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.
Check out NutritionDegreeOnline.org It is packed with great info!
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.