Soya comes in many shapes and forms but these can generally be separated into two groups - fresh and fermented.

The former includes soya beancurd and tofu while the latter refers to products like tempeh and soya sauce.

Mr Benjamin Lee, nutrition manager at the adult and elderly health division at the Health Promotion Board, said: 'To get the most benefit from eating tofu, try to cook it with as little oil as possible.

'Soya bean milk and soya beancurd are usually consumed sweet, so you may want to limit the amount of sugar added to these items.'

SOYA BEAN MILK (250ml)

Calories: 138 kcal
Protein: 6.5g
Fat: 4g
Sugar: 19g
Calcium: 25mg
Sodium: 35mg
Dietary fibre: 1.5g

LIGHT SOYA SAUCE (1 tbs or 15g)

Calories: 11 kcal
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Sugar: 1g
Calcium: 8mg
Sodium: 1,094mg
Dietary fibre: 0g

TOFU (one piece or 147g)

Calories: 150 kcal
Protein: 16g
Fat: 7g
Sugar: 3g
Calcium: 241mg
Sodium: 10mg
Dietary fibre: 1.8g

TEMPEH (one piece or 35g)

Calories: 48 kcal (baked), 127 kcal (deep fried)
Protein: 5g (baked), 7g (deep fried)
Fat: 3g (baked), 11g (deep fried)
Sugar: Trace amounts (baked), 0g (deep fried)
Calcium: 18mg (baked), 31mg (deep fried)
Sodium: 84mg (baked), 112mg (deep fried)
Dietary fibre: 2.3g (baked and deep fried)

SOYA BEANCURD (one bowl)

Calories: 241 kcal
Protein: 16g
Fat: 10g
Sugar: 20g
Calcium: 226mg
Sodium: 5mg
Dietary fibre: 3.5g

EGG TOFU (half a packet or 150g)

Calories: 109 kcal
Protein: 7g
Fat: 4g
Sugar: 2g
Calcium: 46mg
Sodium: 8mg
Dietary fibre: 5.25mg

SOYA BEAN OIL (1 tbs or 15g)

Calories: 132 kcal
Protein: 0g
Fat: 15g
Sugar: 0g
Calcium: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Dietary fibre: 0g

MISO (quarter cup or 65g)

Calories: 137kcal
Protein: 8g
Fat: 4g
Sugar: 4g
Calcium: 39mg
Sodium: 2,563mg
Dietary fibre: 0.26g

This story was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times, on Aug 28, 2008.