Wonderful Health Benefits of Soy Beans | Fusion - WeRIndia

Soy is the highest protein contained plant foods. Generally many of pulse foods lack certain essential amino acids like lysine, methionine and cysteine. But soy is the only plant food which contains all essential amino acids and thus is considered equivalent to animal and milk products by replacing the protein needs of human body.

Over a decade, the use of soy beans has been increasing globally. Various soy processed foods like soy milk, tofu (cottage cheese), soy flour and miso are available in the market. In India, many people are using soy flour along with wheat flour to make chapattis. Some are taking soy granules and soy chunks.

100 grams of Soy beans contain approximately 4.2g of fiber, 197mg of calcium, 29mg of vitamin C, 165 μg of folate. It has the highest amount of saturated, monosaturated and polysaturated fatty acids than most staple foods like rice, wheat, corn etc. Due to its richness in calcium, soy is good for bone health and prevents osteoporosis. Soy is considered an ideal food for women in menopausal and post-menopausal stages by relieving hot flashes which are common among these women.

Soy beans consists of isoflavones that prevent carcinogens and thereby cancers such as prostate and colon cancers. FDA approved soy is a heart-healthy food as it reduces cholesterol. It also helps in reducing obesity with its protein rich content. Some studies revealed that soy beans are beneficial in controlling Type 2 diabetes.

However, soy beans are not recommended to certain people. These include people who have food allergies, women with estrogen sensitivity as the might develop breast tumor or people who have a history of formation of kidney stones.

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