Vegetarian World

 

 

They are grains contained in pods rich in fibrous tissue.

 

Some species can be consumed while still green (peas and pods). The grains have a cellulose envelope, which represents 2 to 5% and contain 50% starch and 23% protein inside.

 

The most consumed legumes are beans, lentils, peas and peanuts. Types of peas include green, cowpea, and yellow peas. Lentils are available in a variety of colors such as brown, green and red.

 

Other types of grain used ​​ for food include soybeans, mung beans and adzuki (red beans) in Asia; fava beans and chickpeas in the Middle East; and black, white and mulatto beans in the Americas.

 

During preparation, pulses absorb water and become soft, the flavor is enhanced and digestibility increases. For cooking, moist heat or dry heat can be used.

 

They are sources of vegetable proteins and contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium and a small amount of cholesterol and sodium.

 

Although many people believe that pulses are legumes, this is not correct, in reality they are:beans (black, mulatto, butter, carioca), chickpeas, peas, soybeans, lentils, fava beans and lupines.

 

They are important because they contain carbohydrates, which guarantee energy for the functioning of the body and nervous system, and also proteins, which are 'tissue builders' in the body.

 

But their advantages don't end there, their high content of iron, B vitamins and fiber - which make your intestines work well - make these foods very nutritious.

 

Legumes really were and are part of the history of civilizations. Beans, along with corn, were the basis of the primitive diet of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples. According to legend, the lentil is the oldest legume consumed by the people of the Mediterranean, who appreciated the combination of this food with wheat and barley.

 

Finally, in Asia, known for 'sustaining' the body, theSoyIt has been consumed with rice for hundreds of years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike other plant foods, soy is the only one of its group that contains protein of high biological value, as well as animal protein. Its composition includes high content of good fats (mono e poly-unsaturated), low content of bad (saturated) fat and cholesterol free.

 

In this way, the American Heart Association considers soy a food with a good nutritional profile, and beneficial for heart health.

 

It is a grain rich in proteins. Dentre os sais minerais, os mais presentes são: potássio, cálcio, magnésio,_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_phosphorus, cobre e zinc. É fonte de algumas vitaminas do complexo B, como a riboflavina e a niacina, e também em vitamina C ( ascorbic acid). 

 

In addition to these nutrients, soy contains a isoflavone, also called de phytoestrogen, which acts in the prevention of chronic-degenerative diseases such as o581 prostate

 

Sua estrutura química é semelhante ao estrógeno (hormôniofeminino) e, por isso, é uma substância capaz de aliviar the effects of menopausa and da premenstrual tension.

 

The estrogenic properties also help to reduce another problem caused by hormone deficiency: a osteoporosis. In most soy-based foods, the isoflavone content ranges from 100 to 300 milligrams.

 

As dietary fibers soluble and insoluble present in soybeans contribute to the maintenance of the glycemic level and to the improvement of sensitivity to_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cfulin, and por presenting low insulin Sugar level (foods that don't raise blood sugar much ) is relevant in the prevention and treatment of diabetes e obesity.

 

The grain still has phytic acid, also called phytate.

 

Phytates are considered anti-nutritional factors, as they reduce the bioavailability in the body of some minerals such as calcium,ferro, magnesium,_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb35b-136 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_cobre e zinc, mainly. However, in the last decade, studies have shown that phytates also act as potent agents antioxidantes (preventing cell oxidation or aging), thus fulfilling an important role in reducing risks of numerous chronic and degenerative diseases, such as some types of cancer and arthritis. 

 

Currently, 95% of Brazilian soy is transgenic.

 

...And therein lies the danger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transgenic soy contains a gene that protects it from the harmful effects of the herbicide Roundup (Monsanto's trademark for the active ingredient Glyphosate), which works as a total herbicide (dryer that, in principle, eliminates all plants, with the exception of transgenic ones) .

 

This makes it possible to apply Roundup during the vegetative development phase of soybeans, as the herbicide eliminates the so-called weeds and selectively preserves soybeans. 

 

“Roundup Ready” soybean (trademark of the genetically modified variety by Monsanto)is by no means more productive than conventional soybeans, as it does not have any other quality that can differentiate it, with the exception of herbicide resistance.

 

The advantage, according to the large landowners who planted it, is that it would be possible to reduce the amount of herbicide, saving on the application of the product, which could reduce production costs.

 

The logic of this technology is the same used in the production of conventional soy, since it is based on the application of herbicide and on a growing dependence on the supplying companies that, with this, make a double income: one with the sale of the seed and the other with the sale of the herbicide.

 

What is old appears with a new face and is presented as a symbol of progress and modernity.

 

When talking about risks, the discussion is limited to the supposed future effects of genetic manipulation on human health, which would not yet be confirmed.The danger of farmers' dependence on the monopoly of companies, which certainly expect a future payment of royalties for the seed, and the uncertainty in commercialization, appear little in the debate.

 

The effects of the herbicide Glyphosate are not even mentioned!!!

 

The representatives of the companies that supply the product even claim that it is a harmless “drug” for animals and humans, which, in contact with the soil, would convert into other non-toxic substances.

 

But in reality, it doesn't.

 

Glyphosate is a chemical developed from Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War. Its effects in Vietnam are still visible today, where an entire generation suffers from congenital anomalies that affect the normal development of their arms and legs.

 

In the early 1990s, it was also discovered that Glyphosate can combine with soil nitrates, giving rise to a new substance: nitrosoglyphosate,which may be responsible for the emergence of carcinomas (cancer) of the liver.

 

Effects on health and the environment may be even more likely if we consider that most rivers, water sources and soils are being progressively contaminated with Glyphosate.

 

In addition, transgenics allows, in the case of transgenic soybeans, the herbicide to be applied to the plants during their vegetative development phase, leaving residues on the plants that can pass the contamination on to the grains.

 

And, in the case of transgenic soy, it is obvious that Glyphosate  was used in the production process, whose residues can be verified in examinations of the grains. In this sense, consumers' fear of transgenics can be understood, as the risks inherent in this form of production cannot be underestimated.

 

Therefore, the European market has represented, until now, the biggest limit to the expansion of transgenic soy.

 

Soy production is geared towards export and, if consumers react against transgenics, its use should also cease to be interesting.

 

This is also the biggest contradiction of many proponents of transgenic soy, as many scientists, politicians and large landowners, who always recommended market-oriented agriculture, now find themselves in a dead end created by the market itself.