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Soy Finally Finds Home in America!

By Douglas Becker

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Nov2009 Word count: 543 Viewed: 16 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Seems it took forever, but America has finally discovered the huge array of natural health benefits associated with, and contained in, soy products. Soymilk and tofu were first used in China several thousand years ago. Earliest Western Europe references to soymilk, in the early 1600s, were only as a by-product from making tofu. Then soymilk took notice in the West in the 1800s as China routinely drank hot soymilk for breakfast. Not until the early 1900s did soymilk find its way to the U.S. and was commercially produced in New York back in 1917.

Soymilk and tofu seeped into the U.S. with the help of British medical journals and published articles regarding the health benefits as well as the cost effectiveness. But, no matter what information came available, soy didn't get well recognized in the U.S. until the 1960s and even more so in the 1980s. Even then, however, menus with soy were limited. The unflavored, natural, beany taste of soymilk took getting used to, and the blandness of tofu that was arbitrarily stirred into anything was just too odd for most Americans.

Reticence for soy in America from the 1950s to the 1990s now seems obvious. Financial and commercial success, and national industrial development put cars in every garage, motels along new highways, and turned the country toward a more high speed and convenience oriented society. Along with TV came TV dinners. Grocery stores were filled with ready to serve canned and packaged foods with enough preservatives to last forever. Fast food drive-ins popped up like mushrooms serving easily affordable fried beef and cheese and rich milkshakes. We were in heaven. Life was good.

During those years, however, who ever heard of cholesterol, LDL, HDL or even heart disease and what caused it. Did anyone know what a prostate was? What on earth is polyunsaturated fat? Does sugar diabetes come from eating too much sugar from the sugar bowl? And putting fiber in one's diet just plain sounds dangerous! Think I'll stick with a healthy and hardy pile of meat and potatoes, gravy, bread and butter. How about some ice cream and pie for dessert? Mmmm!

Well, those days have mostly past and knowledge and health awareness has entered the arena. Labels regarding content are now placed on every food product, and people read them! Chemicals are out and natural is in. Not until now has soy become so widely accepted and requested. Today, soymilk and soy products really step up to the plate by meeting the needs and demands of a well informed, health oriented, modern society. Naturally healthy and nutritious food products that boast some content of soy are now on the shelves of every grocery store across the country. Soymilk is sold in various flavors and is packaged just like ordinary dairy milk. In fact, high tech soymilk makers are now produced and available for quick, easy and economical use in every kitchen on the street. Cookbooks filled with delicious recipes made with soy are published everywhere and the huge array of soy's natural health benefits have been discovered by the general public. Better understanding and appreciation has made soy increasingly popular. Yes! Soy has finally found a home in America. Ahhh, soymilk! Drink to your health!

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