Soybean: Intolerance & Allergy

The soybean is a legume and belongs to the so-called legumes, the botanical family of the papilionaceous plants. As a vegetable, soybeans have served as a crop for a very long time, and now the cultivation areas are spread all over the world. It is a high-quality vegetable food, rich in protein, and its importance will increase in the future as the world population continues to grow.

Here’s what you should know about the soybean

Soybeans contain up to 36% of high-quality vegetable protein, depending on the variety. Especially for vegetarians or people with allergies, soy can be a full substitute for animal protein. Soybeans are a tasty vegetable that can be prepared and consumed in many different ways. Historically, it can be traced back that the soybean played a role as a vegetable and cultivated plant already about 2800 years before Christ. It is considered certain that the soybean originally came from China. Today, it is rightly considered the most economically important vegetable in the world. It was not until the end of the 18th century that soybeans made their way to America and Europe before continuing their triumphant advance around the globe. Cultivation now takes place all over the world, but a few main areas of cultivation have become established, including the archipelago of the Philippines, Russia, Central and South America, Africa, Indonesia, China and India. The fact that the soybean has become the world’s most important economic crop is due in part to its extremely diverse uses and applications. The soybean plant has a bushy shape and can grow up to 1 m high. Depending on cultivation and variety, the beans can be of different colors, namely black, brown, gray or even yellow. The pods of the soybean have hairiness and they can contain up to five seeds. The seeds can also vary in color, size and shape depending on the variety of soybean. As a rule, however, the seeds are cream-colored in appearance. On the open world market, black, green or red soybean seeds are also offered, but far less frequently. On the European continent, the soybean is known to most consumers only as a dried fruit. In America or Asia, however, the bean is mostly processed fresh. Fresh soybeans are processed in a similar way to peas, by simply pressing the seeds from the pods. Soybeans should be harvested when they are as ripe as possible; the degree of ripeness can best be read from the fact that the pods are about to burst open. When stored properly, soybeans have an almost unlimited shelf life. Numerous genetically modified varieties of soybeans now also exist worldwide.

Significance for health

The importance for the health of soybeans is considered by nutrition experts to be extraordinarily high. This takes into account the fact that the soybean is not only a high-quality food, rich in vegetable proteins, but also a phytopharmaceutical for the prophylaxis and therapy of various diseases. In the so-called developing countries, the soybean is still used primarily as a pure source of food. In America, Asia and Europe, food preparations from the soybean are extremely popular, especially among vegetarians and vegans. The soybean and its importance for health has been the subject of numerous studies in the past. Because of the hormone-like effect of some ingredients, women’s health in particular seems to benefit from regular consumption of products made from soybeans. Healing effects are therefore seen above all in menopausal complaints, but also in digestive problems, because of the vegetable protein, which is considered to be particularly easy to digest. Regular consumption has also been shown to significantly lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of recurrence in certain forms of breast cancer.

Ingredients and nutritional values

Soybeans contain up to 36% high quality vegetable protein, depending on the variety.Especially for vegetarians or allergy sufferers, soy can be a full substitute for animal protein. The soybean is also considered particularly rich in fiber, because fiber, mostly as carbohydrates, accounts for about 22%. In addition, each soybean contains a mix of various vitamins, minerals and trace elements, with the mineral potassium dominating. However, the extended health benefits are mainly due to the increased content of so-called secondary plant compounds, such as isoflavones or lecithins. There are about 20 g of fat per 100 g of soybeans, which, together with the other ingredients, makes up a nutritional value of about 340 kcal on average.

Intolerances and allergies

In sensitive individuals with a corresponding allergic disposition, the consumption of soy protein may well lead to intolerances and allergies. In the presence of a so-called cross-allergy, the allergic symptoms are triggered not only by the vegetable protein, but also by at least one other ingredient of the soybean. In connection with intolerance reactions to soy products, patients mainly report skin rashes, so-called eczema or problems with the respiratory tract as asthma. In cases of proven allergy to soy products, they usually have to be permanently removed from the diet. This can become a problem when choosing foods, because many industrially produced foods contain fractions of soy proteins. Not all countries in the EU require these to be labeled either.

Shopping and kitchen tips

Fresh soybeans are rarely available in German food markets. However, purchasing and storage of dried soybeans is considered simple and straightforward. Storage of soybeans should always be dark, dry and airtight. Under such ideal storage conditions, the shelf life is considered to be almost unlimited, but at least one year. If you want to process fresh soybeans in Germany, it is best to turn to Asian stores. The fresh pods must be stored in the refrigerator, where they can be kept for no longer than 3-5 days. If you only want to process the seeds from the fresh soybeans, you should leave them in the pods until the time of processing for reasons of hygiene and freshness. This is because only the seeds of the soybean alone spoil quite quickly. The whole soybeans as well as the seeds can simply be boiled in boiling water until they are soft. So-called edamame is the name given to particularly young soybeans harvested before they are ripe, a particularly well-salted snack to go with beer. The cultivation of genetically modified soy varieties takes place mainly in the United States, but not only. If you want to protect your diet from getting genetically modified soybeans, you should always go for certified organic.

Preparation tips

Dried soybeans must always be soaked for several hours, preferably overnight, so that they can be further processed. During this process, important ingredients from the soybean pass into the water, which is why it should not simply be poured away. To prevent overcooking, soybeans must be boiled three times while stirring constantly. After the temperature is regulated down after that, the pot is closed and then the further cooking time is about 1 hour. Only when the cooking process is completed, the beans are salted, otherwise they will not become soft.