Dry roasted soybeans are dense with vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats, and provide isoflavones that may protect you from cardiovascular disease over the long term. Their fiber content adds bulk and gives you a long-lasting feeling of fullness, and their carbohydrates and protein feed your brain and muscles, keeping you energized. Dry roasted soybeans are available in a variety of flavors at many grocery stores, but some are high in sodium, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives; read labels to ensure you get a nutritious product.
Energy, Protein and Healthy Fats
A cup of dry roasted soybeans has 68 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber. This is more protein than a 1/2-pound steak and more fiber than 4 bowls of bran flakes. If you are too busy to eat a full meal, soybeans can give you quick energy and 776 nutrient-dense calories. A cup has no cholesterol and 37 grams of fat, but only 5 of its fat grams are saturated. Most of its fat content is from heart-healthy fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, which may help lower your triglycerides and keep your LDL cholesterol at a safe level.
B-Vitamins and Vitamin K
Soybeans are rich in B-vitamins. Each cup of the dry roasted variety has more than 100 percent of your recommended daily intake for riboflavin, which helps your body produce energy and works as an antioxidant to fight damaging particles called free radicals, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It also provides 90 percent of your daily requirement for folate, 2/3 of the thiamine you need and 30 percent of your recommended intake for vitamin B-6. It gives you 70 percent of your daily value for vitamin K, which helps your blood to clot and prevents bleeding disorders.
Minerals
A cup of dry roasted soybeans is a powerhouse of essential minerals. It gives you twice the recommended daily intake for copper and 100 percent of your daily requirement for magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and zinc. These minerals are important for bone health, muscle growth, nerve function, wound healing and converting food to energy. It also has more than half of the selenium, iron and potassium you need each day and 25 percent of your recommended intake for calcium, further bolstering your heart, blood and nerve health.
Isoflavones
Dried roasted soybeans offer extra cardiovascular benefits beyond their vitamin and mineral content. They contain isoflavones, plant-based compounds that may lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, according to researchers who published a study in "Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2007. They found that women with high blood pressure who ate 1/2-cup of roasted soybeans daily for eight weeks lowered their blood pressure by 6.8 percent and their LDL cholesterol levels by 11 percent, prompting the researchers to conclude that eating dry roasted soybeans may protect against cardiovascular disease.
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Writer Bio
Maia Appleby is a NASM-certified personal trainer with more than 15 years of experience in the fitness industry. Her articles have been published in a wide variety of print magazines and online publications, including the Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, New Moon Network and Bodybuilding.com.