Beena admits that soya may have to shy away before spicier animal meats. “It isn’t a plant known for taste, at least not in India. Eating it alone wouldn’t make for a great recipe, but mixing it with other flours does,” she says.

Now soymilk

Soymilk may not appear different from its dairy counterpart, but while the eyes swear by the cow, the tongue would spot the difference. “If you add soymilk more in sweets, children may enjoy the taste.

This would work with the adults as well,” Beena says. The increasing number of branded soymilk available in different flavours is also a good way of including it in the regular diet.

Apart from being the ideal ingredient for diet-conscious individuals, soya is lending itself to gastronomical ingenuities.

Its image as the food for subtle tongues may be changing, as it crawls slowly into the spicy world of Indian cuisine. Soya— the perfect mix of taste and thinner waistline— is redefining our experience of food.

Today you see soya pairing up with wheat flour, making your roties taste different. There’s de-fatted soya flour nicely blended with gram flour, which absorbs less oil when fried, tofu, the cheaper soya cheese, can be a nutritious alternative for paneers, and soyanuts, rich with protein and isoflavones, make peanuts blush.

And papad

Hold on!… Soya papad is missing from the menu.

The FDA recommends 25 gm of soya to be included in daily diet and nutritionists like Beena feels 20 per cent of it is enough to make a difference. “Moreover, including soya in your regular food as an ingredient helps balance your diet,” she says. She points out that there’s increasing awareness on soya foods and beverages, making it the most preferred grain next to regular ones like black and red grams.

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