Soy flour - health benefits and harms

In various professional circles, relatively recently began to talk about the dangers of wheat flour. Indeed, this product has many contraindications, which forces people to look for alternative options. It should be noted that there are many such substitutes. On the shelves of modern stores you can find rice, buckwheat, corn flour. But soy flour is especially popular among consumers of this category. Get it from the bean culture of the same name, which grows well on a variety of soils.

The useful properties of soy are highly appreciated in cooking, it is necessary as a basis in the manufacture of cosmetics, and is widely used in folk medicine. Let's try to understand the unique characteristics of this, one of the most widespread agricultural crops on the planet.

Plant characteristics

They began to grow soybeans in Asia for the first time about 6-7 millennia ago. Its resistance to adverse environmental influences and the ability to self-pollination contributed to its rapid spread to other continents. Soybeans belongs to leguminous annual crops. The plant is relatively low, under favorable conditions, can reach up to 70 cm in height. During flowering, white inflorescences appear on a hairy dense stem, and when it is time to ripen the fruit, small flowers are replaced by pods with yellow beans.

There are soybean varieties that produce green and brown seeds. Soybean tolerates drought, but light deficiency negatively affects crop yields. With a lack of light, yield decreases sharply, because the fruits are reduced in size.

Advantages of soy

In many countries, soy is the main crop. And this is no coincidence. Thanks to its unpretentiousness, it is possible to get fairly high yields. And taking into account the leading positions of this representative of legumes in the gastronomic segment, producers receive tremendous income from the sale of beans. After all, soy flour has long learned to make such primary foods as meat, various nutritious pastes, cheeses, and butter. If we talk about the nutritional properties of soy, in this regard, it has virtually no competitors. It is only necessary to familiarize yourself with the composition of the beans to make sure that this conclusion is correct.

The fruits of soybean crops contain such valuable macro and micronutrients:

• a complex of vitamins, among them such important for health, as: vitamins B, PP, E;
• proteins make up 50%;
• polyunsaturated fatty acids;
• mineral salts;
• alimentary fiber;
• carbohydrates;
• starch;
• beta carotene.

Of course, a product with such a valuable set of nutrients can satisfy your hunger and have a beneficial effect on health. But this is not the main advantage of soy in comparison with other crops of the same family. It has a special structure that allows various gastronomic experiments to be carried out with its derivatives. Doctors appreciate soy, primarily for its ability to have a positive effect on the structure of blood vessels and heart function.

Proponents of vegetarianism, for example, have taken soybeans as the basis of their diet, once abandoned animal food. In any form, soy is perfectly absorbed by the body, significantly contributes to the digestive processes.

Useful qualities

To judge the usefulness of soybean culture, you need to study a little the properties of each component of the composition separately.

1. Protein is present in excess in soy.It is known that a protein of plant origin has a set of essential amino acids.
2. Calcium present in soy, more than the element contained in milk, helps strengthen bone tissue.
3. Zinc is needed to strengthen immune forces and muscle growth. Without this macroelement, not one important process in the body passes. Zinc takes an active part in protein synthesis, regulates metabolic processes, and promotes tissue regeneration.
4. Phospholipids are abundant in soy. In other legumes, they are much smaller. These elements are responsible for cleansing the body of toxins, they contribute to the restoration of cell membranes, which is especially important for vascular tissue. Phospholipids can still reduce the body's need for insulin. This ability can help people with diabetes.
5. Fatty acid. Soy contains unsaturated acids that the body cannot synthesize on its own. These chemical components regulate hormonal functions, lower cholesterol concentration.

Product varieties

The food industry produces three types of soy products:

• flour, fat-free or meal;
• non-fat product;
• half fat-free flour.

Each category of flour products has its own characteristics. For example, meal, which is in great demand, is a by-product of soybean oil production. Meal contains a lot of protein, for which it is appreciated by supporters of a healthy diet.

Experts advise to include wholemeal soy flour in the diet, because it has an excellent taste and is most beneficial.

Soya products in cosmetology

Soy protein purified from fatty impurities is widely used in the manufacture of cosmetic products. Means with soybean content strengthen the hair structure, have a beneficial effect on the skin. Soy ingredient is added to daily care formulations. And such products do an excellent job of their task: they smooth wrinkles, moisturize the skin, nourish it and improve color.

When soy can be dangerous

Studies by scientists have shown that with prolonged use of legumes in the body, serious violations of important functions can occur. But hormonal failure is especially dangerous. Therefore, pregnant women should generally abandon dishes where there is soy. With caution, this product should be consumed by women of childbearing age; children should not be given soy before 3 years of age. Diabetics also should not get too carried away with soy products, as their ability to reduce the concentration of sugar in the blood can lead to the opposite effect.

Some useful recipes

It is logical that the beneficial properties of soy were not left without the attention of traditional healers. It is believed that the plant is even able to prevent the development of cancer pathologies. After all, phytic acids inhibit the growth of foreign structures. Therefore, as a prophylactic, soybeans are quite suitable.

1. For strong immunity. You must first sprout the beans. It will take 5 days. This is done this way: first, the grains are soaked in ordinary water, and after a day they are laid out on a damp cloth. The mini-plantation should be kept in the sun, regularly wetting the beans. When the sprouts hatched from the beans reach 5 cm, they can be added to the salad or eat in small portions fresh.
2. Soy broth helps to cope with overwork, and also eliminates anemia. Healing nectar is prepared in the following way: soy fruits (50 g) are boiled for 15 minutes in ½ liter of water. After cooling the solution, it is filtered. The resulting amount of broth needs to be drunk during the day.
3. Soy milk is used to normalize menopause. The product is recommended to drink three times in 2 tablespoons for a whole month.

There are still a lot of useful compounds using soy products. There are many interesting recipes for the preparation of cosmetic compounds that can provide beauty and health. But you need to remember that any tool will only benefit if it is used wisely.

Video: the benefits and harms of soy products