Soy: benefits and harms
Soy is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the popular legume family. The fruits of this unique plant contain over 30% protein, which is distinguished by the best combination of amino acids. Soy is rich in medicinal and nutritional substances.
Soybean is an annual herb that belongs to the legume family. China is considered its homeland. Like many legumes, soy is a source of valuable vegetable protein and other nutrients. Its use in the food industry in many countries has made it possible to produce a wide range of products: cheese, milk, chocolate, cottage cheese and meat from soybeans. But not everything is so simple - discussions of doctors and nutritionists about the benefits and dangers of soy do not subside until now.
Soy is an excellent side dish and base for vegetable stews and soups. Boiled soy is used to make delicious chops and cutlets. Healthy soy sauce can be a great substitute for salt. Natural soy products contain soluble fiber necessary for the human body. Soy meat is a great addition to pasta and cereals. Powdered soy cream is designed to give a specific flavor to soups.
Content:
- Soy benefits
- Benefits of soy isoflavonoids for women
- What are the benefits of sprouted soybeans?
- Soybean oil benefits
- The benefits and harms of soy lecithin
- How is soy sauce good for you?
- Soybean harm
- Contraindications to the use of soy
Soy benefits
Soy helps to remove radionuclides and heavy metal salts from the body. Therefore, it is actively included in the diet in regions with an unfavorable environmental situation or with an increased radioactive background. This is a desirable product on the menu of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, since soy affects the production of insulin by the pancreas and improves its functioning.
Composition and calorie content
The protein contained in soy is easily absorbed by the body, contains a balanced set of amino acids, and the total calorie content is 364 Kcal.
- Fats: 19.9 g
- Proteins: 36.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.2 g
- Water: 8.5 g
- Ash: 4.9 g
- Cellulose: 13.5 g
Vitamins (per 100 g): |
amount |
% RDA |
| Vitamin B7 (biotin) | 60 mcg | 120% |
| Vitamin B9 (folic acid) | 200-375 mcg | 71.9% |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.87-0.94 mg | 53.4% |
| Vitamin B4 (choline) | 115.9-270 mg | 38.6% |
| Vitamin K | 37-47 mcg | 35% |
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.38-0.85 mg | 30.7% |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.22-0.87 mg | 27.3% |
| Vitamin B3 (PP, nicotinic acid) | 0.79-1.75 mg | 25.4% |
Minerals (in 100 g): |
amount |
% RDA |
| Boron | 177-750 mcg | 662.1% |
| Silicon | 177 mg | 590% |
| Vanadium | 130.4 μg | 326% |
| Cobalt | 31.2 μg | 312% |
| Rubidium | 220 mcg | 220% |
| Nickel | 42.5-533 mcg | 191.8% |
|
Molybdenum |
99 mcg | 141.4% |
| Manganese | 2000-2800 mcg | 120% |
| Iron | 9.7-15.7 mg | 84.7% |
| Lithium | 67 mcg | 67% |
| Potassium | 1370-1840 mg | 64.2% |
| Phosphorus | 390-603 mg | 62.1% |
| Magnesium | 160.0-246 mg | 50.8% |
| Copper | 110-500 mcg | 30.5% |
| Zinc | 2010 - 4890 mcg | 28.8% |
| Sulfur | 244 mg | 24.4% |
| Zirconium | 11 μg | 22% |
| Calcium | 85.9-348 mg | 19.7% |
| Selenium | 8.8 mcg | 13.5% |
| Strontium | 67.0-97 μg | 10.3% |
Other important connections:
- Phytosterols - 161 mg (292.7% of the RDI)
- Purines - 93 mg (73.3% of the RDI)
- Oxalic acid - 56 mg (14% of the RDI)
Complete chemical composition ➤
The large amount of complete protein contained in soy (about 35%, this is more than meat and chicken), made it a desirable element in the diet of vegetarians and athletes - bodybuilders.
Food enzymes such as phytic acid, which are abundant in soy, help break down and absorb protein. Lecithin and choline from soybeans accelerate metabolism, help lower the level of "bad" cholesterol, and restore cells of the nervous system and brain. Such valuable properties give the reason for nutritionists to include soy products in the menu of patients with excess weight or with improper metabolism.
Benefits of soy isoflavones for women
Isoflavonoids are substances of plant origin, the action of which is similar to that of the female sex hormones estrogen. They act selectively - with a lack of estrogen, they replace it, and with excessive production, they gently reduce hormonal activity. Soy isoflavonoids are a completely natural product, so this hormonal regulation does not cause side effects.
Soy benefits for women:
- When consuming soy, the risk of developing hormone-dependent malignant breast tumors is reduced, as excessive production of estrogen is reduced;
- The negative symptoms of menopause, which occur due to a lack of estrogen, are reduced - hot flashes, osteoporosis, an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
- The lecithin contained in soy prevents fat from being deposited in the liver, fat cells are burned, excess weight goes away.
Soy is characterized by a high content of phytosterols (in 100 g - 292.7% of the daily value), the bulk of which is beta-sitosterol (99.8%), which allows soy to be classified as a female product.
Women during menopause can afford daily consumption of soy in the amount of 150-200 g per day.
What are the benefits of sprouted soybeans?
Soy sprouts, as well as sprouts of other grains and legumes, are extremely beneficial to health. They contain a large amount of valuable protein, the entire spectrum of vitamins known to man, enzymes and biologically active substances. As a result of germination, the concentration of these valuable compounds increases several times compared to beans that have not been germinated.
The calorie content of this product is minimal. When using sprouted soybeans, a full-fledged intestinal cleansing occurs, since the swollen beans and coarse fibers of seedlings, passing through the digestive tract, absorb toxins and carcinogens. Sprouted soy has 30% more fiber than sprouted wheat.
Canned soy is not as healthy as homemade soy. To do this, it is soaked for 6 hours, then washed and covered with damp gauze, preventing it from drying out. To do this, there should always be a small amount of water under the beans. The water is changed 1-2 times a day, washing the soybeans. Sprouts appear on day 2, and after 3-4 days it can be eaten.
In order not to get poisoned from an excessive amount of raw sprouts, they are blanched in boiling water for a minute. Such processing preserves all the beneficial properties of seedlings, allows you to add soy to salads, and use it as an additive to food.
Soybean oil benefits
Soybean oil is an extremely useful product containing a large amount of vitamins, minerals and biologically active substances. It has been used in the countries of Indochina for about 6 millennia, and in Europe it became known only in the 20th century. Soybean oil is produced by pressing and extracting soybeans. It is refined and deodorized, imparting consumer qualities.
Soybean oil has a straw yellow color and a light pleasant aroma. It is used for the production of lecithin - a component of food, soap, medicines, dyes, fried in soybean oil, added to salads and baked goods. The calorie content of 100 g of this product is 889 kcal. It is considered the champion in tocopherol and trace element content compared to olive and sunflower oil.
Useful properties of soybean oil:
- Vitamins and trace elements contribute to the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases;
- Choline, organic acids improve the functioning of the liver and heart muscle, regulate blood cholesterol;
- When using oil, prevention of diseases of the digestive tract, regulation of metabolism are carried out;
- The number of immune disorders decreases.
For the manifestation of the beneficial properties of soybean oil, it is enough to use it in 1-2 tbsp. l. per day. In addition to internal consumption, soybean oil is widely used in cosmetology to nourish the skin of the hands and face, slow down its aging. The oil is able to smooth wrinkles, moisturize chapped and rough skin, slow down the aging process.
Do not use soybean oil if you are allergic to soy protein, during pregnancy, if you are at risk of migraine attacks, or if you have kidney or liver failure.
The benefits and harms of soy lecithin
The soy lecithin contained in this product plays a major role in the body. This substance is involved in the restoration of nerve tissue and brain cells. In addition, it is lecithin that is responsible for thinking, learning, physical activity and memory. It perfectly regulates blood cholesterol levels and fat metabolism, allowing you to maintain functions at a unique level of a young body, that is, it helps to fight not only diseases, but also aging.
Soy lecithin in industry is a product that belongs to the group of emulsifiers used to mix substances with different physical and chemical properties (density, consistency, etc.). Soy lecithin is a food supplement known in Russia under the code E322.
Industrial soy lecithin is found in bread, margarine and spreads, chocolate, sausages, convenience foods (cutlets, stuffed pancakes), fast food, dairy products, and baby food.
Natural soy lecithin is a very healthy product!
Composition of Natural Soy Lecithin:
- Choline,
- Phosphodiethylcholine,
- Inositol,
- Phosphates,
- Linolenic acid,
- B vitamins.
Soy lecithin can be found in the form of a dietary supplement (biologically active food supplement), which is used for lipid metabolism disorders, heart and vascular diseases, memory impairments, pregnancy and liver diseases. If this additive is included in the composition of a cosmetic product, it combines elements of a cream or emulsion of different consistency, and also nourishes, moisturizes and smoothes the skin of the face and body.
Benefits of Natural Soy Lecithin:
- Stimulates metabolism - destroys fats, relieves stress on liver cells, prevents obesity;
- Strengthens the heart muscle and cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques - phospholipids in soy lecithin participate in the formation of valuable amino acids that strengthen the myocardium;
- Helps the functioning of brain cells, the preservation and development of memory - during the development and growth of the child, it replenishes the composition of the brain substance, which normally consists of one third of lecithin;
- Stimulates bile secretion - dissolving fats, lecithin makes bile liquid, no deposits form on the walls of the bile ducts and bladder;
- Protects nerve fibers from stress by forming their myelin sheath;
- Reduces cravings for smoking - the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in soy lecithin helps brain receptors to break the habit of nicotine addiction.
Harm. Natural soy lecithin is practically harmless, the only possible harm is individual intolerance to the product. Lecithin, produced from modified soybeans (for industry), stimulates obesity, depression and memory impairment, disruption of the endocrine system.
How is soy sauce good for you?
Lovers of Asian cuisine have long been familiar with soy sauce, which is used to prepare a huge number of dishes. It takes about a year to prepare natural soy sauce. It is made from steamed soybeans and roasted wheat grains, which then undergo an enzymatic fermentation process in special containers. A year later, the sauce is filtered and bottled.
The benefits of soy sauce:
- Improving blood circulation;
- Fight free radicals with antioxidants;
- Prevention of cardiovascular diseases;
- Increased amino acid content;
- Minimum calorie content, no cholesterol.
Unfortunately, the drive to make a profit leads soy sauce manufacturers to falsify their product. To speed up the fermentation process, pathogenic cultures of bacteria are added to the sauce, which allows you to get a kind of sauce in a month instead of a year. Even more harmful is a method such as boiling soybeans in hydrochloric acid and quenching this solution with alkali or diluting the soy concentrate with plain water.
Using counterfeit sauce is dangerous due to its carcinogenic content. Both regular and cheap sauce contain excessive amounts of salt, which leads to salt deposits.
Soybean harm
The negative qualities of soy products make one be selective about its excessive use.
The negative properties of soy products:
- Soy has a strumogenic effect, that is, the substances contained in products from it disrupt the functioning of the thyroid gland and other glands of the endocrine system, can cause thyroiditis, the formation of goiter.
- Excessive consumption of soy products causes hypertrophy of the pancreas, which leads to disruption of its functioning;
- Soy phytoestrogens disrupt the reproductive functions of the female body - menstrual irregularities in women, accelerated development in girls, creating a threat of miscarriage in pregnant women, and fetal development disorders. In men, a large amount of soy estrogens leads to the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics and female obesity - a decrease in male sexual function, an increase in the mammary glands, and a slowdown in sexual development in boys. Therefore, it is not recommended to include soy products in the children's diet.
- In older adults, soy estrogens accelerate the development of Alzheimer's disease.
- Soy enzymes slow down the absorption of iodine, zinc, calcium and iron from food, so you should carefully balance your diet to replenish the missing micronutrients;
- Oxalic acid in soybeans provokes the development of urolithiasis.
- Patients with gout should remember that soy is characterized by a high content of purines: in 100 g - 73.3% of the daily value.
- In addition, soy is capable of accumulating toxic trace elements strontium (in 100 g - 10.3% of the daily value) and barium (respectively - 8.0%).
Taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages of soybeans, several conclusions can be drawn:
- Soy should be consumed in moderation;
- It should be excluded from the diet of children, young women, men, not used during pregnancy;
- For those with diabetes or obesity, soy is considered a dietary food if consumed in moderation.
Healthy people can consume soy 2-3 times a week, 150-200 g per day. Then soy will be beneficial, will become a source of irreplaceable protein.
Contraindications to the use of soy
Young children should not be given soy products, as the isoflavones they contain have a depressing effect on the nervous and endocrine system, causing thyroid disease. For adults who suffer from endocrinological diseases, soy dishes are also contraindicated. The high content of special hormone-like compounds makes the use of this plant extremely undesirable for expectant mothers.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
