Growing up in the agriculturally wealthy state of Wyoming, I recall as a young child an exercise where my classmates and I were asked to list as many products that came to mind that could be rendered from a single beef animal. At the end of the demonstration there was an enormous list on the blackboard of products and uses from a single steer. The point was to make a room full of school children aware of how one animal could have so many diverse uses, other than the obvious cheeseburger at lunch. The same exercise can be done with soy as an excellent alternative source of plant-based protein, biodiesel, and industrial products including: soap, resins, plastics, ink, crayons, cosmetics, solvents, and even clothing.

Soybeans are native to East Asia and have been a cultural staple used for thousands of years in food and as a component in medicinal drugs. The plant has been successfully introduced in North American soils as a high yielding, cost effective source of protein for both animals and humans that have otherwise not been available.

ALL ABOUT PROTEINS; A PRIMER
Proteins are made of amino acids, sometimes referred to as "the building blocks of protein." There are many known amino acids; however, there are 20 standard amino acids that are essential to genetic coding. The main thing to understand is the body cannot synthesize these standard amino acids; they must come from the diet. Proteins are critical, contributing to many important cellular functions in the human body. Enzymes are made of proteins, and are the catalysts to chemical reactions in the body, primarily those involved with metabolism. Also, proteins are essential when it comes to any process that deals with DNA, like replication or repair. Further, proteins are involved in complex cell signaling processes like oxygen binding to a red blood cell. Structural proteins provide structural elements in the body such as hair, nails, and hooves and feathers in animals. In short proteins are essential to human life and all of its functions.

SOYBEAN USES IN THE DIET
In early and modern Mexican and Aztec cultures, they have maintained a diet that is primarily made up of corn and beans because of the availability in those regions, but also the two food sources in combination with each other provide the essential amino acids that cannot be manufactured by the human body. This diet works, unfortunately corn and beans are not as versatile as soybeans and cannot be made into other products and substitutes.

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