Organic Homemade Soy Milk- simple way

Organic Homemade Soy Milk- simple way


Step 1: Soak 3 cups of dried soy beans over night or for at least 8 hours.

Step 2:Drain and carefully rinse soybeans then pass them through the Omega 8003 juicer. This step takes about 5 minutes.

Step 3:Pour 1 gallon of drinking, distilled or spring water into a large stainless steel pot. Add the mashed soy beans into water and stir for few minutes.

Step 4:Pass the mashed soy and water through the Omega juicer again to extract soy milk and pour the soy milk into another large pot.

Step 5:Pass the soy milk though a cheese cloth the final time before cooking it. It takes about 10-15 minutes from steps 3 to 5.

Final Step - Cook Soy Milk

This is an important step. The cooking time is important, as raw soybeans contain a factor known as a tripsin inhibitor. Essentially, this means that the protein contained in the beans cannot be properly assimilated by the body unless the beans are well cooked. Soy milk should be cooked for at least 25 minutes from the first boiling time. Another challenge is the soy milk may stick to the bottom of the pot. A wooden spatula is very handy for stirring the soy milk.

a) Put the pot of soy milk on the cooking stove. Use high heat. Stir the soy milk clockwise every 25-30 seconds. Make sure there is no soy milk stuck at the bottom. If it is stuck, use the wooden spatula to remove it.
b) When it boils, adjust the heat to medium, keeping it at a boiling level. At this time, you only need to stir the soy milk once in a while. The soy milk may also rise very quickly. If it does, take the pot off the stove for about 30 seconds and put it back afterwards. It may rise about 3-4 times.
c) Use a timer to set the time for about 25 minutes then turn off the heat. Soy milk is now ready to drink or for making tofu.

The role of soyfoods in disease prevention

The role of soyfoods in disease prevention

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, linolenic acid C18-3, all cis, 9,12,15 octadecatrienoic acid (where the omega-3 refers to carbon number 3 counting from the hydrocarbon tail whereas C-15 refers to carbon number 15 counting from the carboxyl acid head) are special fat components that benefit many body functions. However, the effects which are beneficial to health are associated mainly with the longer-chain, more unsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) found in fish oil and oily fish. For instance, EPA and DHA, inhibit blood clotting, while there is no evidence that alpha-linolenic acid (aLNA) can do this. Soybean oil is one of the few common vegetable oils that contains a significant amount of aLNA; others include canola, walnut, and flax. However, soybean oil does not contain EPA or DHA. Soybean oil does contain significantly greater amount of omega-6 fatty acids in the oil: 100g of soybean oil contains 7g of omega-3 fatty acids to 51g of omega-6: a ratio of 1:7. Flaxseed, in comparison, has an omega-3:omega-6 ratio of 3:1 which may inhbit conversion of aLNA to the biologically active forms EPA and DHA, which is at best limited in humans anyway.

Isoflavones

Soybeans also contain isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, that are considered by some nutritionists and physicians to be useful in the prevention of cancer and by others to be carcinogenic and endocrine disruptive. Soy's high levels of isoflavone phytoestrogens, being up to 3mg/g dry weight, are the subject of heated debate and controversy.{Pfact}} They are also blamed for some thyroid and reproductive health problems.

Isoflavones are polyphenol compounds, produced primarily by beans and other legumes, including peanuts and chickpeas. Although isoflavones are closely related to the antioxidant flavonoids found in plants, vegetables and flowers, isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein are found in very few plant families. This is because of the restricted distribution of the enzyme, chalcone isomerase which converts a flavone precursor into an isoflavone, to tropical legumes.

Claims of cholesterol reduction

The dramatic increase is largely credited to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of health claims for soy in which studies are conflicting to their cholesterol lowering ability.^[21]

From 1992 to 2003, soyfoods sales have experienced a 15% compound annual growth rate, increasing from $300 million to $3.9 billion over 11 years, as new soyfood categories have been introduced, soyfoods have been repositioned in the market place, thanks to a better emphasis on marketing nutrition.

In 1995, the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 333, No. 5) published a report from the University of Kentucky entitled, "Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Soy Protein Intake on Serum Lipids." It was financed by the PTI division of DuPont,"The Solae Co."^[22] St. Louis, Missouri, a soy producer and marketer. This meta-analysis concluded that soy protein is correlated with significant decreases in serum cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride concentrations. However, High Density Lipoprotein HDL(good cholesterol) did not increase by a significant amount. Soy phytoestrogens (isoflavones: genistein and daidzein) adsorbed onto the soy protein were suggested as the agent reducing serum cholesterol levels. On the basis of this research PTI, in 1998, filed a petition with FDA for a health claim that soy protein may reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. It should be noted that only subjects with serum cholesterol of 250mg/dl and higher showed any improvement in the study.

The FDA granted this health claim for soy: "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." One serving, (1 cup or 240 mL) of soy milk, for instance, contains 6 or 7 grams of soy protein. Solae resubmitted their original petition, asking for a more vague health claim, after their original was challenged and highly criticized. Solae also submitted a petition for a health claim that soy can help prevent cancer. They quickly withdrew the petition for lack of evidence and after more than 1000 letters of protest were received.

In January, 2006 an American Heart Association review (in the journal Circulation) of a decade long study of soy protein benefits casts doubt on the FDA allowed "Heart Healthy" claim for soy protein. This review of the literature compared soy protein and its component isoflavones with casein (isolated milk protein), wheat protein, and mixed animal proteins.^[23] The review panel also found that soy isoflavones have not been shown to reduce post menopause "hot flashes" in women and the efficacy and safety of isoflavones to help prevent cancers of the breast, uterus or prostate is in question. Thus, soy isoflavone supplements in food or pills is not recommended. Among the conclusions the authors state, "In contrast, soy products such as tofu, soy butter, soy nuts, or some soy burgers should be beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health because of their high content of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low content of saturated fat. Using these and other soy foods to replace foods high in animal protein that contain saturated fat and cholesterol may confer benefits to cardiovascular health."^[24] The original paper is in the journal Circulation: January 17, 2006.^[25]