Eating more beans and legumes can help with everything from cholesterol control to weight

management to relieving constipation.

But when it comes to health benefits, one bean stands a bit apart from the rest.

Soy has been shown to have unique effects that you don't necessarily get from other beans.

And in this episode we'll talk about why soy is so special and how you can take full advantage

of its health boosting effects.

I'm Monica Reinagel, host of the Nutrition Diva

podcast. In this show we take a closer look at nutrition research and trends so that you can

make more informed decisions about what you eat.

In addition to this podcast, I also provide expert commentary on nutrition and health to a

variety of national media outlets.

If you'd like to find out about having me present at your next live or virtual event,

visit wellnessworks here.com. And now let's talk soybeans.

The biggest thing that sets soy apart from other legumes is the unique concentration of

Isoflavans. These compounds are quite active in the human body and they're

believed to be the driving force

behind many of Soy's observed health benefits. But what exactly are

Isoflavones? They're a type of plant compound called phytoeestrogens, which have a similar

structure to human estrogen, and this similarity allows them to interact with the estrogen receptors in our bodies,

leading to various health effects.

However, while they can interact with these receptors,

their effects are much weaker than actual estrogen and there's a lot more

...