The joy of soy

By Mary Wade Burnside
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT September 30, 2008 06:51 pm

— As a vegetarian chef for 10 years, Erin Hartman of Morgantown became an expert on slipping soy products into tasty dishes that she whipped up at the now-defunct Mountain People’s Kitchen.
“In vegetarian cooking, we need to get the protein, and that’s what we used tofu for,” she said. “You can marinate it, sauté it, bake it, and do a lot of the same things with it that you would with meat. If you have a recipe that calls for chicken, you can substitute it.
“It’s not as scary as what people think it is.”
Soy is a legume that is native to East Asia but which can be grown in the United States and other countries. It can be turned into items such as soy milk; tofu, or coagulated soy milk; and tempeh, a cake made from fermented soybeans.
These foods have been known to lower bad cholesterol, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease; as well as lower incidents of certain forms of cancer. It also provides protein to people who want or need to avoid meat products.
“In terms of health benefits, it definitely is linked with possibly reducing breast-cancer risks,” said Pam Hamilton, associate professor at Fairmont State University in food service management as well as the public relations chair for the West Virginia Dietetic Association. “And in terms of prevention of prostate and colon cancer, studies indicate that soy consumption may be good for that.”
Of course, tofu and tempeh also fall into the category of foods that are good for you that do not necessarily appeal to a large variety of appetites. But soy-based foods can taste good, said both Hartman as well as Lee Martinec, manager of the Mountain People’s Co-op, a not-for-profit corporation that continued after the adjoining restaurant closed.
“Everyone has had an experience with it,” Martinec said. “People think it’s bean paste that’s totally disgusting. A lot of people have eaten tofu and that’s their experience with soy.”
But Martinec suggests putting tofu in tomato sauce for a vegetarian spaghetti topper that can mimic the consistency of ground meat.
Her store also sells dried soybeans covered in wasabi that can be eaten for a snack; edamame, which “looks like Italian pole beans,” she said; and soy milk that comes in chocolate, vanilla and plain.
“It really tastes pretty good,” Martinec said of the latter, although “you have to get used to plain soy milk. But if you cook with it, it’s got a great consistency.”
Some infants and children have been advised to drink soy milk if they cannot drink regular cow’s milk. However, more research is being done because soy contains phytoestrogens, such as isoflavones, which can interfere with the hormones of both children and adults.
“It depends on how the soy is processed,” Martinec said.
In a 1997 study, the medical journal The Lancet showed “that infants consuming soy formula had five to 10 times higher levels of isoflavones in their blood serum than women receiving soy supplements who show menstrual cycle disturbances,” according to the Food & Drug Administration.
The same article also reported that genistein, a type of isoflavone, has prompted the growth of breast tissue in male rats.
One serving of traditional soy food provides 20 to 35 mg of isoflavones, Hamilton said, which also can reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
“Soy is something that we’re getting lots of information about,” Hamilton said. “People are trying to incorporate it into their diets, but we’re not exactly sure how much is the right amount in terms of health benefits.”
Another potential problem with soy is that some of the products have been genetically modified. That’s why Patricia Parker, owner of Health Naturally in Fairmont, only carries a few soy-based items.
“I don’t do a lot of soy and I don’t carry a lot of soy,” Parker said. “Most soy today is like corn — it’s genetically modified, so if it doesn’t say ‘organic’ or ‘non-GMO,’ it’s genetically modified.”
Parker does carry miso — a product made of fermented soy, rice and barley — as well as freeze-dried soy nuts.
However, Martinec noted that Mountain People’s Co-op gets all-organic soy products.
“People come from all over the place to buy it, and we sell it to local restaurants,” she said.
E-mail Mary Wade Burnside at mwburnside@timeswv.com.

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