Soy foods come in many varieties. The more familiar include tofu, miso, frozen desserts and tempeh, but now there is soymilk, soy cheese, soy flour, soy powder, and analogs that simulate meat, eggs and dairy. Soy foods have health benefits that intrigue consumers. Soy has been touted as a major player in reducing the threat of breast cancer and heart disease, supplementing estrogen shortages in women and providing essential amino acids with decreased amounts of fat and cholesterol. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that consuming just 20 g of soy protein daily can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 10 to 20 percent.
Consumers now have many options.
New recipes make it easy to substitute soy for other foods without noticing much of a difference. Most soy-based recipes are just new renditions of familiar foods, with soy products replacing meat, egg and dairy ingredients. Retailers must educate consumers about how to incorporate soy into their daily lives. Demonstrate relationships between soy products and other natural health products to promote a healthy lifestyle. Provide free, take-away recipe cards that use soy products in place of meats or cheeses.