Soyabeans/Edamame

In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made it official: Food manufacturers have the green light to trumpet the cholesterol-lowering benefits of soy on their labels. Eating 25 grams of soy protein a day -- the equivalent of a cup of soy milk with breakfast and an energy bar laced with soybeans for a snack -- has been shown to lower total cholesterol an average of 9%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That much soy is also enough to reduce the most dangerous form of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, by an impressive 13%. Daily servings of soy may also help strengthen bone, ward off the side effects of menopause in women, and lower the odds of prostate cancer in men -- though these benefits are less certain than the good news about heart disease, according to Greg Burke, a leading soy researcher at Wake Forest University. Thanks to the FDA's seal of approval, more and more foods containing soy are appearing on grocery store shelves. Still the best bet, says Burke, is eating whole soy foods like edamame (boiled fresh or frozen soybeans), tofu, or soy milk.

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