How to Prevent Osteoporosis Using Soy
Osteoporosis affects millions of people. Bones naturally start to lose their density as we age. There are many ways to help prevent osteoporosis, including exercise and diet. In particular, soy can help keep bones strong and healthy. Soy is high in calcium, magnesium and boron--all of which help to maintain bone structure. The isoflavones in soy also help prevent osteoporosis. There are many ways to incorporate soy into your lifestyle.
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Things You'll Need
- Soy supplement
- Roasted soy nuts
- Soy yogurt
- Soy milk
- Tofu
- Soy sauce
- Tofu patties
- Tofu hot dogs
- Soy cheese
- Soy flour
- Edamame
- Miso
Instructions
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Decide whether you want to change your diet to include soy, or if you'd rather take a soy pill. If you decide to take a soy supplement, follow the directions on the label. If you'd rather change your diet to accommodate soy, you have a variety of options.
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Stock your pantry with quick soy snacks for easy availability. You can purchase roasted soy nuts and yogurt made with soy. You can also purchase soy milk in different flavors, including regular, vanilla or chocolate. If you have trouble adjusting to the taste of soy milk, try pouring it over cereal.
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Substitute tofu for meat in recipes. Stir-fry extra firm tofu and use soy sauce for flavoring. You can also purchase tofu patties instead of beef patties for burgers, as well as tofu hot dogs. Soy cheese can be melted on top of the patties for extra flavor.
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Bake bread products with soy flour. Leave out 1/3 cup regular flour and add that amount of soy flour instead. If you're baking lasagna, you can substitute tofu for ricotta cheese. Simply mash up a block of firm tofu and layer it where you'd normally layer the ricotta.
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Cook a side dish of steamed edamame (soybeans) in place of lima beans. If you're cooking soup, try substituting extra firm tofu for some or all of the meat. You can also use miso for the soup base. Miso is a salty paste made from soybeans.
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Tips & Warnings
Try a health food store if you can't find all the soy products you want at the grocery store.
If you take a concentrated soy supplement, do not exceed a daily dose of about 100 to 200 mg of isoflavones. Don't worry about overdosing on soy if you've only changed your diet, as it's difficult to ingest an excess of isoflavones from food.
