Soy Food Nutritional Highlights

Protein
Protein found in soybean is ofhigh quality. It contains all theessential amino acids necessary for making protein in the human body.  Soy protein is also highly digestible.

In addition to being a source of high quality protein, soy protein also has health promoting properties.  Ahealth claimon soy was awarded after research found correlations between soy protein consumption and heart health.

Dietary fiber
Due to processing, some soy food like soybean curd (tofu), soybean curd dessert (tofu-hua) and fried soybean curd (tofu-pok) no longer contain dietary fiber.  Others like soy flour and textured soy protein.

Dietary fiber is an indigestible complex carbohydrate, thus does not contribute calories.  Research has shown that dietary fiber helps to prevent and relieve constipation and may maintain a healthy colon.  Dietary fiber also induces satiety (feeling of fullness), which triggers the body to stop eating and naturally reduces the amount of food intake, which results in betterweight management.

The recommended intake of fiber is around 20-30 grams daily.  Soy food high in fiber are edamamé, okara, textured soy protein (TSP) and soy flour.  One serving (100 g) of edamamé provides 4.2 g of dietary fiber, which is 14-21% of the recommended daily intake.  By consuming a modest amount of soy food rich in dietary fiber, you can increase fiber intake.

Iron
Recent research shows that soy may help prevent iron deficiency in women.  Soy contains a modest amount of iron and is well absorbed as demonstrated in many studies.

Iron is important for the production of red blood cells.  Iron-deficiency anemia is a condition in which the production of red blood cells is depressed because of the low level of iron. Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, restlessness, and shortness of breath.

Almost all soy food are rich in iron.  Whole soybean and soy flour contain at least 6 mg of iron per 100 g serving.  Bread made with soy flour is not only high in protein, but also in iron.

B vitamins
B vitamins are important to ensure proper metabolism in our body and to release energy from food.  Soy food are rich in many B vitamins, including vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is found in tempeh.  Vegetarians who are at risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency should consider consuming tempeh regularly.

Unsaturated fatty acids
Mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids are healthier forms of fat than saturated fatty acids.  Mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids have been linked to the lowering of total and LDL ('bad') cholesterol.  Soybean oil is high in mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids and is suitable for daily cooking.

Cholesterol-free
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance required for proper functioning of the body.  Cholesterol isnotfound in plant-based food, such as soybeans.  High cholesterol food have been linked to increasedblood cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease.  Soy is the onlyhigh quality proteinsource that does not contain cholesterol.

Isoflavones
Isoflavones are a group of plant chemicals that is beneficial to the body.  Soy is the main source of isoflavones in the human diet.  Different types of soy food containdifferent levels of isoflavones.  Many health benefits, such ascancer protectionandosteoporosis prevention, have been associated with different levels of isoflavones intake. Current recommendation for isoflavones intake is between 30 to 50 mg daily.
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Lecithin
Lecithin is extracted from soybean oil and is widely used as anemulsifier, both in soy- and non-soy-based products.  Lecithin may be used to lower blood cholesterol and treat liver disease.  Lecithin is also rich in omega-6 fatty acids, one of the essential unsaturated fatty acids in the human diet.