Week
of September 25, 2005
Adding
Soy to Your Low Fat Lifestyle
Soyfoods
have become a healthy part part of many people's diets. Research
shows that by eating soyfoods, people may be able to reduce
their blood cholesterol levels. Soyfoods are low in saturated
fats and free of cholesterol. But if you do not know much
about soy, you may not know how to incorporate this high quality
protein into your diet. Soyfoods come in many forms, so you
can easily choose the ways you would wish to use it in your
meal planning.
Soy
Milk comes plain or in a variety of flavors including
vanilla, almond and chocolate and can be found in low-fat
or fat-free varieties. You can use soy milk with your hot
or cold cereal in the morning instead of milk or part milk
and part soy milk. Delicious fruit smoothies can be made by
blending soy milk and fruit and can also be poured into popsicle
molds and put in the freezer. Soy milk can be used in place
of cream, milk or evaporated milk in soups and sauces and
even desserts or can be used to substitute milk used in pancakes,
muffins or other baked goods. Or you can use it in coffee
as a non-dairy creamer, to make hot chocolate or or even puddings.
Tofu
can be firm, soft or silken and has a bland taste by itself
but will absorb any flavor you add to it. You can use tofu
to make smoothies by blending it with some fruit and orange
juice or whatever you like. Firm tofu can be used as a meat
substitute in dishes like tacos, burritos, chile and spaghetti
sauce or added to stews and soups. Silken tofu can be used
instead of sour cream in dips or replace milk or cream in
sauces and desserts. Soft tofu can be used to substitute soft
cheeses in pasta dishes. Firm tofu can also be used in stir-fry
with vegetables, shish-ka-bob or cut into small pieces to
make imitation egg salad.
Soy
Flour can be used to replace part of the flour in recipes
for baked goods such as bread, cakes, cookies, brownies muffins
and even pancakes. For products that are not yeast-raised,
you can replace up to ¼ the total amount of flour in
the recipe with soy flour. Soy flour can also be used as an
egg substitute in baked products. One egg equals 1 tablespoon
of flour plus1 tablespoon of water. When using soy flour you
should shorten the baking time or slightly lower the temperature
since baking products tend to brown more quickly.
Isolated
soy protein can also replace flour in recipes for baked goods
or be blended into fruit shakes, soups, etc.
Fresh
Green Soybeans can be added to salads, stir-fry or soups.
Whole
Soybeans can be added to soups or chili recipes.
Canned
Beans are available or you can use dry beans which should
be rinsed, checked for rocks, soaked overnight and rinsed
before cooking in fresh water at a low temperature for 3 hours
after bringing water to an initial boil.
TSP
(textured soy protein) must be rehydrated before it
is cooked, has a texture similar to ground beef and can be
used as a meat substitute in sloppy joes, tacos, burritos,
chile or lasagna.
Try
soy yogurt, soy ice cream and soy cheese
instead of your usual dairy products.
If
you are having a barbecue, use soy hotdogs, sausages
or soyburgers. Soy pepperoni can be used to
make a low-fat pizza.
Use
soynut butter instead of peanut butter. Or mix half
soybeans and half peanuts when making homemade peanut butter.
Eat
roasted soynuts as a snack. You can make them yourself
at home by soaking whole dry soybeans overnight, spreading
them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and baking at 300 degrees
F for about an hour (shaking the pan every 15 minutes) or
until the soybeans are lightly browned. Salt to taste.
Miso
can be used in place of salt or soy sauce in recipes.
Tempeh
can substitute meat in spicy dishes such as tacos and chili.
It can also be added to soups, casseroles and salads or be
grilled / barbecued and eaten in a sandwich.
Guide
to Modifying Recipes Using Soy Products*
-
Butter
or shortening................. soybean oil margarine
-
Margarine...............................
soybean oil:
-
1
Tbsp margarine........... ¾ Tbsp soybean oil
-
1
cup margarine.............. ¾ cup soybean oil
-
½
cup margarine............. 1/3 cup soybean oil
-
Baking
chocolate, 1 oz. ........... 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp soybean
oil
-
1
cup milk................................. 1 cup fortified
soy milk
-
1
cup fruit yogurt........ 1 cup soft silken tofu + fruit of
your choice, blended
-
1
egg......................................... 1 Tbsp soy flour
+ 1 Tbsp water
-
1
egg......................................... 1 - 2" square
of tofu
-
Soy
milk................................... 1 cup full-fat soy
flour + 3 cups water
-
1
cup ricotta cheese.................. 1 cup firm tofu, mashed
-
2
Tablespoons flour.............................. 1 Tablespoons
soy flour
*
Adapted from the U.S. 1998 Soyfoods Directory, Indiana Soybean
Board
Week
of September 18, 2005
Are
you intent on firming up and losing some weight?
If
you are exercising for the first time in a long time, you
are re-building muscle. Does this muscle weigh more than fat?
Actually, a pound of muscle weighs a pound and a pound
of fat weighs a pound. However, a pound of muscle is denser,
firmer and takes up less space. Isn't that really want . .
. to be firmer and take up less space?
This
time when you decide on a weight loss program change your
attitude. Instead think of it as doing something good for
yourself; a fitness extavaganza if you like. Here are some
things that will make you successful.
-
Don't
over obsess on just weight loss, weigh yourself only once
a month.
-
Firmness
and tone is one of your main objectives; take your measurements
and record them once a month.
-
Add
more movement into all your activities. Park further from
the store instead of circling the parking lot ten times for
the closest spot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
or escalator. Put a little swing into your household chores
- dance through your vacuuming and dusting. Instead of watching
your kids play, get out there with them . . . hey just have
a little fun. .
-
Walk
or use another form of aerobic exercise 5 to 7 days a week.
Find something that you like to do and you will be more likely
to stick with it.
-
Add
strength training to your program two to three times a week
( Try exercise bands for great resistance training).
-
Keep
a diary of all fitness activities, measurements, food and
liquid intake, and how you feel.
-
Don't
think of this as dieting . . . just make healthy food choices,
eat smaller meals 4 or 5 times a day, and drink at least 64
ounces of water each day. Add another 8 ounces for every 20
minutes of exercise you add to your program.
- Surround
yourself with friends or family that are supportive and believe
that what you are doing is important.
Focus
on Fitness for Life and Have Some Fun!
Week
of September 11, 2005
If
after a meal, you feel stuffed or uncomforable instead of just
satisfied, you are probably OVEREATING. Regular overeating can
lead to obsesity and other diseases like diabetes, high blood
pressure and other health problems.
A
"portion" is how much food you choose to eat,
whether in a restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen.
A "serving" is a standard amount set by the U.S.
Government, or sometimes by others for recipes, cookbooks, or
diet plans. There are two commonly used standards for serving
sizes:
1.
The
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid
2. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) Nutrition Facts Label
The
USDA
Food Guide Pyramid is a healthy eating plan for people
ages 2 and over. It shows the recommended number of servings to
eat from each of five food groups every day to meet your nutrition
needs, and it defines serving sizes.
The
Food
and Drug Administration Nutrition Facts Label is printed
on most packaged foods. It tells you how many calories, how much
fat, carbohydrate, sodium, and other nutrients are in one serving
of the food. The serving size is based on the amount of food people
say they usually eat in one sitting. This size is often different
than the serving sizes in the Food Guide Pyramid.
The
portion size that you are used to eating may be equal to two or
more standard servings.
To
see how many servings a package contains, check "servings
per container" listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Small
containers often have more than one serving. For example: A label
for cookies may show serving size as two cookies, but if you eat
four, you are eating twice the servings and double the calories,
fat, and other nutrients in a standard serving.
Knowing
what a standard serving sizes can help you judge how much you
are eating when you eat out. When cooking at home, use measuring
cups and spoons to measure your usual food portions and compare
them to standard serving sizes from Nutrition Facts labels for
a week or so. Put the measured food on a plate before you start
eating. This will help you see what one standard serving of a
food looks like compared to how much you normally eat.
Just
think about it; yes you may be eating healthy, but when you are
eating enough for two or three adults, it is time to re-evaluate
portion control.
Week
of September 4, 2005
Grilling
Fruit
While
you have the grill fired up this labor day weekend why not add
some fruit to the grill. Grilled fruit makes a great dessert or
side dish to grilled and barbequed meats and poultry. It's easy.
When we grill fruit, it carmelizes the natural sugars creating
a very intense flavor. You will need sliced fruit, water, and
vegetable oil to make the most basic grilled fruit.
Hard fruits like apples, pears, and pineapples are the easiest
to use because they retain their shape and texture while cooking.
Softer fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums and mangos will
get soft and mushy if overcooked. You will need to watch softer
fruits to keep from overcooking. Choose a fresh firm fruit that
is not completely ripe. If the fruitis solid enough, it will maintain
its shape and texture on the grill.
Cut
fruits in half or in the case of bananas or plaintains, split
lengthwise. Remove the core from apples, pears and similar fruits.
Usually, you can leave the peels on. This helps hold them together
even if you do not intend to eat the peel. Large fruits and citrus
should be cut into slices to expose the flesh to the flame.
After
cutting or slicing the fruit, soak it in water so it will stay
juicy on the grill. Use enough cold water to completely cover
the fruit and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each cup of water
to preserve the color. Let fruits soak in the lemon water for
20 to 30 minutes. If you need to, add ice to keep the water cold.
You may also add spices like cinnamon sticks to the soak water
or other ground spices to the oil that you brush on.
Grill
fruit over medium heat on a clean cooking grate. Left over drippings
from the last batch of poultry or meat ruins the flavor. So, make
sure to clean the grate before using. Lightly spray or brush fruit
with cooking oil. A light vegetable oil works best.
