Soya is an important raw material in the modern food industry.
Hundreds of years ago, the unique properties of this product were discovered in the east.
But is soy actually beneficial and is it harmful to humans?
What is soybean: calorie content and composition of the product
Soy is a herbaceous plant similar to other representatives of the legume family. Botanists know a couple of dozen species of this plant, but only one of them, soybean cultivated, has gained widespread and worldwide recognition.
Why is soy so attractive, about the dangers and benefits of which for many years disputes have not abated? The fact is that this product consists of more than a third of a protein similar in properties to proteins of animal origin. It is saturated with amino acids and is easily absorbed by the body. This property is widely used by vegetarians to create substitutes for animal foods. As part of meat food, soy significantly reduces their cost, making it affordable for low-income groups.
The composition of the product also includes a large number of unsaturated fats, which also show beneficial properties in soy. Saturated fats in edible parts of a plant are 2-3 times less than in animal products. At the same time, there is a high content of linoleic, oleic and linolenic acids - vegetable substitutes for fish oil, also known as omega-3.
Soy is also beneficial for the body due to its high fiber content. Beans also contain beneficial vitamins and minerals, including iron and calcium. But they are poorly absorbed - phytic acid interferes.
A variety of products are made from soybeans:
• flour;
• butter;
• milk;
• meat;
• pasta;
• sauce;
• tofu cottage cheese;
• fuju (a film of soy milk);
• tempeh and natto - oriental dishes from soybean seeds.
The qualitative composition of soy products varies widely. For example, fiber is virtually absent in milk, but is found in whole and ground bean dishes. The greatest amount of fat can be found in vegetable soybean oil, but it is almost not found in skim milk and cottage cheese.
The energy value of soy is approximately 370 kcal. But soy products have a completely different calorie content. For example, flour or milk is almost half as high in calories as beans.
Soya: the benefits to the body are hidden in its composition
Proponents of soy food, who have been using this product for years, claim that soy is good for the body. In evidence, they cite the composition of this plant.
Soy proteins in combination with fatty acids (omega-3) help lower cholesterol, prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels. Of course, cleansing is rather slow. But it is worth considering that soy, along with other plant products, removes precisely "bad" cholesterol, which leads to clogging of blood vessels. The so-called good cholesterol, which is necessary for the normal functioning of many systems and does not harm, remains in the body.
A low amount of saturated fat makes soy a more useful source of protein than meat products.
Fans of soybeans see health benefits in the rich vitamin composition of this product. But, as noted above, phytic acid prevents the absorption of many trace elements. It’s much easier to digest nutrients from fermented foods (tempeh, soy sauce). Combining soy with other foods will also help the body. For example, vitamin C from citrus juice helps to absorb iron.
It brings soy benefits to the body and is rich in fiber. This carbohydrate normalizes the intestines, removes harmful products from the body.
In questions about whether soy brings health benefits or harm, there is one controversial point. These beans are rich in phytoestrogens - plant-based analogues of female sex hormones. Therefore, this product can trigger breast cancer. However, studies have shown that soy, on the contrary, reduces the likelihood of this disease. Soya influences the metabolism of hormones in such a way that the tumor does not occur.
What is more of soy - benefit or harm?
Soy products have many opponents around the world. As one of the arguments refuting the health benefits provided by soybeans, they cite all the same phytoestrogens. According to some reports, the use of this hormone analogue delays ovulation in women and reduces the number of sperm in men. However, detailed studies in this area are still unknown.
Soy also contains isoflavones, which inhibit the thyroid gland. For people suffering from endocrine diseases, soy products are harmful. Taking iodine-containing preparations and seafood will help reduce the risk of iodine deficiency for healthy people. Isoflavones can cause weakness, can lead to disruption of the intestines.
In the production of vegetable oil from soy and seeds of other plants, trans fats are formed. The reason for this is the high content of linolenic acid. The use of products with such oils adversely affects the work of the cardiovascular system. But a Vistive cultured soybean variety with a reduced fatty acid content was developed that is great for hydrogenating oils.
When using soy, harm to the body can manifest itself in the following:
• soy food causes allergies;
• oxalic acid in beans leads to the formation of kidney stones;
• blood pressure may decrease.
Opponents of soy are not stopped even by the centuries-old positive experience of oriental monks of vegetarians. They cross out all useful properties discovered in soy by one simple fact. Most soybeans grown in the world today are genetically modified. The human impact of genetically modified foods (including soy), their harm and benefits are not fully understood.
Some categories of the population should think about the food they eat and decide what soya brings in itself: good or harm?
How justified is soy consumption during pregnancy and lactation?
Upon learning of their pregnancy, many women are reviewing their diet. This is especially true for vegetarians. When choosing soy products, you need to weigh the pros and cons.
Can soy bring favor for the body of a pregnant woman? Supporters of plant foods will answer in the affirmative and their arguments will be as follows.
First of all, vegetable protein is absorbed more easily by the animal and reduces the burden on the digestive system.
Secondly, such food does not burden the cardiovascular system due to the lack of cholesterol and the low content of saturated fats.
Thirdly, soy food lowers sugar, which is good for diabetics.
Fourth, microelements and vitamins under certain conditions can be quite successfully absorbed by the body.
But opponents of this product claim that soy will not bring any health benefits to the baby and mother. On the contrary, she can greatly do harm.
First of all, plant-based analogues of hormones cause iodotitis, which is dangerous for the fetus, and can cause miscarriage or premature birth.
Secondly, soy can cause allergies in mom or baby.
Thirdly, the plant may be genetically modified, and what effect it will have is not yet known.
For the same reasons, soy products not recommended for lactating women. Hormones can affect lactation, a child may develop an allergy.
A woman must decide for herself whether to refuse soy products, the benefits and harms of which are very contradictory, or to keep them in her diet, but to reduce the quantity. When making a decision, she must remember that the health of her unborn child depends on this.
Will soy be beneficial for children
Not always a young mother has the opportunity to breastfeed. From the age of two months, pediatricians can recommend soy-based infant formulas.
Modern soy mixtures are not prepared from flour, but from purified protein. Additionally, the composition is enriched with fats (olive, sunflower, soy and others), as well as trace elements (phosphorus, iron, zinc, calcium).
In the east, soybean mixtures have been used for baby food for more than a hundred years and so far their negative impact on the children's body has not been revealed. On the contrary, soybeans treated in this way are good for the health of the baby, who is unable for any reason to absorb the components of cow's milk.
As for older children, the recommendations and contraindications for the use of soy for them are almost the same as for adults. Of course, isoflavones and phytoestrogens contained in soya will not bring benefits to an unformed child's body. Also, the effects of soybeans genetically altered on children and adults can be different.
Lose weight with soy products: calories in comparison with natural analogues
Diet based on soy products is very popular in the modern world. This is not surprising, because soy, whose caloric content is 370 kcal, after processing becomes much less fat. For example, 100 grams of tofu cheese contains 73 kcal, while 100 grams of Russian cheese - 363 kcal, and 100 grams of nonfat soy flour has less than 100 kcal versus 350 kcal of wheat flour.
But not all foods are low in calories. For example, soy meat is almost twice as fat as beef. Soy milk is not inferior in fat content to 2.5% cow's.
When choosing a soy diet, it is worth remembering about the possible harm of soy. First of all, you need to make sure that the food does not contain GMOs. If there are health problems (for example, abnormalities in the endocrine system), the use of soy products is also better to limit.
