Determine your daily calorie needs by multiplying as follows.

Most men and very active women:
Current weight in pounds ____ x 15 = ____ daily calories.
Inactive men and most women:
Current weight in pounds ____ x 13 = ____ daily calories.
If you want to lose weight:
Current weight in pounds ____ x 10 = ____ daily calories

Simple Rules that help control complications of Diabetes

1. Check your HbA1c after every 3 months. Keep it below 6.5%.
2. Keep your Blood Pressure at 130/80mm Hg.
3. Check your Cholesterol levels Once a year. Keep it below 200 mg/dl.
4. Stop Smoking.
5. Do Regular Exercise & Control your Weight.
6. Take Regular Medicines.
7. Get regular Checkup for Feet, Eyes & Kidneys.

Human and animal studies have shown soy products to be excellent sources of protein. Many studies have shown soy protein products effectively improve the nutritional value of the food, especially when combined with proteins of cereal origin.

There is ample evidence that soy protein products have a positive influence on health. Recent studies have considered the total diet as a basis for explaining, at least in part, the differences in mortality rates from coronary artery disease, stroke, and several types of cancer in various countries.

A number of studies suggest that animal protein, usually casein, is more cholesterolemic and atherogenic than vegetable protein, especially soy protein. The difference persists even in the face of high saturated fat consumption.

Soy protein products can be an excellent source of dietary fiber. Since dietary fiber seems to play a role in controlling blood cholesterol, and may have an effect in preventing colon cancer and improving glucose tolerance.

Protein nutritional quality is generally determined by three factors: essential amino acid composition, digestibility, and amino acid requirements of the species consuming the protein.  

Amino Acid Composition

The requirement of man is not for protein per se, but for specific amounts of indispensable, or “essential,” amino acids (building blocks of protein).

Soy proteins provide all the essential amino acids needed to fulfill human nutritional requirements for growth, maintenance, or physical stress. This amino acid pattern is among the most complete of all vegetable protein sources and resembles, with the exception of the sulfur-containing amino acids (e.g., methionine), the pattern derived from high-quality animal protein sources.

The absence of an ideal balance of essential amino acids for a particular foodstuff need not be a serious limitation since a human diet usually contains a variety of protein sources, such as cereals, legumes and animal proteins – each with its own characteristic amino acid pattern. By blending these proteins in a daily diet, a suitable balance of the essential amino acids can be obtained.

Soy proteins can, in fact, enhance the nutritional quality of other vegetable proteins. Amino acids that are limited in other proteins may be present in excess amounts in a soy protein product. For example, soy protein products contain a level of lysine which exceeds human requirements. Hence, supplementation with soy protein products provides an excellent way to correct the lysine deficiency in some protein-containing grains, such as wheat or corn.

Soybean has proved to be of immense nutritional value. It is perhaps the only first class protein of vegetable origin. It has also shown to have other benefits and has been shown to have many protective values for the human beings. Although many foods and food supplements claim to lower the risk of cancer, soy compounds appear to be among the most promising. Some estrogen-like compounds – isoflavones – in soy foods may be responsible for a lower risk of cancer, especially breast cancer. Some of these estrogen-like compounds have been reported to benefit the cardiovascular system or to reduce bone loss after menopause. Isoflavones – genistein, daidzein, and saponins in soy foods are the main nutritional components that are supposed to be of benefit.

One antioxidant in soy, genistein, has been shown to prevent cancer. It also blocks formation of fatty deposits along artery walls. This process, known as atherosclerosis, is the main cause of heart attack and stroke…You only need 50 to 75 mg of soy protein per day. That’s equal to one cup of soy milk or three servings of tofu.

Another reason to include soy in your diet – Research shows it may reduce your risk for endometrial cancer. The study reports eating some phytoestrogens or estrogens found in plant foods is especially protective among postmenopausal women.