25 reasons to eat soy

Farmer-leader Joel Thorsrud eats 25 grams a day to pack nutrients into his diet

Some 20 years ago, when North Dakota farmer Joel Thorsrud wanted to buy soy nuts, he’d have to travel to a health-food store. Today, supermarkets around the country, including in Thorsrud’s hometown of Hillsboro, stock his favorite snack.

Like peanuts, soybeans come from the legume family. Soy nuts—roasted soybeans—taste similar to peanuts but pack more protein with less calories and fat.

“As a diabetic, I regularly have soy nuts on hand,” says Thorsrud, who farms soybeans, corn and wheat on his farm near the North Dakota-Minnesota boarder. “They’re a snack I can enjoy that won’t hurt my blood-sugar levels.”

In addition to helping manage his diabetes, Thorsrud says soyfoods help with everyday wellness. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Soyfoods provide a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including folate, potassium and, in some cases, fiber. Experts say high soy-protein diets may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis and possibly lower blood sugar.

“I try to eat 25 grams of soy protein a day because it’s healthy,” says Thorsrud. In addition to soy nuts, he also adds soyfoods such as tofu, soy milk and textured soy protein to his diet. “Edible soybeans, or soybeans grown for food use, are an underutilized source of soybeans in the United States. In North Dakota, we grow a lot of conventional (non-biotech), food-grade soybeans that we ship to Japan.” (Japanese buyers prefer conventional food-grade soybeans to biotech soybeans.)

On his own farm, Thorsrud sticks to biotech soybean varieties used primarily for poultry and livestock feed, food and industrial-grade oils. He believes they help keep farmers and consumers healthy.

“Food-grade soybeans provide new markets for soybean farmers,” he says. “We need both food-grade and biotech soybeans to provide a safe, affordable and abundant food supply.”

Read below Thorsrud’s favorite desert recipe—pudding that includes a surprise ingredient.

Tofu pudding

As a diabetic I don’t have desert often. This pudding doesn’t taste diabetic.—Joel Thorsrud

Blend one box instant pudding mix, 1 1/2 cups soymilk, and 10 ounces of silken tofu for dessert.

Chill for 2 hours