Soy sauce: benefits and harms for weight loss, calorie content, reviews

Soy sauce is not only a mandatory addition to rolls, but also the most important ingredient that has helped Asian cuisine win the love and veneration of gourmets. In the 18th century, Europe received not just a soy product, but a limitless field for culinary activity. The sauce replaces salt; marinades for meat, fish and vegetable dishes are prepared on its basis.

What is this Asian product and is it safe to include it in your daily diet?

Composition and calorie content

Currently, there are many manufacturers who produce soy sauce according to their own recipe. Therefore, you can find a product containing food coloring and other chemical additives.

Natural soy sauce does not contain any other spices other than salt and sugar. Its basis is water in which the fermentation product of soybeans and wheat is diluted. The sauce has a simple composition. It includes soybeans, wheat, salt, sugar, water. Only this soy sauce is considered natural and healthy.

The product contains antioxidants that quickly and efficiently cleanse the body. It also contains vitamins B, A, E, K and D, as well as minerals.

Many people ask if soy sauce is good for weight loss. The calorie content of such a product is very low and amounts to 70 kcal per 100 g. Therefore, this sauce is completely harmless to the figure. It contains no carbohydrates, and fat is only 6 g. The sauce also contains salt. Its quantity is 4 g.

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Positive properties of the sauce

In addition to the unusual taste, the product has particular benefits for both women and men. Soy sauce contains a significant amount of vitamin C. Moreover, there is more of it than in lemon or any other citrus. Thanks to the presence of ascorbic acid, the product is able to cope with many diseases. It can strengthen the immune system.

The main benefits of soy sauce include the following:

• reduces the number of free radicals, thereby preventing the appearance of tumors;
• significant protein content, which allows you to replace meat;
• an excellent alternative to table salt;
• improves blood circulation;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• speeds up metabolism;
• increases stress resistance;
• slows down the aging process;
• prevents heart disease and sauces;
• promotes the absorption of nutrients from vegetables and fruits;
• relieves headaches;
• has low calorie content.

Only soy sauce, which has a natural composition, will benefit the body. Many doctors advise taking the product constantly as a medicine.

Vitamin content

Table 1

Soy sauce contains high, medium and low levels of vitamins when measured according to approved nutritional significance standards.

At the highest level of importance in the food value chain is vitamin PP, which is involved in the formation of hemoglobin.

Vitamins at a medium level of importance include:

• B2, maintains body tone.
• B6, participates in the metabolism of lipids and amino acids.
• B9, supports the hematopoietic and digestive system.

Vitamins of low content include:

• B1, required to normalize the nervous and muscular systems.
• B4, is involved in the biosynthesis of heme and proteins, cell proliferation, and tissue respiration.

The benefits of soy sauce for weight loss

The product does not bring any particular benefit for weight loss, however, there are some nuances here too. According to the recommendations of nutritionists, you can eat no more than 1 tbsp per day. spoons. A larger amount of the product will be unnecessary and will not be beneficial for weight loss and overall health.

Many people are interested in whether it is possible to use soy sauce when losing weight or not. Due to its low calorie content, the product can replace fatty dressings, mayonnaise, and spices. After all, they are definitely prohibited during the diet period. This will allow those losing weight to get rid of excess fluid in the body, which will automatically lead to the loss of several kilograms and make the figure slim.

Despite the benefits of soy sauce for weight loss, it can also cause harm to the body. When losing weight and regularly consuming soy sauce, you must completely avoid salt. After all, the product contains 4 g of it. This is a fairly large amount, which can lead to impaired kidney function.

Recipes with soy sauce

There are usually no difficulties with how soy sauce is eaten: it can be added to various marinades, salads, and side dishes. This product is recommended for cooking vermicelli, noodles, and pasta. It goes well with various cereals, especially rice. It is also almost always used when eating sushi and rolls. They make squid, shrimp and other seafood very tasty. Soy sauce can be a wonderful ingredient for all kinds of vegetable salads and roasted meats.

Below we will consider very popular recipes with soy sauce:

• Noodles
  . For this dish, it is advisable to buy “Noodles”, of which you will need only 200 g. Boil it as a whole in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, then drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Then place on the stove and heat the wok well, add butter (2 tbsp) and, having melted it, fry the finely chopped garlic (5 cloves). Then put the noodles there, pour in soy sauce (4 tbsp), add bean sprouts (100 g) and green onions (50 g). Stir it all, add salt if necessary, simmer for 2-3 minutes under the lid and after turning off the heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds (2 tbsp.).
• Rice
  . Soak it (long, 1 cup) in water and leave for one hour. At this time, peel the onions (2 pcs.) and carrots (1 pc.), chop them and fry them in vegetable oil. Then boil the cereal in salted water, combine with vegetables, pour over soy sauce (2 tbsp), sprinkle with ground black pepper and salt, add chicken broth (200 ml) and vegetable oil (100 ml). Simmer this mixture covered for 20 minutes, then sprinkle it with chopped tofu cheese.
• Chicken breast
  . Wash it (500 g), rub with salt and leave in a marinade of lemon juice (50 ml), soy sauce (30 ml) and red wine (50 ml). After 30 minutes, place the meat in a hot frying pan, after pouring vegetable oil into it, and fry for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. When it is covered with a golden crust, place it in a colander and let it drain. The breast can be prepared in another way - bake in the oven, wrapped in foil. The finished dish is best served with the same rice or noodles.
• Udon
  . Boil these noodles (400 g) in salted water and drain through a colander. After this, peel and fry sweet pepper (1 pc.), white onion (2 pcs.), carrots (1 pc.) in vegetable oil. Do the same with pork, which will need no more than 200 g. Then combine the meat with vegetables, pour over soy sauce (4 tbsp.) and apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp.), sprinkle with ground black pepper and salt. taste. Next, heat the pre-cooked noodles in butter, pour gravy over them, sprinkle with chuka seaweed (200 g), tofu (150 g) and sesame seeds (2 tbsp).
• Eggplants
  . Wash the vegetables (4 pcs.), remove the peel and cut into slices. Then rub them with salt and garlic, fry in vegetable oil and place on a plate using a slotted spoon. Then combine soy sauce (3 tbsp), red wine (2 tbsp), honey (2 tsp). Pour this mixture over the eggplants in a frying pan, sauté one onion separately and add it to the vegetables. Simmer them covered for 10 minutes over low heat. As a result, you will get an excellent side dish for udon and chicken breast.
• Shrimps
  . Boil them (350 g) in salted water, place in a colander and let drain. Then peel, chop and fry the garlic (6 cloves). Add soy sauce (2 tbsp), Tabasco (1 tbsp), honey (2 tsp), vegetable oil (2 tbsp). Add shrimp to the prepared sauce and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. To ensure they steam well, cook the seafood covered.

What's the harm?

The benefits of soy sauce for weight loss and its positive effects on the body are manifested in many ways. However, there are some peculiarities. It should be understood that a high-quality product is practically not harmful to health. It is produced in compliance with all necessary conditions.

However, if you take soy sauce in large quantities, many side effects may occur. They can manifest themselves in the form of allergies, stomach pain and intestinal upset.

The most serious harm that a product can cause to the body is poisoning. It may be caused by the content of unnatural components in it. Soy sauce should only contain a few of the ingredients listed above. Any deviation from the norm can lead to serious illnesses.

Many people ask whether it is possible to use soy sauce when losing weight or not. Sometimes the following nuances arise. A high price does not always guarantee high quality soy sauce. Sometimes manufacturers, in order to achieve a quick fermentation process of soybeans, add hydrochloric acid to it. Subsequently, it is neutralized with alkali. As a result, all decomposition products are retained in the product.

So, we found out that soy sauce does have some benefits for weight loss. And it also causes harm to the body. When buying a product, you need to pay attention to the packaging, which states that it ferments naturally.

Kinds

There are literally hundreds of types of soy sauce. The varieties depend on the ingredients used, the method used to create the sauce, and the region in which it is produced.

Most often in our grocery stores you will see such soy sauces as:

• light;
• dark;
• low sodium;
• tamari.

Light soy sauce is a light but not clear brown liquid. This is the type that most people call "regular" soy sauce. This is a good all-purpose seasoning.

Dark soy sauce - caramel (sugar color, E150) is added to it after a longer fermentation process, this slightly thickens the sauce and gives it a slightly sweet taste and complex aroma.

Low sodium – produced primarily by a chemical method that does not use bacterial and fungal cultures and therefore requires less salt.

Tamari - This Japanese form of soy sauce is made only from soybeans, without wheat or other grains. Tamari has a very clean taste and is preferred by those who need a gluten-free diet.

Contraindications

Despite the benefits of soy sauce for weight loss, it can also cause harm to health. Therefore, there are a number of conditions when it is necessary to refuse to eat this product:

• Children under 3 years of age may develop thyroid diseases by consuming the sauce. After all, soy can have a negative effect on the endocrine system.
• Women during pregnancy and breastfeeding are also not recommended to use it. This is due to the fact that the sauce contains substances similar in composition to sex hormones. This can negatively affect the development of the baby's brain.
• Soy can cause allergies. Therefore, it is best to exclude the product from the diet for people prone to this disease, especially young children.

When consuming the sauce in large quantities, men experience suppression of reproductive function.

All adults should be wary of salt accumulation in the body. This can lead to kidney disease and the risk of hypertension.

How to choose quality soy sauce

To purchase this product, you can use the following tips:

1. You should not buy soy sauce on tap. It's better to overpay a little but get a high quality product. After all, the positive effect on the body depends on this.
2. You will have to pay quite a lot for real soy sauce. After all, this is better than consuming a product with harmful additives.
3. It should only be purchased in glass containers.
4. The cooking method should indicate “fermentation” on the label. This confirms that the product was subjected to natural fermentation and not to hydrochloric acid.
5. It should contain wheat, water, soy and salt.
6. A high-quality sauce is a clear, dark brown liquid.

The information on the product label must contain information about the composition, date of manufacture, shelf life and address of the manufacturer.

How to obtain the product

Soybeans are soaked in water and then boiled, while wheat is fried and pounded. Then boiled beans and crushed grain are combined in a 1 to 1 ratio, everything is mixed well and spores of Aspergillus fungi and other microorganisms are sown on the mixture.

Fermentation is carried out: the beans and grain are moistened with a salt solution, and the mixture is left to ferment. Some manufacturers delay the fermentation stage for several years. Therefore, such a product is not cheap.

Microorganisms break down the wort proteins into amino acids and protein particles, and convert starch into simple sugars. Gradually, lactobacilli convert sugars into lactic acid, yeast produces ethanol, which, undergoing a secondary reaction, fills the product with new elements.

After fermentation, the future sauce goes through the pressing stage, the fermented mixture is placed under special containers, and the soy sauce is separated from solid waste under the press. Now the sauce can be pasteurized: it is heated to eliminate fungi and mold, and after filtering, the product is bottled. By the way, good soy sauce should be sold in glass bottles.

To speed up the process of creating a sauce and reduce the cost of the product, some manufacturers use soy protein hydrolyzed with acids instead of fermented wort. This product takes several days to prepare, but its smell, taste and consistency will be very different from those of the sauce prepared in the traditional way. At the same time, “fast” soy sauce is stored much longer, but does not have all the beneficial properties of a traditional product.

Customers' opinions

According to reviews, soy sauce has positive properties for weight loss. It can positively affect the process of weight loss and the health of the body as a whole.

One group of people leaving reviews took soy sauce while dieting. Thanks to him, the food consumed acquired a special taste. This allowed those losing weight to give up various sauces and seasonings, which effectively influenced the weight loss process.

Soy sauce helped the second group of people lose weight even with a normal diet. They replaced mayonnaise and dressings with this product, which also allowed them to get rid of several extra pounds.

How it is used in cooking

The seasoning can be used both in its pure form and for preparing various Asian dishes. Soy sauce is especially in demand when serving sushi, rolls and maki. Various sauces are also prepared on its basis with the addition of:

• garlic;
• honey;
• tomato paste;
• mushrooms;
• shrimp;
• ginger;
• hot pepper.

It is suitable for meat and fish dishes, vegetables and flour products. It is used in the preparation of soba noodles, udon and funchose.

Soy sauce is a versatile product in the kitchen that can simultaneously replace salt, mayonnaise or butter.