By: Erica Wells, RD

If you are trying to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle, consider adding soy to your shopping list. Soy products range from tofu and tempeh to soy milks and yogurts. Ever eaten edamame before but wasn’t sure what they were? Those are immature soybeans! Soy is a legume, which is basically the seed of a plant (beans and lentils are also considered a legume). The great thing about plant products is they are naturally cholesterol free and low in saturated fat which is good for your heart (click here to learn more about other plant protein sources). Soy can be used as a substitute for animal products such as meats if you are trying to reduce the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol in your diet or to replace dairy products if you have an allergy or intolerance to lactose. Soy is a complete protein, which means it contains all of the amino acids nutritionally required by humans.

Ways to incorporate the heart healthy, plant powered protein of soy into your diet:
– Use tofu or tempeh in place of meat when cooking
– Eat edemame straight from the pod (this is one of my favorite go to snacks)
– Add roasted soynuts to salad or enjoy them by themselves as a high protein snack
– Use soynut butter in place of regular peanut butter
– Drink/substitute recipes with soymilk!

Switching from cow’s milk to smooth, delicious, Silk soymilk is an easy way to start adding more plants to your diet. Silk soymilk comes in multiple varieties from unsweetened (which works great as a neutral substitution) to sweetened options such as vanilla, chocolate and even eggnog during the holiday season (soooo yummy). The great thing about Silk soymilk is that it has the same amount of protein per cup as cow’s milk so it’s a perfect 1:1 substitute on the protein front. It also contains just as much or more calcium as traditional cow’s milk (depending on the variety you choose) and Vitamin D (absent from skim milk) both of which are very important for bone health. Since Silk soymilk is produced with non-GMO soybeans and no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, you can feel secure that you are consuming a product that is close to its original form.

If you aren’t ready to start guzzling down a full glass of soymilk just yet, start using it as a substitute for cow’s milk in other ways:
– In your coffee
– On your cereal
– As part of a smoothie

Silk soymilk can be substituted for cow’s milk in most recipes such as pancakes, muffins, soups and more! Come back next month for some fall inspired recipes that benefit from both the nutritional aspects as well as the nuttier flavor of soymilk.

Click here to sign up for the Silk newsletter to learn more about Silk products and to receive a coupon to use during your next shopping trip!

References:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0101/p43.html
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040113p30.shtml
https://silk.com/our-story/non-gmo

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Silk.