For the weekend: Just add soy

With all the soy options available, it can be a bit overwhelming to sort through it all and decide on what's best for your health—and your taste buds. Our ShopSmart staffers have come up with some fun, easy ways to get more soy, even if you're not a tofu enthusiast:

Eat it. Try substituting tofu for meat as a main dinner dish, or grill some veggie burgers, which come in lots of yummy varieties; our favorites in recent taste tests were Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties and Boca All American Flame Grilled Meatless Burgers. There are even tofu meatballs, like those in Annie's Homegrown Organic P'sghetti, and soy jerky. And snack on edamame (individual soybeans) like popcorn; it has no cholesterol and not a lot of calories (189 per cup, shelled). Edamame comes frozen; look in the freezer case for brands such as Cascadian Farms and store brands. You can buy them in the shell or out. Steam in the microwave per package instructions and munch away!

Drink it. Soy milk comes in flavors, typically vanilla, chocolate, and plain. ZenSoy brand soy milk also comes in cappuccino flavor. Popular Silk brand soy milk even sells an eggnog at holiday time, plus organics, wellness formulas with extra calcium and omega-3s, single-serve bottles, and soy-based creamer for your coffee. You can also find light soy milk with fewer calories (70 per cup vs. 100 in regular soy milk, both original flavor) and store brands, including 365 Organics (Whole Foods) and Archer Farms (Target), and some supermarket brands.

Snack on it. Keep some dried soy nuts in your desk for snacking. (Trader Joe's even has chocolate-covered ones!) Other munchie options: SoyJoy fruit snack bars; Genisoy soy crisps in flavors like nacho cheese, BBQ, salt and vinegar, and apple cinnamon; Atkins Day Break low-carb snack bars; Stacy's soy crisps in creative flavors like sticky bun; and Garden of Eatin' Little Soy Blues Chips. (Just watch the fat, salt, and sugar.) Craving a creamy treat? Try yogurt from GranoVita and Silk or faux ice cream such as Tofutti Cuties and Soy Delicious mini sandwiches.

While soy offers many health benefits, some people should eat less of it than others. Studies on animals suggest that the estrogen-like isoflavones might fuel the growth of breast cancer cells. In general, we say aim for no more than about 100 mg of isoflavones a day (roughly 15 ounces of tofu, 2 1/2 to 4 cups of cooked edamame, and 3 cups of soy milk). But women who already have breast cancer or are at high risk for it might want to limit their consumption.

—Ginger Skinner

Read more on breast health and soy products, find out if soy supplements can help keep your arteries healthy, and read more on the effectiveness and safety of soy in our Natural Health section (subscribers only).