Soy meat is a unique plant product that can replace chicken, beef and much more. When evaluating it, it is worth paying attention to its importance for the vegetarian, dietary and medical menu.
What is the use of soy meat and what is it
Soybean is one of the most significant crops in world agriculture, known to man since ancient times (at least 7 millennia ago it was already cultivated in the territory of modern China).
Like no other plant, soy is in demand not only for direct consumption (beans and sprouts), but also for the production of many products, often valuable analogues of animal products:
milk;
oils (used almost like sunflower);
cottage cheese (tofu cheese);
sauce (indispensable in Asian cuisine);
flour;
miso (pasta and convenience food for first courses);
a number of other products and, of course, soy meat.
The latter is obtained from soy flour (often with the addition of soybean meal, a by-product from oil production), which is converted into a dry fibrous product during complex technological processing, pieces of which are given various shapes and sizes, and meat can also be produced in the form of minced meat.
We note right away that this product, otherwise called soya texture, special texture and texture resembles natural meat much more than a taste that can be characterized as unusual, but pleasant, rather neutral.
For this reason, it perfectly combines with almost all products; it is recommended to supplement it with spices and sauces.
You can buy soy meat with the taste of beef, chicken, smoked pork belly ... Flavors and flavors often diminish the useful properties of the product, but increase the appetite of soy meat for those who are forced to abandon the usual, for example, because of the need to follow a diet.
In general, this product is delicious - sometimes you can eat it just for a change of menus.
You can eat soy texturate every day without thinking about it - it is often added to store dumplings, sausages, meatballs and similar meat semi-finished products.
And at home, all its preparation corresponds to a certain order:
soaking (short cooking) the product in a hot liquid, usually water, but you can also take broth and milk, decoctions of aromatic herbs and roots;
after the semi-finished product will increase 3-4 times - the actual preparation by any preferred method - frying, stewing, baking. Cooked with soy meat and first courses.
On the vegetarian menu, soy texturate is known as a valuable source of protein, and it is really rich in it - the content level of 50-60% is impressive.
But it cannot be considered as a full-fledged substitute for animal protein (the same chicken fillet or cottage cheese) - a set of amino acids and their digestibility are far from perfect.
Soy meat contains vitamins from group B, as well as D and E.
Also in the chemical composition of the product is potassium, phosphorus, copper, calcium, magnesium and iron.
Plant origin gives the product fiber, which helps normalize digestion and remove slag, heavy metals and radionuclides from the body.
And the raffinose sugar contained in the product positively affects the maintenance of beneficial intestinal microflora.
What diseases will benefit from soy meat
Nutritionists recommend adding soy meat to the diet to unload the body from the often difficult task of assimilating conventional meat, especially when it comes to its fatty varieties.
It is proved that this product improves metabolism and significantly accelerates lipid metabolism, preventing the deposition of fat in the problem areas of the figure and in the abdominal cavity (the latter provokes a deterioration in the functioning of internal organs).
Soy meat is not less than tender veal and dry turkey meat is good for the health of the cardiovascular system and in particular:
improves blood circulation, including blood microcirculation in the brain;
dilates blood vessels;
promotes blood formation, improving blood composition, including lowering sugar levels;
prevents the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels;
prevents thrombosis.
Soy meat has a positive effect on the nervous system, regulating its activity in conditions of stress and increased mental stress.
Also, the inclusion of soy meat in the diet contributes to:
normalization of the female hormonal background;
prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system (including osteoporosis and arthritis);
improving the functioning of the endocrine glands (primarily the thyroid and pancreas);
strengthening the body's natural defenses against premature aging.
What can be said about the benefits of soy meat for weight loss
The energy value of soy texture in dry form is about 300 kcal per 100 g, but after soaking, this indicator in the ready-to-cook product decreases to almost 100 kcal per 100 g
If you also take into account the percentage of proteins, fats (1%) and carbohydrates (less than 18%), it turns out that soy meat is quite suitable for weight loss.
But at the same time, even a small portion of the product thoroughly and permanently saturates.
And although it does without heaviness in the stomach, it is recommended to use soya product not before, but after fitness training, preferably accompanied by vegetables and seasonings, which provide vitamins and facilitate the assimilation of “meat”.
Also, it is not recommended to eat soy meat in the evening, later than 4-6 hours before bedtime.
How is the harm of soy meat
Plantings of genetically modified soybeans, high-yielding, unpretentious and resistant to pest attacks, are growing every year.
The ongoing disputes between scientists and the public about the harm and harmlessness of such a plant to humans have prompted food manufacturers to make a mark on many products with soy, including on packages of meat from it, if the product does not contain GMOs that there is always a choice - to trust genetics and there is something that is sown around the world, or to choose a truly natural product.
The previously mentioned properties of soybeans to affect the hormonal background of women are the basis of its specific harm to men (subject to regular use).
The fact is that by stimulating the production of female sex hormones, soybean simultaneously provokes a drop in testosterone, which is expressed for men in the following:
mood swings;
excess weight gain;
muscle weakness;
deterioration in reproductive abilities.
Due to the ambiguous effect of the plant on the production of hormones, many scientists talk about the theoretical dangers of soy meat and recommend abandoning it for the period of treatment of diseases of the endocrine (hormonal) system, as well as for the time when a woman plans to conceive and for all 9 months of pregnancy.
Being a source of protein itself, soy, however, contains an enzyme that interferes with the absorption of proteins of a different (not from soy) origin, especially not vegetable, but meat.
Moreover, this negative impact does not stop unambiguously if you stop eating soy, but it remains for some, a long time.
It is also important to note the harm of soy meat in that it can interfere with the absorption of iodine, which can cause the onset or development of thyroid disease.
To avoid this, soy meat lovers are advised to eat more foods high in iodine.
In diseases characterized by the risk of stone formation in the kidneys and bladder, soy, due to the oxalates contained in it, significantly increases this probability.
