Soybean is an important food item that has been gaining more and more popularity all over the world. The traditional dishes are still popular in so many parts of Asia, but now you are seeing newer varieties of soybean products like soya milk, soybean sausages, soya cheese, soya yogurts, etc. For the most part, it is a very healthy trend. Soybeans’ key value lies in its protein richness. Its cultivation was first done in China over thirteen thousand years ago. It can serve as a powerful alternative to milk in balancing your diet if you are lactose intolerant.

The advantages of Soyabean are countless. They are a rich source of protein… well, almost everything. Here we take a look at the importance of Soya or Soyabean in diet:

1. A great source of nutrition

In 100 grams of cooked and dried serving of soybeans, you can expect to get 141 kilocalories, 7.3 grams of unsaturated fat, about one gram of saturated fat, 5.1 gram carbohydrates and 8.1 gram fiber. If these numbers mean nothing to you. Let me tell you that these are very good quantities. And this, in turn, means you simply must have soybeans or soybean rich food for a balanced diet.

2. A boon for patients of constipation, high cholesterol, and type -2 diabetes.

The high fiber content makes it valuable to patients of constipation, high cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. Too lazy to fight your weight problems? Sit back, relax and let soybeans do it for you.

3. It reduces the risk of breast cancer among women.

A chemical present in soybeans seems to be responsible for this. This chemical can help women in delaying the effects of menopause. We thus highly recommend that women, in particular, should add soya food to their diet.

4. It is good for your heart.

You probably have seen soya oil television commercials where they are advertised as good for the heart. Soybeans have this plant compound with a difficult to pronounce name which will keep your body from absorbing cholesterol.

5. A boon to vegetarians

Soybeans are rich in proteins and are an important stand-in for meat if you are vegetarian. These proteins are as good as proteins from animal food ….. no, wait, my bad, these proteins are better as they reduce cholesterol absorption instead of increasing it.

6. A boon to Vegan or lactose intolerant

A large percentage of the population is lactose intolerant. Lactose is a chemical found in milk and it is known to weaken bones. If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, milk is missing from your diet. As you probably already know milk is an important source of several nutrients. This has to be substituted by something. And Soybeans play a vital role in this direction

Conclusion

We can thus say that whether or not you are a vegan, vegetarian or lactose intolerant; soybean holds important keys to your good health. There are though certain precautions which must be taken concerning the consumption of soybeans:

• 1. Soybean is something that a number of people are allergic to. Raw or sprouted soya beans are known to contain substances called goitrogens, which can interfere with thyroid gland activity.
• 2. Another culprit is oxalate – another substance found in Soybeans and which is often an ingredient in kidney stones. Thus a person who has had oxalate-containing kidney stones in the past should avoid overconsumption of Soybeans.
• 3. To help digestion, never eat soybeans dry. Instead
• 4. Make sure that you are buying soybean packets that are approved by the food authorities of India.

As long as you are taking these precautions, you can enrich your diet with these delicious beans.