Tempeh is an excellent vegan meat substitute and is packed with healthy nutrients. Here we reveal what makes the Indonesian protein bomb so special and what healthy effects you can expect.
Table of Contents
Brief introduction: This is tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented food made from soybeans. During fermentation, a furry, white noble mold forms on the beans, which we mainly know from Brie and Camembert in this country. Tempeh comes from Indonesia and can be found on every street corner there. In small restaurants or mobile rickshaw kitchens, the fermented soybeans are used as a topping and side dish for various dishes. The al dente and particularly aromatic tempeh tastes wonderfully nutty, but is sometimes reminiscent of the taste of mushrooms.
In Germany, tempeh is now also available in health food stores and Asian supermarkets. And that’s a good thing, because the Indonesian super food provides many important nutrients and offers health benefits. 100 grams of tempeh contains about:
- Protein (20 grams)
- unsaturated fatty acids (8 grams)
- Iron (5 milligrams)
- Calcium (111 milligrams)
- Potassium (412 milligrams)
- Magnesium (81 milligrams)
- Fiber (7 grams)
DIY tempeh: Here’s how!
You can easily prepare tempeh yourself. Soak dried soybeans overnight and then boil them in plenty of water for an hour. Drain the water and let the beans cool down to around 30° Celsius. Mix in apple cider vinegar and bacterial cultures from a tempeh starter kit. Pour the tempeh mixture into plastic bags and seal them tightly and tightly. Poke a few air holes in the bags and let your DIY tempeh rest in a warm place for 36 hours, after which your tempeh will have fermented and formed a white coat of noble mold.
4 Health Benefits of Tempeh
1. Good for the blood
Tempeh is very rich in iron. The fermented super food contains around 5 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. This already corresponds to about half of the daily requirement for an adult person recommended by the German Society for Nutrition. In the body, iron is primarily responsible for normal blood formation. Red blood cells are formed with the help of the trace element. Iron deficiency is therefore also noticeable through anemia and paleness. With enough iron in the body, our red blood pigment, hemoglobin, can also transport oxygen effectively. The oxygen taken in via the lungs is bound to the hemoglobin with the help of the iron and is thus distributed in our body.
2. Strong muscles and immunity
Protein plays an important role in almost every part of our body. Without protein, neither enzymes, hormones nor antibodies for our immune system can be formed. Your immune system can only remain resilient and resilient if you have sufficient protein intake as part of a balanced diet. Our organism not only uses proteins to repair damaged body cells, but also muscle fibers. Training and sufficient protein consumption are elementary for maintaining muscle mass or building muscle. Tempeh is one of the best non-animal options for this, because the fermented soybeans contain about 20 grams of protein per 100 grams.
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3. Antioxidant protection against disease
Secondary plant substances such as flavonoids protect our cells from the harmful effects of free radical oxygen compounds. Such cell damage can lead to the development of certain types of cancer. Tempeh is particularly high in isoflavonoids, a group of phytochemicals that researchers have been studying with particular attention for some time. Evidence has already been observed that a diet containing isoflavonoids appears to help reduce the risk of breast cancer in Asian populations. Further studies have to be carried out here in order to confirm connections and to be able to determine dosages.
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4. Helps to lose weight
Tempeh is packed with protein. They are particularly filling because they stay in the stomach for a long time. During this long residence time, the blood sugar level rises only slowly. This prevents hunger pangs that have ruined many a diet. At the same time, a stable blood sugar level is an important prerequisite for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
