By Tara Narayan

ANYTHING TO DO with soya beans or soybeans (as they called in America) I’m interested. And I’m happy that renewed efforts are being made to promote soybean and its products in India and Goa. Indian Medical Association meets can be interesting and hilarious and I like to attend them. This is to say the Tiswadi and Ponda units organized a so called seminar on “Nutritional and Therapeutic Value of Soy and Soy Milk” in Panaji last week and it was sponsored by Godrej Industries (which has recently put into the market their “Sofit” soymilk tetrapacks) and the American Soybean Association and the guest speaker was Dr. G. Subbulakshmi who’s a noted nutritionist. She didn’t say anything new to me for I’m familiar with the fact that soybeans and soybean products like soybean milk, tofu, tempeh…are packed with class A proteins and are rich in isoflavones and all kinds of other good things. In fact, it would be great if we could replace our obsessive dairy culture (with all the attendant hypocritical evils of cow worship, use and abuse) with a soybean culture. Grow more soybeans, drink soybean milk and eat soybean tofu, tempeh, nuggets, etc.,etc.

 But now soybean milk is going to be recommended by doctors like a prescription! It may or may not work by way of promoting soybean and products in a larger context but interestingly, Dr. Suresh Dubashi, IMA president and head of Vintage Hospital (the most conscientious hospital in Panaji if you’re asking me), who divides his time between England and Goa, in his introduction at the meet made an interesting comment. And that is in the UK before folk go out partying at night they drink a glass of milk or eat a piece of cheese, “This makes for a smooth lining for the stomach and slows down the absorption of alcohol…” (I prefer to eat a bowl of curd with honey in it!) The genial Dr. Dubashi quipped that Godrej should promote its “Sofit” soymilk as a pre-cocktail drink rather than something “nutritious” (it seems that all of us have an in-built resistance to the word “nutritious”!) and everybody had a good laugh over this. But seriously it’s not a bad idea at all. Soybean milk can be delicious and it is a superior alternative to dairy milk any day.

The goodness of soybeans. . . Dr. G. Subbulakshmi waxing lyrical at IAM meet.

“Sofit” 200 ml packs in natural, malt, mango and chocolate flavours were distributed to every body to drink while the good Dr. Subhalakshmi presented her soymilk slide show. Judging by the comments later everybody found the soymilk very agreeable. But by evening end the medical fraternity returned to cheering each other with beer and the hard liquors followed by dinner! I mean who says that doctors should set a good example to their patients by drinking soymilk? Obviously it’s a case of do-what-I-say-and-not-what-I-do-for-your-own-good, take the advice or leave it. But I’m sure doctors in Goa will be recommending Godrej “Sofit” soymilk to many a weakling kid and pregnant mother though! Like they recommend “Complan” and “Horlicks”, etc.

IN THE MARKET
ACTUALLY, I’d come across the Godrej “Sofit” tetrapacks (Rs.10 for natural Rs.12 for the others) at one of the supermarkets in town earlier. But I had also picked up an eye-catching larger quart pack of “Silk Soymilk” (manufactured by White Wave Inc.,USA, and imported by Olive Tree Trading in Pune) which claims that its soymilk is extracted from organically grown soybeans and is vitamin fortified. So now we have a desi and imported soybean milk in the market. Soybean milk and soy products have become popular with the health-conscious in the countries of the West in recent years (with America growing tonnes of soybeans and naturally looking for a market for them except that there’s a genetifically modified tag attached to the American-grown soybeans). But soybeans, soybean milk, soybean tofu, soybean tempeh, soybean gluten (dehydrated nuggets), soybean skins, soybean sprouts…have been a way of life in the Far East and South East Asia for ages. The countries of China, Japan, Indo-China, Malaysia, Indonesia, have never had a dairy milk culture, instead the life of the people have revolved around staples derived from the humble soybean (a wonder bean from all accounts and the ideal bean for vegetarians of whatever denomination).

This is not the first time soybean products are being promoted in India of course. Earlier efforts bombed but this time round I hope a lot more Indians will sit up and take to soybeans and their goodness as a superior alternative to dairy products. Out in Malaysia soybean milk is a popular streetside vendor business, usually Chinese women or men would have these very neat mobile carts loaded with stainless steel containers dispensing freshly made hot or cold soymilk sweetened with palm jaggery or sugar syrup (I preferred the first option), then there’s the hot soybean silky cream or curd served in bowls, laced with palm jaggery syrup and several versions of soybean cheese or tofu…hard and soft choices. It’s said you have to acquire a taste for soybean products but I already acquired it while out in Malaysia and am hooked for life now. Yes, I would encourage any switchover from a dairy products lifestyle to soybean products lifestyle (hey, the first is a pure vegetarian lifestyle while the second is essentially non-vegetarian although our dairy afficianadoes don’t like to think so). It’s worth acquiring a taste for all things soybeanish!

SOYBEANS ARE CHOLESTEROL FREE
SOYBEANS ARE cholesterol free but then all things vegetarian are cholesterol free. It’s only animal products which have cholesterol which is indicted in heart disease, etc. The US FDA now recognizes that “25 g of soy protein in a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease”. I read labels like it’s a fetish so I found myself reading the fine print on the come lately Godrej “Sofit” and “Silk Soymilk” tetrapacks. The first with its slogan of soymilk being “The new taste of health” says that “isoflavones naturally present in soyabean helps in reducing prostrate and risk of various types of cancer” and that it’s “good for heart, builds strong bones, vegetable protein rich, lowers cancer risk, free from lactose”. The “Silk Soymilk” (Rs.120 per quart pack) copy is far more convincing and seductive, you should buy a pack just to read it. It lists all the ingredients (mandatory by US law) on the pack…“Filtered water, whole organic soybeans, naturally milled organic evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, sea salt, natural flavors, carrageenan, vitamin A Palmitate, vitamin D2, riboflavin (Bs), vitamin B12. No more, no less.”

With such nitty gritty labeling I end up buying “Silk Soymilk” of course even if it’s more expensive! “Silk Soymilk is third-party certified organic by QAI” … “This soymilk is made from soybeans that were not genetically engineered” …“We bet you’ll like our soymilk. Try it. If you don’t like it, we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked”…“Silk Soymilk is free of lactose, dairy, cholesterol, gluten, eggs, casein, peanuts, MSG and worries. You still have to pay for it though.” (Sigh) I wish “Silk Soymilk” were cheaper to buy. There’s a whole lot more intriguing data and I confess I picked up my first “Silk Soymilk” pack just to read the data! Not that Godrej’s “Sofit” soymilk is not good…I welcome both brands of soymilk in the market. It’s high time you discovered the goodness of soybeans and its products if you haven’t already.

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