Tempeh – The Super Healthy Probiotics Food

If you are a person who concerns about health, healthy food should be in your family’s daily menu. For your today’s menu, why don’t you cook something delicious with probiotics contents and have many health benefits to reduce cancer risk, good for diabetic diets, lower cholesterol, boost immune system, and even help weight loss program? ‘Is there one single food that have all those benefits?’ Yes, that is tempeh, a traditional food made from fermented soybean!

In my country, Indonesia, tempeh has been our traditional food from maybe hundreds of years ago. We can find tempeh in almost all markets, even in small villages. Tempeh has been a part of our life. Whether we cook for daily meals (served with rice), or when we have a fine dining in restaurants, we can always find tempeh. It is because tempeh can be processed into many delicious foods. But not as many of its health benefits!

Probiotics

Tempeh is one of many probiotics food sources. Rhizopus Oligosporus, good bacteria contained in tempeh, produces natural antibiotic that inhibits some harmful bacteria. Rhyzopus can also improve your intestinal digestion health, as well as your skin health, from atopic dermatitis, pimples, cellulitis, etc. On the other hand, the fermentation process that change whole soybeans into tempeh, produces an enzyme called phytase. This enzyme can break down phytate acid, and therefore increase body absorption of minerals like iron, calcium, and zinc. Good news for you who have anemia, as tempeh is also claimed of having 4mg iron/100 gram!

High Protein – Low Calories

Tempeh, being processed from soybeans, becomes a high protein food, even highest among other plant foods. Daily consumption of 166 gram tempeh contributes around 60% of our protein daily needs. And with the fact that tempeh has less than 329 calories, it is safe to assume that tempeh can be your perfect choice of healthy food!

As a plant protein source, tempeh can provide healthy diet for diabetes mellitus patient too. Diabetic people can use tempeh as a substitute of animal protein foods like milk and meat.

Isoflavone

Now you can get many healthy benefits of isoflavone from tempeh, which is including :

· Improve bone mineral content, reduce the risk of osteoporosis

· Antioxidant to fight free radical that cause cancer

· Lower cholesterol (lower LDL and increase HDL)

· Lower heart disease risk

· Relieve menopause symptoms

High Fiber

The high fiber content of soybeans which is found in tempeh can help diabetic patient to control sugar level in their blood. It can also prevent colon cancer, improve kidney health by replacing animal protein to soybeans, and prevent diarrhea in children.

Boost Immune System & Health

The amino acids can improve the superiority of tempeh in boosting immune system. Tempeh is also an important source of vitamin B12, which vegetarians can use to replace meat, and an excellent source of calcium.

Low Calorie & Low Carbohydrate

And last but not least, tempeh is a suitable food for weight loss diet. Being low calories and low carbohydrate, including tempeh in your dietary food list, will help you to reduce the amount of fat stored in your body. If you combine this perfect diet with exercise, you will increase lean muscle mass that will help you to burn fat. And what make it more perfect, tempeh has its high protein you can use to regain your energy after having your weight loss exercise session.

So, I don’t need to underline, that tempeh is definitely a super healthy food for healthy people, with healthy budget, which, with a little creativity can turn into a super delicious food!