How to Get More Soy Protein in a Diet

Once you know the health benefits of soy protein, you may want to learn strategies to incorporate it into your diet and reap those benefits. Eating soy protein can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. This is significant because heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. Soy protein is common to Eastern cultures and can become common in your diet with some planning.

Things You'll Need

• Breakfast cereal fortified with soy protein
• Soy milk
• Tofu
• Soy nut butter

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Eat a breakfast cereal fortified with soy protein. Many breakfast cereals are fortified with soy protein but they taste similar to cereals without soy protein. These cereals are made by several major cereal makers and come in wide variety of flavors, textures and types. They can be hot cereals like oatmeal or they can be cold cereals made to be eaten with milk. Breakfast cereals that are not fortified with soy protein consist of carbohydrates. However, cereals with soy protein have an added benefit of helping to maintain blood sugar levels better than those with only carbohydrates because it takes the body longer to break down protein than carbohydrates. A drop in blood sugar is one signal that tells the brain it's time to eat again. Delaying this drop helps to aid in weight management by allowing you to feel satisfied longer.

• 2

  Use soy milk. If you can't find a soy fortified cereal you like or you just want an added boost to it or another meal, use soy milk. Soy milk can be poured over cereal, used in baking and other recipes and even consumed straight.

• 3

  Replace meat in recipes with firm or extra firm tofu. Tofu is made from soy protein and can be easily used to replace meat in recipes. Some examples of recipes that taste great with tofu are stir fry recipes, chili and spaghetti. Soy protein is available in different textures and can be flavored or unflavored. Unflavored tofu doesn't have a taste and will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

• 4

  Eat soy nut butter instead of peanut butter. This is a good way to encourage a child to eat soy protein. There are many snacks that kids enjoy that call for peanut butter. Soy nut butter is a viable and tasty alternative to peanut butter because it has a very similar taste, look and texture.