Soy Meat
Soy Meat - It's A Matter Of Taste
Steak and hamburger lovers aren't apt too get too excited about a meal of soy meat, even if they're convinced it may be a healthier meal. Most of us weren't raised on food products made of soy. It's something that's crept upon the scene for a number of years, but has yet to become firmly entrenched in most people's diets.
Why Soy Meat? - So, why would anyone choose to eat soy meat? Most of us have eaten red meat all of our lives, and most of us either haven't suffered any ill effects from doing so, or if we have, remain blissfully unaware of them. There has always been something macho about eating a T-bone stake, and any kind of a substitute could almost be considered as an insult to some.
The primary reason for choosing soy meat over regular red meat is that soy has no cholesterol, fewer calories, and none of the saturated fats found in meat products. Soy in other words is better for us and healthier for us. From a nutritional standpoint, one of the reasons we eat red meat is because it's an excellent source of protein, whereas fruits and vegetables generally are not. Soy is also very rich in protein, and is especially good for vegetarians, who sometimes run the risk of getting too little protein in their diets. In addition to protein, soy contains a number of other beneficial nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, some of which are not found in abundance in red meat.
Cooking Soy Meat - Soy meat often tastes like the real thing, or close enough to it for most palates. It is possible, when cooking soy meat, to create a disaster by cooking it incorrectly, with the result the food tastes less like meat and more like soy or some concoction of bland vegetation. When you purchase soy meat, it's well to know a few things about how to best prepare it, although in most instances there isn't much one really needs to know.
Soy meat may be at its best when it is found in sausages and food items like pepperoni, where the spices help disguise any flavor that might be remotely linked to soy. Soy sausages by and large taste every bit as much like meat sausages as the real thing. Some cooks even mix soy meat and real meat in their dishes as a means of cutting back to some degree on fats and cholesterol.
Weight Loss - Soy meat is also a wise choice for anyone on a diet designed with weight loss in mind. We have long since learned about the benefits of hot dog sausages composed of turkey meat, as the meat is much leaner and healthier. A soy meat hot dog goes even one step further, though most who have tried turkey hot dogs would probably just as soon stick with them as they are, if not as healthy as soy hot dogs, are nearly as healthy. But if you love hot dogs and are trying to lose weight, consider soy meat if not turkey meat, remembering the bread, though not the mustard, can be fattening as well.
There Are Both Pros And Cons - The pros of including soy meat in your diet would seem to vastly outweigh the cons, once the issue of taste has been dealt with. Most people can eat soy foods and will benefit from it. On the other side of the coin, soy has shown a tendency to create thyroid problems in some people, and those who have had breast cancer or are predisposed towards having it are usually cautioned against eating soy or soy products. Also, there are some people, though the number is not large, at least in terms of percentages, who are allergic to soy, and presumably would be allergic to soy meat as well.