Swap Meat for Soy to Live Longer, Healthier: Studies

Now, you might be thinking you've heard this before; eat less meat, eat more soy, live longer.Yeah, it's kind of like how we're reminded daily, like children, to wash our hands, take our Vitamin D for better health, Vitamin C to battle colds and so on. But there's good reason to all this droning, we promise! Its because more and more research is piling in which backs up the theory that adopting a more plant-based diet is the key to living a long and healthy life (take the Japanese or people living in the Mediterranean as an example of 'what to do to live long, happy and healthy').

New research now out of the UK boldly states that up to 45,000 lives could be saved each year in the UK if people limited meat consumption to just 3 days a week. The rest of the time, choose fish, eggs, beans and legumes to meet your protein needs. The research goes on to say that there would be 9,000 fewer deaths from cancer and 5,000 fewer caused by strokes every year in the UK with a decease in meat consumption.

Additionally, more research has just come out linking higher soy consumption in post-menopausal women with a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. Now breast cancer is a very nasty disease to battle, so if something as little as a soybean can combat it naturally and prevent it from coming back - that's saying something. Soy products are low in saturated fat, provide dietary fiber, high-quality protein and key vitamins and minerals. There is even good research backing the protective nature of soy on heart disease thanks to it's natural cholesterol-lowering benefits.

So, to get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to your health, swap soy or other veggie sources of protein for meat most days of the week, eat fish frequently and aim to enjoy your meat products no more than 3 times a week. And remember, if you crave the taste of meat more often, there are TONS of delicious 'meatless' alternatives that look and taste so similar to meat but they're really soy.