The Secret Ingredient for Women’s Health

While many women try to eat to lose weight, they also need to think about heart and breast health too.

One of the key ingredients to help with both of these is soy. By consuming two servings of whole soy each day, you can get a great source of fiber, protein, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

In last month’s Journal of Nutrition Supplement, a report profiled the benefits of soy on women’s health.

Healthy Heart

Consuming 20-133 grams of soy each day can result in a 7-10 point reduction in cholesterol which helps with heart health.  According to the Food and Drug Administration, incorporating 25 grams of soy protein per day as part of a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Breast Health

“Soy appears to be protective and is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer reoccurrence for women who have consumed soy throughout most of their life,” said Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, and Professor of Oncology at Georgetown University. “At this point in time, the effects of soyfoods on breast cancer reoccurrence in patients who have not previously consumed soy are not known.”

According to the American Cancer Society, women with an increased risk for breast cancer or history of breast cancer can consume up to 3 servings of soy per day.

Whole soy includes foods with the entire soybean as opposed to the isolated soy protein. Some examples of whole soy include:

• Dry roasted soybeans – ¼ cup is a serving
• ½ cup of edamame sprinkled on a salad
• ½ cup of canned soy beans in a bean salad or chili
• ½ tofu in a vegetable stir-fry recipe
• Try 2 SOYJOY®  Bars – to find out more, check out www.soyjoy.com.