Soybeans

Remember when soybeans were considered the optimal plant-based food simply because they offered a complete protein? Well, today we know that we don’t need to eat all our amino acids at once, and that it’s often better not to. That being said, soybeans do offer us a fantastic protein and fiber boost. 

But there’s is so much more to soybeans than being a protein “replacement” for vegans. Soybeans are very rich in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium. This means they are a powerful anti-inflammatory food that supports our heart, our brain, our bones, our muscles, our digestion, our eyes, our reproduction, our red blood cells, our children’s early development, our metabolism, and more.

Sadly, a few years back people started to fear soy due to the misconception that their high phytoestrogen content could lead to anything from “man boobs” to mail infertility, thyroid problems, and breast cancer in women. Though this theory has long been debunked by scientific studies and mega reviews like this one, the news has not quite caught on and a lot of people still avoid soy like the plague. The irony and tragedy of this misinformation is that soybeans actually help prevent cancer, especially breast and prostate cancers.

Yes, soybeans are very rich in isoflavones, a phytochemical that belong to the flavonoid family. While isoflavones act as estrogen in our body, it was discovered that they also have strong anti-estrogenic effects. This means that they can protect our body from other types of estrogen, while also supplying our body with plant estrogen. The amazing thing is that isoflavones have anti-estrogenic effects on our breasts, thus helping us prevent the development of cancerous cells due to excessive estrogen, while also having estrogenic effects in our bones, helping us increase our bone remineralization after menopause. These phytoestrogens have other benefits too, like reducing menopause symptoms and they might even help us synthesize DHA after menopause too. Learn more about the estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects of isoflavones in our body here and here.

Soy comes in many forms, from fresh or frozen edamame, and dried mature beans, to some mildly processed foods like soy milk, tofu, tempeh and natto. Watch out for highly processed soy foods that also include high levels of sodium, saturated fats, and/or ingredients we have trouble pronouncing. While soy is healthy, these harmful ingredients could outweigh the benefits. 

Check out our personalized nutrition calculator below to see how much nutrition you can get from soy beans and mildly processed soy foods.