The Truth About Soybeans – Do you know how soybeans are grown? Should we be eating more of them? How can you incorporate them in your diet?
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Maryland with Best Food Facts to learn all about soybeans. Best Food Facts is your expert source on all things related to food. If you have questions, you can go to their site to find the answers. And if you can’t find it, they will do the research for you and come up with one.
BestFoodFacts.Org is supported by The Center for Food Integrity and the Canadian Center for Food Integrity. They are a not-for-profit organization striving to educate consumers in an unbiased way.
They do not lobby or advocate for individual companies, brands or specific diets, so you know the answer you’re getting is based on proven facts.
The first stop on our trip was Lazy Day Farms. The owner is William Layton, and he was such a great guy to talk to. He grew up on this farm, but moved away after college to try something new. After a few years, he was drawn back and brought his wife Jennifer with him. Together they have grown the farm and started Layton’s Chance Winery on the property as well.
William taught us about the best farming practices he uses to make sure the farm continues to thrive, allowing it to be passed down to his children some day. They do a rotation of soybeans, wheat and corn to help keep the soil balanced and healthy. During the colder months of the year, they use cover crops to help stop soil erosion, balance the nutrients and make sure the soil stays loose for the next season.
The have to follow extensive regulations to make sure what they are planting is safe for us and the animals who eat their crops. If they spray something on their field, they have to document the day they sprayed, the temperature, the wind speed, wind direction and even more to make sure everything is safe and accounted for.
Lazy Day Farms is a no till farm. Do you know what that means? It means each year they plant in whatever soil is there, which is why they take such good care of it all year round. This means they have less soil loss, use smaller equipment, less equipment, and in the end, have to use less water. They really strive to make sure their farm is around in the future and remains a growing business for their family (no pun intended). The care they put into each step is remarkable.
Next up we learned a lot about the nutrition side of soybeans. Soybeans are naturally cholesterol-free and full of lots of different nutrients. They are very high in protein and fiber. So they are great to incorporate into your diet. Soy is also rich in vitamin B, phosphorus and iron.
It doesn’t have to be just eating tofu either; there are lots of other ways. You can add soy milk to your soups and smoothies. Soy nuts are a great snack. Add edamame to your salads or stir-fry. We got to experience a very delicious dinner that incorporated soy products in a lot of unexpected ways.
Soy is a phytoestrogen, a plant-based estrogen. This has raised some concerns in the past about possible links to breast cancer in women. But studies are showing this is not the case. The estrogen in a plant is not the same as in the human body, so it is not something we need to worry about.
One study I found said that consuming soy in conjunction with probiotics could actually reduce the risk of breast cancer. In the end, you need to do the research for yourself, but more and more studies conclude there is no increased risk with consuming soy.
I had such a great time in Maryland learning about soybeans. It was not something I really knew about before this trip. Now I’m excited to incorporate more soy products into our diets. It is such a great source of protein, which should definitely help me fill up my growing teenage boy!
Stay tuned for a delicious recipe that was inspired by this trip!
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**This post is sponsored by Best Food Facts. I was compensated for my time to travel and create this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
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Beth Pierce
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
What a fun experience! Thank you for sharing; looks like a lot of fun!
Catalina
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
A lot of interesting info about soybeans. Thanks for sharing this!
Chrissie Baker
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
My family loves soy beans very much. Thank you for sharing this story. I love all the pics!
Michelle
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
I love soybeans and a lot of soy products, but I have never overly enjoyed tofu. Thanks for sharing with us what you learned on your trip.
Sara Welch
Monday 19th of August 2019
Great information! I have always loved soy beans; my favorite afternoon snack with soy sauce!