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products are recommended less frequently. Over half of
tofu’s calories come from fat, surprisingly, while only 4% of
black beans’ do. Still, soy products like soy milk tend to be
less Kapha-enhancing than dairy products” (p. 19).
“Examples of oily food include ghee, vegetable oils,
animal fats, soybeans, many vegetables and citrus. Dry
foods include corn, buckwheat, rye, millet, most beans and
dark leafy greens, to list a few. These latter foods will need
moistening of some sort to be more easily digested by most
people” (p. 28).
In the menu section, under each constitutional type
(dosha, such as Vata), recommended menus are given
by season for each meal. For example, soy-related foods
included in Vata menus are: Summer: None. Fall: Dinner–
Miso tofu, Amasake. Winter: None. Quick day: Breakfast–
soymilk. Beverage–Amasake. Weekend day: Nothing. On the
road (when travelling): Dinner’ Chinese vegetables and rice
(with tofu, if well tolerated).
Each recipe in the recipe section tells which constitution
type it suits, how long it takes to prepare, in what seasons it
is most healing, and how many it serves. For example,–Vata
means that it calms Vata, + Vata means that it aggravates
or increases Vata, and 0 Vata means that it is neutral for
Vata. For brevity, we will give only Vata examples in the
following. Soy-related recipes: About tofu (p. 102): Tofu
and liquid soy milk tend to be cool and heavy, yet oilier
than most other bean products. This oily lubricating quality
helps their digestion, as does the pre-processing they have
undergone as legumes... Eaten in excess, they will increase
Kapha. Warming preparation, in the form of heat or warming
spices such as ginger, tamari, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon
or mustard seeds, aid their healthy breakdown in the
system. Beans can be idiosyncratic in effect though; if your
experience doesn’t match the descriptions given here, trust
your direct experience fi rst. Some people have a hard time
digesting tofu in almost any form; an allergy to soy may be
present. It was popular in the sixties and seventies to serve
tofu cold, cubed and plain at health food-type salad bars.
This is about the most diffi cult way to try to consume an
already chilling food. Try tofu marinated, spiced and cooked,
then make up your mind about its digestibility for you.”
Miso tofu (p. 102,–Vata). Tofu mushrooms (p. 104,–
Vata). Tofu pesto (p. 104,–Vata). Sauteed tofu and vegetables
(p. 105,–Vata, but mildly + Vata with frozen tofu). East
Indian lima beans (with tofu, p. 114). Spicy rice and yogurt
(with soy milk, p. 131,–Vata; “Made with soy milk, which
is lighter and cooler than yogurt, it is suitable for Pitta and
Kapha as well”). Vegetable barley soup (with tofu, p. 188, 0
Vata).
About oils (p. 202-03): “Ghee is the highly preferred
fat in Ayurveda, being light, easy to digest and potentiating
to many of the foods with which it is served.” Sunfl ower
oil is the next best choice, being agreeable to all doshas.
“Sesame oil is specifi cally recommended when a warming
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 341
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effect is needed. It grounds Vata... The vast majority of
oils are warming and heavy in quality, including...” soy
oil. “Margarine is cold and diffi cult to digest and not often
recommended by Ayurvedic physicians.”
About condiments: Salt, tamari, miso, and pickled
ginger all heat up a meal and stimulate agni (fi re). A
detailed discussion is given of the medicinal function of sea
vegetables in Ayurveda (p. 216-17).
About soy milk: Liquid soy milk can be a good
alternative to cow’s milk, if you are sensitive to the latter. It
is also less Kaphagenic (imbalancing to Kapha) than cow’s
milk, when properly prepared. Lighter than cow’s milk in its
effect on the body, it cooks up easily in recipes. Like most
high protein foods it promotes building, not cleansing. It is
best used in restorative and maintenance programs. It can
be warmed with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or ginger
and black pepper. Some Vatas do not tolerate it well. Dried
soy milk powder and soy protein powder are much more
diffi cult to digest than the whole liquid soy milks. Only the
most stalwart Pitta is likely to be able to consume them
without gas, as they are cold, heavy and dry. Whole soybeans
and tempeh are often gas-producing as well. For adequate
digestion they require much cooking and spicing, good agni,
and a Pitta constitution. Hot soy milk (p. 264).
Scrambled tofu (p. 281,–Vata).
In appendix II (p. 293). The following legumes, in
moderation, calm Vata: Aduki beans, soy cheese, soy
milk (liquid), tofu, black lentils, mung beans, red lentils,
and tepery beans. But these aggravate Vata: Soy beans,
soy fl our, soy powder, tempeh, garbanzos and most other
beans. Among beverages, icy cold drinks and many others
aggravate Vata. Beverages that calm Vata are soy milk (well
spiced and hot), miso broth, many herb teas. Tofu is calming
to Pitta and mildly aggravating to Kapha. Cool in action,
some Vatas tolerate it well, others do not.
Aduki beans are mentioned on p. 19, 106, 109, 116, 124,
293, 306. Address: 1. Faculty member, The Ayurvedic Inst.,
Albuquerque, New Mexico; 2. Wife of Yogi Amrit Desai,
member of Kirpalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox,
Massachusetts.
910. Rossi, Elizeu Antonio; Faria, J.B.; Borsato, D.;
Baldochi, F.L. 1990. Otimizaçao de um sistema estabilizante
para o “iogurte” de soja [Optimization of a stabilizer system
for soy-whey yogurt]. Alimentos e Nutricao 2:83-92. [15 ref.
Por; eng]
• Summary: Organoleptic analyses and measures of viscosity
and consistency showed that the best texture resulted from
the use of 1.27 gm/liter of gelatin, 2.32 gm/liter of guar
gum, and 0.19 gm/liter of xanthan gum. Address: UNESP,
Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Departamento de
Alimentos e Nutriçao, Araraquara, S.P., Brazil.
911. Springfi eld Creamery Inc. 1990. Nancy’s. What’s new