Photo: gadl
The legend says that the God of agriculture brought the cultivation of soy to feed Chinese people. In fact, soy has been an essential food for the survival of the Chinese people throughout its history. Chinese emperors knew about the incredible nutritive properties of soy, as well as its properties to prevent and cure diseases.
1- Soy is good for your muscles.
Soy in Chinese means “meat grown in the field.” The 25% of a steak weight are proteins whereas in soy this proportion is almost a 40%. In other words, 60 grams of soy is equivalent to 100 grams of meat. Do not substitute completely your consumption of meat by soy. You should introduce soy in your diet and as a result of which you eat less meat, thus achieving a lower level of saturated fat.
2- Soy is good for your heart and for your blood circulation.
Soy is a rich source of lecithin, a substance that melts fat and reduces the level of bad cholesterol almost in a 10%. Besides, soy also has isoflavones, genistein, fitosterols, and other antioxidants that help to reduce the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and therefore helps you to prevent heart diseases.
3- Soy is good for your brain.
Soy isoflavones reduces the risk of cerebral infarction. And if this were not enough, soy also can help to prevent and reduce the effects of Alzheimer´s disease. This is because soy has a lipid called DHA (docosahex-aenoic acid) which reduces the impact of AB42 (the toxic agent in Alzheimer’s disease).
4- Soy helps prevent cancer.
Specifically, soy reduces the risk of colon and rectal cancer, which is one of the most important causes of mortality among men. Soy also prevents the formation of prostate tumors. This is because soy contains genistein, a vegetable hormone that keeps the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which are essential to protect against tumor development.
Consume soy in moderation
There are some studies which alert us to the potentially negative effects of an excessive consumption of soy. Soy has fitoestrogens that is why men who have a diet rich in soy have the levels of testosterone a lot lower that who eat only meat. Besides, an excessive consumption of soy also can cause various types of thyroid disorders.
It is important to bear in mind that there are negative effects only if you consume too much soy. On the contrary, if you consume soy responsibly and you keep a balanced diet it will provide you innumerable health benefits. Besides, these risks are considerably low if you consume soy of natural origin instead of medicinal compounds derived from soy. Therefore, if you consume natural soy products in moderation there will be a lot of benefits without negative effects.
Written by: David Cantone