Soya is complete protein, with calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and phytoestrogens. Adding soybean and soybean products to our diet could be a better way to handle problem symptoms than taking drugs to alleviate them . I’ve promised myself to drink a cup of soya milk a day and I already add the sprouts to anything I can think of.

The soybean (Glycine max) is really a pea. It’s a legume, a plant that converts nitrogen into protein.

Soybeans are a source of ‘complete protein’, protein that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that need to be provided to our body because we can’t synthesise them ourselves.

The little beans are also a good source of iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and manganese, and they’re high in fibre and vitamin C. Plus they’re nutritient -dense and low in carbohydrates.

They contain isoflavones, plant substances chemically similar to the female hormone estrogen. Their presence in soy foods may help to explain why people in countries where soy is a big part of the diet suffer from relatively few menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes. It may also explain why rates of certain hormone-related cancers are much lower in Asia than they are in many parts of the West.

Genistein, an isoflavone in soybeans, is believed to prevent development of plaque that builds up in the walls of coronary arteries. Many physicians state it to be useful in the prevention of cancer.

Of interest to us is the fact that soya beans contain phytoestrogens - plant estrogens.

It’s also suggested that a soya-rich diet can help prevent post-menopausal health problems, such as osteoporosis (brittle bones). Studies of Japanese women, and of Chinese women in Hong Kong show that those with the highest soya consumption also had the strongest bones. But there’s no real evidence that such findings translate to European women.

However, it’s still a fact that many women experience a decrease in stressful symptoms when adding soy to their diet. So adding soybean and soybean products to the diet could be a better way to handle annoyances. In any case, it can’t harm and it’s cheap enough. I’ve promised myself to drink at least a cup of soya milk a day and I already add the sprouts to anything I can think of. You can sprout them easily, just like any other beans.

Soya Bean Sprouts

• Put 1/2 cup of soya beans into a glass jar & cover with water
• Soak overnight
• Drain and rinse thoroughly with cool water until water runs clear
• Stand the soya sprouts aside out of direct sunlight
• Drain and rinse every 8- 12 hours till the sprouts are ready to eat (about 5 days).

You can get some easy and tasteful recipes at the the Soya and Tofu Recipe Blog.

The Vegetarian Society, U.K., have some excellent recipes, called ‘Faking it’ for swapping soya protein for animal meat.