Soy products can be healthy additions to your diet because of their vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and high-quality protein. Choices include soy milk, soy-based meat substitutes, tofu, miso, and soybeans, such as edamame and soy nuts. Edamame and soy nuts have many common characteristics, but some of their differences can help you decide which to choose.
Edamame, or green soybeans, are larger and sweeter than other soybeans, according to the University of Michigan. Soy nuts come from more mature white or black soybeans that have been soaked and roasted. Eat soy nuts as you would eat other nuts or peanuts, such as for snacks on their own or in trail mixes. Edamame comes fresh or frozen, and you can use it fresh or cooked in salads, stir-fried dishes, soups or pasta sauce.
Recommendations
Edamame counts as a vegetable, and a balanced 2,000-calorie diet should include two and one-half cups of vegetables per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Soy nuts count as protein foods, and a regular diet should include at least four 1 oz. servings of nuts, seeds or soy products per week. If you are vegan, and do not consume any animal-based products, your 2,000-calorie diet should include at least 10 oz. per week of soy protein foods, such as soy nuts.
Weight Control
Edamame may be better than soy nuts for controlling your weight because the calorie density of edamame is lower. A half-cup, or 118 g, serving of edamame has 130 calories, while a 1 oz., or 28 g, serving of soy nuts has 126 calories. Edamame is lower in calories because it has a high water content, with more than 75 percent of its weight coming from water. Soy nuts have almost no water in them. Low-calorie, watery foods are more likely to help you lose weight because they are more filling.
Nutrients
A serving of edamame provides 19 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, and 89 percent of the daily value for folate, compared to 2 percent for vitamin C and 14 percent for folate in a serving of soy nuts. Edamame and soy nuts both have 11 g to 12 g high-quality protein, 6 g total fat and almost no cholesterol-raising saturated fat per serving. They are cholesterol-free and high in potassium and magnesium. To limit your sodium intake and help to control your blood pressure, choose low-sodium edamame or soy nuts, and cook or prepare your edamame without adding salt.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- University of Michigan; Healing Foods Pyramid: Soy; 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Legumes and Legume Products
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Vegetables and Vegetable Products
- Mayo Clinic: Edamame and Summer Bean Salad
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