Soymilk & Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Lifestyle

At Smart Chef®, we believe in more than just nutrition – we believe in living a healthy lifestyle. We believe a healthy lifestyle should include certain nutrients, like soy, that can help you stay healthy and even help manage health concerns. Current research suggests that eating isoflavone-containing foods, like soy, can help enhance overall health and well-being. While the research to date is promising, more work needs to be done.

Healthy Soy Nutrients

Using soy-based foods in your diet, like Soymilk, is a great way to consume natural isoflavones. Studies show that consuming as little as one to two servings of soy a day may help to reap the benefits of naturally occurring isoflavones – we recommend soy milk.

Our commitment to healthy lifestyles extends to everything we do here at Silk. That’s why we use natural ingredients in our products, sponsor health-related events and causes and do our best to support our environment.

Learn more about staying healthy with soy milk.

Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Staying Healthy

There's a lot of talk when it comes to the health benefits of soy. Below you'll find a summary of just a few.

Heart Health & Cholesterol

The FDA states that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Soy protein, when consumed as part of a low fat diet, can help lower cholesterol levels and may slow the formation of blood clots as well as decreasing arteriosclerosis (hardening of artery walls).

Bone Health

Soy protein helps build healthy bones and may help to prevent osteoporosis. Soy protein may also enhance calcium retention, keeping bones strong. It has also been shown to increase the quality and density of bones.

Cancer

Soy foods fit the dietary guidelines for reducing cancer risk, and they also contain anticarcinogens which may prove to be protective. Epidemiological studies show that populations which consume a typical Asian diet have lower incidences of breast, prostate, and colon cancers than those consuming a Western diet. The Asian diet includes mostly plant foods, including legumes, fruits, and vegetables, and is low in fat.

The Japanese have the highest consumption of soyfoods. On the other hand, the typical Western diet includes large amounts of animal foods, is lower in fiber and complex carbohydrates, and is high in fat. Soy foods are dietary staples in the Orient, but are not commonly included in the Western diet. Japan has a very low incidence of hormone-dependent cancers.

The mortality rate from breast and prostate cancers in Japan is about one fourth that of the United States. There is evidence that suggests the difference in cancer rates is not due to genetics, but rather to diet. Migration studies have shown that when Asians move to the United States and adopt a Western diet, they ultimately have the same cancer incidence as Americans.

The American Cancer Society has created guidelines designed to help reduce the risk of cancer. Their recommendations include: • Choose most of the foods you eat from plant sources; • Limit your intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources.

Fresh soymilk fits these guidelines for a health promoting diet. Soymilk contains high quality protein and makes an excellent substitute for animal foods. Soymilk and tofu are amazingly versatile, and can easily be incorporated into a varied diet.Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance – the inability to digest a sugar in milk called lactose – can be managed by removing dairy products from your diet.  Soymilk is a great-tasting non-dairy alternative that is naturally lactose-free. It's rich in calcium and contains important nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12.

Isoflavones

Soyfoods are the richest dietary source of isoflavones. These compounds are being studied intensively because they exert physiological effects which may help reduce risk of certain diseases. Phytochemicals are plant compounds which exert biological effects in the animals or humans that consume them. One type of phytochemical is isoflavones.

Isoflavones are found in varying amounts in legumes, but the only significant source in the human diet is soybeans. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens and have a chemical structure similar to that of estrogen. When consumed by animals or humans, isoflavones exert weak estrogenic effects. The two primary isoflavones in soybeans are genistein and daidzein, and their glycosides.

In fact, most isoflavones occur in soybeans as the glycoside forms, genistein and daidzein. Tofu, soymilk, soy flour, and soy nuts have isoflavone concentrations of 1.3 to 3.8 mg/g or about 37 to 108 mg per ounce.

Diabetes

Research dating back to 1917 has shown that soy foods can play an important role in managing diabetes and the related risks. Soy protein has been shown in clinical studies to help decrease some harmful effects of kidney disease, which can result from diabetes. Soy foods also have a low glycemic index, which can help to normalize your blood sugar levels.

Menopause

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) study released in 2005 shows soy appears to decrease hot flashes in women going through menopause. Soy may also help women in menopause lower high cholesterol and triglyceride (fatty acid) levels and prevent bone loss.

Weight Management

Soy can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight when it’s incorporated into a lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet along with regular exercise.

Managing Your Health

Although your doctor should be your guide, adding soy to your diet can be an easy way to help manage concerns like high cholesterol and even symptoms of menopause. Clinical studies have also looked at the positive role soy has on some aspects of diabetes. Plus, soy can be a great alternative if you have lactose intolerance (allergy to milk). If you think you have one of these conditions, you should talk with your doctor.

1. Arjmandi BH, Alekel L, Hollis BW, et al. (1996).Dietary soybean protein prevents bone loss in an ovariectomized rat model osteoporosis. J Nutr 126:161-67.

2. Messina MJ, Persky V, Setchell KDR, Barnes S. (1994). Soy intake and cancer risk: a review of the in vitro and in vivo date. Nutr Cancer 21:113-31.

3. Anderson JW, Johnstone BM, and Cook-Newell ME.(1995). Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein on serum-lipids. NE J MED 5:276-82.