How does the nutritional value of soy products compare with other foods? It turns out that tofu also has disease prevention and health care effects
Comparison of the nutritional value of soy products with meat, eggs, and fish
When most people mention nutritious foods, they first include chicken, duck, fish, and meat. , eggs, but soy products are rarely placed in the front, which shows that people still don’t know much about soy products. Therefore, here we will compare the nutritional value of soy products with meat, eggs, and fish to improve people's understanding of the nutritional value of soy products.
Make a comparison in terms of nutritional value to improve people's understanding of the nutritional value of soy products.
(1) Comparison of protein content and quality: In daily life, most people think that meat and eggs contain high protein, but they rarely pay attention to the fact that the protein content of soybeans is also very high, even higher than that of meat. , eggs, and fish are higher, and the quality is also better (Table 1).
Table 1 Protein content of some meat, eggs, fish and soybeans (g/100g)
Food name content Food name content
Lean pork 15.7 duck meat 16.5
Fat and lean pork 9.5 Small yellow croaker 16.7
Lean beef 20.3 Hairtail 18.1
Lean mutton 17.3 Eggs 14.7
Pork liver 21.3 Milk 3.3
Chicken 21.5 Soybeans 36.3
As can be seen from the table, the protein content in soybeans is much higher than that of meat, eggs, and fish, making it a good food for the human body to absorb protein.
The protein of soybeans also has great advantages, which is better than meat, eggs, and fish. Protein is composed of a variety of amino acids, including 8 amino acids: lysine, tryptophan, leucine, valine, methionine, threonine, phenylpropanic acid and isoleucine, which cannot be synthesized by the human body itself. , must be taken in from food, so it is called an essential amino acid.
The 8 kinds of amino acids cannot be synthesized by the human body itself and must be ingested from food, so they are called essential amino acids. Protein containing 8 kinds of amino acids is called complete protein or high-quality protein. Generally speaking, plant protein contains incomplete and small amounts of the above eight amino acids. It is an incomplete protein and has low nutritional value. However, soybean protein is an exception. It contains a relatively complete set of essential amino acids and a relatively high content. It is a complete protein and, like animal protein, has high nutritional value.
(2) Comparison of digestibility: Plant protein mostly exists in plant cells, and plant cells are composed of cellulose. Cellulose blocks the contact between protein and digestive enzymes, so the digestion and absorption rate is low. Therefore, the digestibility of protein before plant protein is processed is very low. For example, the digestibility of dry-fried soybeans is only 50, and the digestibility of cooked whole soybeans is The rate is only around 60. The digestibility of soy milk made from soybeans can reach over 85, and the digestibility of soybeans made into various soy products such as tofu and dried tofu can reach 92-96. Therefore, the protein digestibility of soy products is comparable to that of animal protein.
(3) Comparison of cholesterol content: Animal proteins such as meat, fish, poultry, and eggs all contain cholesterol, while soy protein does not contain cholesterol but contains stigmasterol. Although stigmasterol cannot be absorbed by the human body, it can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. Therefore, if you eat soy products regularly, you can not only get rich protein, but also avoid the harmful effects of arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases caused by excessive cholesterol.
(4) Soybeans contain a lot of calcium, phosphorus, and iron, which are beneficial to the human body: every 100 grams of soybeans contains 426 mg of calcium, 532 mg of phosphorus, and 11 mg of iron; every 100 grams of pork contains 11 mg of calcium. , containing 320 mg of phosphorus and 07-23 mg of iron (lean meat); every 100 grams of egg yolk contains 134 mg of calcium, 532 mg of phosphorus, and 72 mg of iron. These minerals are all essential ingredients for the human body, and soybeans are higher than meat and egg foods.
From the above comparison, the nutritional value of soybeans to the human body is relatively high.
The disease prevention and health-care effects of tofu
Tofu is a processed soybean product that people often eat. It is soft, tender, refreshing and delicious, and has always been welcomed by people.
(1) Eating tofu regularly can lower cholesterol in the human body: Although tofu contains fat, it does not contain cholesterol. Obese people and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients often eat tofu, which has the effect of lowering cholesterol and preventing arteriosclerosis. A recent study in the United States shows that daily consumption of soy products can not only slightly reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein (commonly known as "bad cholesterol") and triacylglycerols in the human body, but can also reduce menopausal symptoms in women. Through blood lipid measurement, it was found that consuming soy products every day can reduce low-density lipoprotein by 3 and triacylglycerol content by 6. Tofu also contains a certain amount of vitamin E, which is beneficial to human growth and development, maintains youthful vitality, and is closely related to delaying aging. It can improve microcirculation, promote capillary proliferation, and is also beneficial to the improvement of arteriosclerosis. To order tofu, use gypsum and brine, which contain high calcium and magnesium salts. Calcium is of special significance to the growth of bones and teeth in children, while magnesium salts have a protective effect on the myocardium and are beneficial to patients with arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
(2) Eating tofu regularly can prevent Alzheimer's disease: According to a study in the United States, Alzheimer's disease is caused by the lack of acetylcholine in the brains of the elderly. Acetylcholine is a chemical substance used by nerve cells to transmit information. The lack or reduction of this substance can directly affect people's thinking and memory and the regulation and balance of muscles throughout the body, leading to memory loss, slow reaction, slow movement, etc. Tofu happens to contain an ingredient that can increase the content of acetylcholine-phosphatidylcholine. When phosphatidylcholine enters the human body, choline will be released, which can make up for the lack of acetylcholine in the elderly, restore normal nerve cell information transmission, and improve disease symptoms.
(3) Eating more tofu can prevent breast cancer: A research unit in the United States has confirmed through experiments that the plant-type male hormones contained in soybeans can effectively inhibit the production of estrogen in animals. Excessive estrogen levels are considered to be one of the important causes of breast cancer. Researchers once conducted an experiment on a group of female cheetahs. Female cheetahs who regularly consumed soybeans for a long time had significantly lower levels of estrogen in their bodies. However, once they stopped eating soybeans, their estrogen levels immediately increased again. Another group of experiments on female white rats showed that the rate of breast cancer in a group of white rats that regularly consumed soy flour was 70% lower than in a group of white rats that did not regularly consume soy flour. Researchers also found that among Asian, especially North Asian women, the proportion of breast cancer patients is only 125% that of American women. The reason is probably related to the fact that Asian women's diet is rich in soybeans and soy products. Strikingly, among Asian immigrants in the United States, the proportion of women with breast cancer is still small, but the proportion of women with breast cancer is significantly higher in their offspring. This is partly related to the living habits and traditional dietary recipes of their next generation, which may include eating less soybeans than the previous generation. Therefore, women are encouraged to eat more soy products such as tofu.
(4) Tofu contains vegetable fats and enzymes, which have beauty effects such as moisturizing the skin and eliminating freckles. Therefore, there is a saying among the people that "Beauty comes from the tofu shop" and "Beauty from the tofu shop". The book "Chinese Food Folklore" says: "Tofu is tender and white in color. Eating more will make people's skin white and tender. The daughter of the tofu shop owner eats more tofu, so she looks very beautiful."
(5) Traditional Chinese medicine believes that tofu is sweet and cool in nature and has the effects of replenishing qi, neutralizing phlegm, promoting body fluids and moisturizing, clearing away heat and detoxifying. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that tofu: "tonifies the middle and replenishes qi, harmonizes the spleen and stomach, relieves fullness and turbid qi in the large intestine." "Suixiju Diet Manual" records that tofu: "clears away heat, moisturizes dryness, promotes body fluid production, detoxifies, tonifies the middle and relaxes the intestines." Intestines, reduce turbidity. "Traditional Chinese medicine believes that tofu can cure some common diseases. For example, 500 grams of tofu, stewed with rice vinegar and eaten twice a day, can cure dysentery. Take 500 grams of tender tofu, add 5 grams of tangerine peel, and 5 grams of Platycodon grandiflorum. Put them all into a pot, add two bowls of water and fry, then eat the tofu while it is warm. This can cure coughs in the elderly. Mix 500 grams of tofu, 100 grams of maltose, and 1 cup of raw radish juice and boil. Take it twice a day to reduce asthma caused by bronchitis. Use 300 grams of tofu, add an appropriate amount of sugar, steam it over high heat, and take it before going to bed every night. It has certain effects on the initial onset of colds and coughs.
Because tofu has the effects of replenishing qi, neutralizing phlegm, promoting body fluids, moistening dryness, clearing away heat, diuresis and detoxification, it is often used by traditional Chinese medicine to assist in the treatment of menopausal discomfort in women.
Such as hot flashes, flushed face, night sweats, heart palpitations, irritability, depression and insomnia, etc., eating tofu or other soy products can have a significant effect in reducing discomfort.