Soybeans’ Nutrition Profile and Versatility Provide Healthy Alternative

One of the most nutritious vegetables, soybeans are native to Asia. Chinese Emperor Shen Nung used the soybean plant to introduce people to the art of cultivation. Mentioned in Materia Medica around 2900 B.C., soybeans were introduced to Europe by Engelbert Kaempfer, physician to the Governor of the Dutch East Indian Company on the island of Japan between 1690 and 1892. Since the Japanese guarded their crop, Kaempfer had to bribe the guards to acquire the specimens.

Benjamin Franklin sent seeds back to the United States from France in the late 18^th century. Soybeans were first grown in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1829 and were considered a luxury. Automobile manufacturer Henry Ford was one of the first to understand the potential for soybean as a manufactured food. Ford ate soybeans at every meal, had a suit made from soy fabric, and sponsored a sixteen course soybean dinner at the 1934 “Century of Progress” show in Chicago.

It wasn’t until the 1930’s that soybeans started to be processed industrially for edible oil and protein meal in the United States. Today soy bean can be found in tofu, soy beverages, soy flour and other soy based products. Soybeans now account for 45% of acreage and 55% of the production in the United States.

Soybeans not only contain all of the amino acids, they contain more protein than beef, more calcium than milk, more lecithin than eggs, and more iron than beef. This high quality source of protein is also low in calories and saturated fat. The only negatives about soybean are that soy protein may hinder iron absorption and because soybeans are high in sodium, they may cause allergies.