When trying to lose weight, diet is a crucial part of your journey. What goes inside determines how you’ll look outside. For this reason, experts advise weight-watchers and those who want to lose weight to be cautious about what they eat. One thing that you want to avoid is a high-calorie diet.
But vegans and vegetarians have limited choices on what to eat and what not to eat. Unfortunately for them, soy which was among the most popular choices has become a controversial food item these days.
But the concerns individuals have about soy products have brought back the love of soy chunks.
So, do soya chunks help in weight loss?
Continue reading this guide to answer that.
What Are Soya Chunks Made of?
Soya chunks are great additions to a vegan diet. They are a meat substitute that contain lots of protein. They are obtained when extracting soybean oil from soybeans.
So. in other words, these chunks are a defatted soy product, meaning that they are a by-product of soybean oil extraction. Some people call these chunks meal makers.
Soya chunks are made from a process called extrusion. During this process, the structure of soy flour, the initial product, is changed into a meaty product derived in chunk form.
You can get soya chunks online or from departmental stores. However, make sure that you buy from a reputable store to be safe.
Remember to check the manufacturing date as you would when buying other food items.
What’s The Nutritional Value of Soya Chunks?
Soya chunks are one of the most nutritious food items. They are sold as regular or mini chunks, or granules, and you can prepare them in various ways. They have an almost similar nutritional value to that of meat.
Here are the nutrients in soya chunks;
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Complete Protein
Soya chunks come from soy beans which are regarded complete proteins, meaning that they have all amino acids. These amino acids create protein, which is needed by the body for muscle growth, function of the immune system, and cell repair.
Eating a serving of 3.5 ounces(100 g) of these chunks gives you more than 54g protein grams, which is even more than what you get from when you serve the same amount of eggs and meat.
Calcium
Soya chunks offer more than 53 milligrams of calcium per 3.5 ounces(100 g) serving. We need calcium to strengthen our bones and teeth.
Calories
Soya chunks do not have a high-fat amount. As such, the calories they have come from carbs and protein. 3.5 ounces(100 g) of soya chunks offers approximately 336 calories.
Carbohydrates
Meat alternatives are better than the actual meats because they contain carbs that are not present in regular meat. Soya chunks are rich in carbohydrates. Serving 3.5 ounces(100 g) of soya chunks gives approximately 30 grams of carbs. Carbohydrates energize our bodies.
Iron
We need iron to transport blood in our bodies. When someone is iron deficient, they can experience fatigue, weakness, trouble breathing, etc. Soya chunks are great iron sources.
A serving of 3.5 ounces(100 g) gives you more than 21 mg of iron, which is more than what is advised for daily intake.
The Health Benefits of Soya Chunks for Weight Loss
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat a healthy diet in the needed quantity. Many people often argue that since soya chunks have high amounts of carbohydrates, they will make one gain weight instead of losing it.
But what you need to remember is that carbs are essential for weight loss as one is in a calorie deficit. Here are soya chunks benefits for weight loss:
Aids in Digestion
A well-functioning digestive system can promote weight loss. Bad digestion can make you gain weight as you are unable to absorb and utilize nutrients properly.
When you have poor digestion, your body fights hard to break down the foods you eat. As such, the nutrients won’t be fully optimized, which affects your metabolism.
As a result, it leads to weight gain and makes weight loss difficult.
Now, since soya chunks are high in dietary fiber, they help promote healthy digestion.
Good digestion translates to weight loss.
Helps Manage Diabetes
Patients with diabetes undergo insulin therapy. Unfortunately, this therapy can cause weight gain.
Note that the insulin hormone regulates glucose levels in the blood. But when the cells absorb too much glucose, the body can convert it into fat. Thus, causing weight gain.
Research suggests that taking soya chunks can help prevent and manage diabetes. These chunks increase your body’s insulin receptors, which prevents the occurrence of diabetes.
Ultimately, helping with weight loss.
Relieves Sleep Disorders
Did you know that poor sleep can cause weight gain and obesity?
Research says that how one sleeps affects their appetite. Sleep affects hunger hormones, that is ghrelin and leptin. When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, the body releases more ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone, and less leptin, which suppresses hunger.
As such, you’ll have an increased appetite.
Additionally, lack of sleep can make you take more calories, reduce your resting metabolism and affect your physical activity. All these can cause weight gain.
Thankfully, soya chunks help treat various sleep disorders.
As a result, they promote better sleep, which can help with weight loss.
Keeps You Full for Longer
Soya chunks have high amounts of dietary fibers. Consuming dietary fibers helps you stay full for a long period.
Therefore, it eliminates unnecessary eating. Additionally, the high protein content in soya chunks may help reduce appetite.
Thus, promoting weight loss.
What to Remember When Having Soya Chunks?
Although soya chunks can help you lose weight and offer other various health benefits, having too much can increase your uric acid and estrogen levels.
As a result, you may experience several health problems like acne, weight gain, mood swings, bloating, water retention, etc.
In severe cases, it can cause joint pain and liver problems.
You should only take the recommended amount;
- Females should take 50 grams of soya chunks a day
- Males need 30-40 grams of soya chunks per day
Don’t exceed 50 grams per day, even if you have serious body-building goals.
Take Away
As we have seen, soya chunks can be a great addition to a weight loss diet. But while they are nutritious, they do have some side effects. Therefore, make sure that you are not overeating. So, would you consider adding soya chunks to your diet?
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