What are soybean sprouts? The calorie content of the product and the useful components that make up it. How to sprout soybeans on your own? Cooking Uses and Potential Harm. Summing up, we can say the following, soybean sprouts are a very useful product, it not only strengthens the immune system and is considered a good prophylactic agent for the development of certain diseases, but also actively helps in the treatment of many ailments.
Contraindications and harm to soybean sprouts
However, despite all the beneficial properties, this is a product, the amount of consumption of which must be carefully controlled. There is a very thin line between the benefits and harms of soybean sprouts, their many positive qualities, when consumed excessively, change to negative ones. Suffice it to say that if with moderate consumption of sprouts, the likelihood of developing cancer decreases, then with excessive consumption, on the contrary, it increases.
However, here it is necessary to look for the fault not so much in soybean sprouts, but in the fact that today, to reduce the cost of production, negligent producers, as they say, shove soy wherever they go, and often it is about low-quality and / or genetically modified soybeans. In addition, there are plenty of soy products on the shelves for vegetarians - milk, cheese, etc. So, if you start eating sprouts, but you do not stop limiting yourself in other foods containing soy, you are likely to exceed the acceptable level and are unlikely to get a healthier effect.
Features of the consumption of soybean sprouts:
| Allowed in small quantities | Is prohibited |
| Children under 12 years old | With migraines |
| Men | With hormonal diseases |
| Pregnant | In case of stomach ulcers |
| Lactating | For diseases of the pancreas |
| Prone to diarrhea | With urolithiasis |
Eat soy sprouts no more than 4 times a week if you are not a vegetarian diet, and once a day if you are a vegan. In this case, in the latter case, it should be borne in mind that if in the morning you drank a cocktail with soy milk or ate a sandwich with soy tofu cheese, it is better not to eat sprouts.
It is especially important not to exceed the recommended limits:
- Children under 12 years old, since soy affects the hormonal background, and the phytoestrogen contained in it can disrupt the formation of the natural hormonal balance;
- Men, since excessive consumption of sprouts can cause a decrease in libido and negatively affect reproductive abilities;
- Prone to diarrhea, an excessive amount of fiber in this case can provoke loose stools;
- Pregnant and lactating - despite the fact that the product is able to supply the fetus with almost all the necessary vitamins and minerals, the norms for its use should be discussed with the gynecologist.
There is a group of people for whom soybean sprouts are not recommended for consumption in principle:
- Migraine sufferers - with a predisposition to severe headaches, soy should be avoided in the diet, since a large amount of isoflavones can increase the manifestations of the disease;
- People with hormonal disorders - recall that soy affects the hormonal background, and therefore, in case of thyroid diseases and other hormonal imbalances, it is better to refuse the product;
- Patients with other diseases - stomach ulcer, urolithiasis and pancreatic ailments.
It is also worth saying that with caution you need to introduce soy into the diet of allergy sufferers.
Note! If you suffer from a serious illness of one nature or another, which was not mentioned above, we recommend that you consult with your doctor before introducing soybean sprouts into your diet.
How to germinate soybeans?
We would not recommend buying ready-made soybean sprouts - this product requires proper storage and has a short shelf life, and when purchasing a store product, you can never be sure that important conditions are met.
However, sprouting soy at home is not at all difficult:
- Loop over and rinse the beans.
- Take a wide-bottomed plastic container and arrange the soybeans in one row so the seeds germinate evenly.
- Fill the beans with room temperature water and close the container loosely - the seeds should breathe.
- After 12 hours, drain the water, rinse with soy, dry slightly, spread on damp gauze, folded in several layers, and leave for another 12 hours. The room temperature should be about 22 degrees, and direct sunlight should not fall on the seeds - if necessary, they can be covered with a second slightly moistened gauze on top.
- After 12 hours, the first shoots should appear, if you want to grow them further, the beans need to be washed and decomposed again. When the size of the sprouts suits you (you should not grow them more than 5 cm), rinse them again, dry them and put them in the refrigerator.
Store sprouts in the refrigerator, preferably in a tightly closed container.
Note! You can buy soy only in specialized health food stores, where it is carefully monitored. Never use beans that are sold for sowing for germination, as they are most likely processed with growth stimulants and antibiotics.
Soybean Sprouts Recipes
Soy sprouts are a versatile product; they can be added to salads, soups, and various stews - it all depends on your imagination.
It is important to know that even when adding sprouts to a fresh salad, it is imperative to blanch in boiling water for at least 30 seconds, it is dangerous to eat them without preliminary heat treatment.
Let's look at some interesting uses in soy sprout recipes:
- Soy sprouts garnish … Rinse the sprouts (100 grams) and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer the sprouts to a salad bowl. Add soy sauce (3 tablespoons), balsamic vinegar (1-2 tablespoons), finely grated garlic (2 cloves), black pepper and chili (0.5 teaspoon each). Heat the vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) in a skillet and add to the sprouts as well. Stir the garnish thoroughly, after half an hour you can eat it.
- Chuka and eel salad … Dip the sprouts (50 grams) in boiling water for a minute. Cut the eel fillet (100 grams) into medium-sized pieces and fry in a pan for a couple of minutes on each side, transfer to a plate to cool. Meanwhile, cut the carrots, cucumber and bell pepper into thin strips (1 each). Prepare a dressing: mix sunflower (40 ml) and sesame oil (20 ml), add soy sauce (10 ml), sugar (5 grams), sesame seeds (5 grams), lightly fried in a pan, thin slices of fresh ginger (5 grams), chili peppers (1/4) and lime juice (from 1/4 of the fruit). On a serving plate, place Iceberg lettuce leaves (80 grams), chuka salad (80 grams), soy sprouts, all prepared vegetables. Pour the dressing over the salad, stir and eat immediately.
- Korean salad … Place the sprouts (500 grams) in boiling water for a minute, then rinse with cold water. Fry the sesame seeds in a pan (2 tablespoons). Then fry separately the onions (1 piece), cut into half rings. Prepare the dressing: Combine soy sauce (3 tablespoons), balsamic vinegar (1 tablespoon), minced garlic (2 cloves), and black pepper to taste. Finely chop the parsley (1 bunch) and ginger root (2 centimeters). Combine sprouts, onions, herbs and dressing, toss. Eat salad after 1, 5-2 hours.
- Egg noodles with vegetables and sprouts … Boil the egg noodles according to the packaging instructions. Cut shiitake mushrooms (40 grams), bell peppers (80 grams), zucchini (60 grams), carrots (80 grams), red onions (30 grams) into thin strips. Heat a wok-pan strongly and pour sunflower oil (30 ml) into it, first add mushrooms and carrots, after a couple of minutes onions, then pepper and zucchini. Remember to stir constantly! After another couple of minutes, add green peas (30 grams), soy sprouts (40 grams), ginger (1 teaspoon), chopped garlic (1 clove), sesame oil (20 ml), soy sauce (30 ml), sesame seeds (1 teaspoon), stir and cook for another minute. Serve immediately with hot noodles.
- Chicken with sweet creamy sauce … Cut the chicken breast (600 grams) into cubes, fry in a pan for 5 minutes on each side. Pour the chicken with any stock or water (100 ml), add the sprouts (250 grams) and simmer for 5 minutes. Add canned pineapple (200 grams), cream (100 ml), soy sauce (1 tablespoon) and curry (1 teaspoon), cook for another 3 minutes. Serve with your favorite side dish.
As you can see, with such a simple product as soybean sprouts, you can cook both very prosaic and refined dishes, which means that everyone can choose the best recipe for themselves, and the product will not only benefit the body, but also delight in taste.
Interesting facts about soy
Despite the fact that soybeans are considered the oldest culture and mentions of it are found in the earliest Chinese literature, dating back to the fourth century BC, in Europe it was first presented at a crop exhibition only in 1873. In Russia, soybeans were tried at all at the beginning of the 20th century, when during the Russian-Japanese war the tsarist command faced the problem of supplying traditional food to the Far Eastern region.
In the most ancient treatise of the second Chinese emperor Shen-Nun, you can already find recipes for preparing various products from soy - milk, cottage cheese, butter, flour, etc. It is curious that the main principles of working with soybeans outlined in the work are still used today.
Soy is the only plant that scientists are controversial. One camp claims that culture is extremely useful, the second expresses many concerns about the product, primarily due to its ability to influence hormones. In Russia, for a very long time they could not come up with a name for soybeans, such names as oilseed peas, oilseed beans, Haberlandt beans, etc. were proposed, but in the end they settled on an English translation from Japanese - soybeans.
This is one of the few cultures that is fully used for certain purposes. That is, soy is an absolutely waste-free plant.
Surely, in grocery stores, you often saw asparagus salad, where the latter means long beige pieces. So, there is no asparagus in this salad, it's just the foam that is formed when soy milk is boiled.
Watch the video about soybean sprouts:
Soy sprouts are a controversial product. On the one hand, it contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other elements that our body needs on a daily basis. On the other hand, it contains components that affect the hormonal background, which is why it is very important to eat sprouts and other soy products without exceeding the recommended norms, then you will only benefit from them.
