The earliest-known reference to soy nuts in the United States was in an article translated by a Rutgers University author in 1879, but soy nuts' popularity really took off during the second World War. Soy nuts can be eaten alone as a snack or used in salads and vegetable dishes. No matter how they're served, they're packed with great protein, dietary fiber, soy isoflavones, essential fatty acids, B vitamins and minerals.
Definition
A soy nut is actually a soybean that has been soaked in water, drained and then roasted or baked. They can be eaten plain or flavored with salt, honey, onion or garlic powder. The nutrition information for soy nuts comes from the USDA database as provided by NutritionData.com. All values are for a 1-oz. serving size of dry roasted and unsalted soy nuts.
Basic Nutrition
One ounce of soy nuts has 126 calories, 9.2 g of carbohydrates and 2.3 g of dietary fiber. Based on a 2000 calorie-a-day diet, these values represent 3 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) for carbohydrates and 9 percent DV of dietary fiber. Soy nuts are an excellent source of protein. They provide 11.1 g (22 percent DV) of high-quality protein.
Fats
Even dry-roasted soy nuts are a little high in fat, with 6.1 g of total fat (9 percent DV) and 0.9 g of saturated fats (4 percent DV). However, they also contain monounsaturated fat (1.3 g), polyunsaturated fat (3.4 g) and they're chock-full of the heart-healthy essential fatty acids. They have 404 mg of omega-3 and 3,014 mg of omega-6 fatty acids. One ounce of soy nuts provides 25 percent of the recommended adequate intake of omega-3 for men and 36.4 percent for women, as well as 17.6 percent (men) and 25 percent (women) of omega-6.
Vitamins
Soy nuts are a rich source of folate, with 57.4 micrograms (mcg) or 14 percent DV. They're also high in riboflavin (0.2 mg or 12 percent DV), thiamin (0.1 mg or 8 percent DV) and Vitamin K (10.4 mcg or 13 percent DV). They provide 1.3 mg of Vitamin C, 0.3 mg of niacin and 0.1 mg of Vitamin B6, all of which represent 1 percent to 3 percent DV.
Minerals
If they're roasted without salt, soy nuts have just a trace of sodium. They're a great source of manganese (0.6 mg or 31 percent DV), and they're also a good source of other essential minerals, including 382 mg of potassium (11 percent DV), 39.2 mg of calcium (4 percent DV), 1.1 mg of iron (6 percent DV), 63.8 mg of magnesium (16 percent DV), 182 mg of phosphorus (18 percent DV), 0.3 mg of copper (15 percent DV) 1.3 mg of zinc (9 percent DV) and 5.4 mcg of selenium (8 percent DV).
Soy Isoflavones
Isoflavones are substances found in plants that function like estrogen in the body. Soybeans are the richest source of dietary isoflavones, experts at the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) state. Isoflavones help lower bad cholesterol, may inhibit bone loss and stimulate bone formation. According to LPI, studies have produced mixed results about the ability of isoflavones to relieve menopause symptoms or to prevent breast or prostate cancer. One ounce of dry-roasted soybeans contains 37 mg of total isoflavones.
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