Cooking Light with Biotechnology

Today, as more and more people become interested in their health and having a healthy lifestyle, we are thinking more carefully about what we eat. Most people are probably aware that protein is an important part of their diet.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “Most Americans eat enough food from this group, but need to make leaner and more varied selections of these foods.”

One way to get lean protein is through food products made from soybeans. According to Cooking Light, these include tofu, edamame, yellow and black soy beans, tempeh, soy milk, miso, and soy flour. When fermented, soy beans also make the all-familiar soy sauce.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about soy beans is that most of them are high tech. And by high tech we don’t mean beans with a computer chip. We’re talking about biotechnology. Ninety-one percent of soy beans grown in the United States (U.S.) are genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant.

That means fewer weeds, a greater yield for farmers, and a better environment for all of us. Herbicide resistance means farmers use less tilling for weed control, so there is less soil erosion, better water quality, reduced fuel use and more carbon bound into the soil instead of released to the atmosphere. According to the USDA the 2009 soybean harvest is expected to total 3.26 billion bushels.

That’s a whole lot of environmentally-friendly, protein-packed beans! And how do these beans stack up in the taste department? You might just want to whip up some Grilled Lemon-Basil Tofu Burgers for your next backyard barbeque!