Summer's 대표 nourishing dish 'Cold Soybean Noodle Soup', benefits and precautions

Soybeans, known as "beef from the field," are composed of 40% protein. They are rich in trace nutrients such as calcium, iron, and magnesium, which help replenish energy and relieve fatigue.

Soy milk is made by boiling soybeans, so it is more nutritious. The essential amino acid tryptophan found in soy increases by 6-7% when boiled.

In particular, the isoflavone components in soy inhibit the division and expansion of cancer cells and promote their destruction. Additionally, lecithin and dietary fiber contained in soy help lower cholesterol levels, making them effective in preventing hypertension, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis.

Additionally, soy milk made with black foods such as black sesame and black beans is even healthier. The pigment called 'anthocyanin' found in black foods suppresses active oxygen that causes aging and prevents cancer. Also, soybeans are rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent constipation.

The benefits of soybeans are also mentioned in the Dongui Bogam. Since soybeans are effective in relieving anger, eating foods made from soybeans when stressed can have a calming effect and help soothe the mind.

Soybeans are rich in isoflavones, plant-based female hormones, which are beneficial for women during menopause. Isoflavones help prevent osteoporosis and hot flashes in menopausal women, and are effective in preventing various cancers such as breast and ovarian cancer.

However, since soybean noodles contain almost no vitamin C, it is good to serve them with vegetables like cucumbers. Adding sesame seeds to the soybean broth allows you to consume both vitamin E from the sesame and soybean protein at the same time.

However, soy milk is rich in protein, making it easy for food poisoning bacteria to grow. In fact, food poisoning bacteria can multiply 100 times within 2-3 hours at 35°C, and up to 10,000 times after 4-7 hours.

Therefore, kongguksu should be consumed immediately after cooking to ensure safety. It should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours; if that happens, it must be refrigerated immediately to prevent food poisoning.