According to the nutritional content, beans can be divided into soybeans and other dry beans, including peas, broad beans, mung beans, cowpeas, adzuki beans and kidney beans.

The nutritional content of beans and their products varies greatly depending on the varieties and types. Soybeans have the highest protein content, generally 35 to 40. Some people have calculated that the protein content of one pound of soybeans is equivalent to more than 2 pounds of lean pork, 3 pounds of eggs, or 12 pounds of milk. Therefore, soybeans are called "plant meat", "green cow", etc. The protein content of other legumes is also higher than that of cereals, usually between 20 and 30%. The fat content is also highest in soybeans, reaching 15-20%, and the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil are as high as 85%, with linoleic acid being the most abundant, and also containing more phospholipids. Therefore, soybeans are recommended as an ideal food for the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis and other diseases. The content of carbohydrates is relatively small, accounting for about 20 to 30%. Soy protein is the best high-quality protein and is rich in lysine, but lacks sulfur-containing amino acids. Soybeans are also rich in Ca and vitamin B1, and their riboflavin content is also the highest among plant foods. Other legumes do not contain much fatty acid, but contain more starch, with about 20% protein, and other nutrients are roughly the same as soybeans.

The soy products traditionally consumed by Chinese residents mainly include tofu and its products, soy milk and bean sprouts. The protein content of tofu is about 8, and the protein content of its products (such as dried tofu, tofu rolls and silk, etc.) can be as high as 17 to 45. Tofu and its products are also good sources of calcium and vitamin B1. Soybeans are rich in calcium and are a good source of dietary calcium for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly. Bean sprouts made from mung beans or soybeans have a vitamin C content of about 6 to 8 mg per 100 grams, which can be used as a source of vitamin C.

Nuts include peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and hazelnuts. The protein content is about 12~25%, and the oil content can be as high as 44~70%. Oil crops mainly refer to the seeds of oil crops. In addition to the above-mentioned soybeans, they also include cottonseeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseeds, etc. This type of food is rich in fat and protein and is an important raw material for frying. After frying, the remaining oil residue or cake contains about 20 or more proteins.

When using soybeans and other oils as plant protein raw materials, you should also pay attention to the presence of anti-nutrient factors and other harmful ingredients. Raw soybeans and other oil crops contain antitrypsin factors, which can inhibit the digestion of trypsin; they also contain a variety of other antinutrient factors, which can have harmful effects on the human body. Therefore, only heating and cooking can completely destroy the above-mentioned anti-nutrient factors.