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If soya chaap is one of your go-to staples, then you may need to rethink your diet altogether. The popular vegetarian food made from soy protein, wheat gluten, and sometimes all-purpose flour is shaped like meat skewers and often used as a meat substitute in Indian dishes. Many commercially available soya chaap products contain wheat gluten and maida to create a chewy texture.
While soybeans themselves are healthy, the addition of refined flour lowers the nutritional value. Maida can contribute to blood sugar spikes and weight gain if consumed in excess. Packaged soya chaap may contain preservatives and additives to enhance flavour and shelf life. These additives can include excess sodium, artificial flavours, and other chemicals, which may be harmful in large quantities.
Nutritionist Sangeetha Aiyer recently appeared on Gut Feeling with Dr. Pal, which is hosted by Dr Pal Manickam, an expert on digestive health. During the session which is available on Dr Pal’s YouTube channel, Aiyer spoke about a number of health myths around Indian food and eating patterns. She also spoke about soya chaap which is widely popular with vegetarians across the country and shared a reality check about the product.
“It is a lot of vegetable oil mixed with maida, so it is junk. It’s completely ultra-processed and a lot of vegetarians eat that thinking they’re getting a high protein option like a tandoori chicken. That form of soy is avoidable,” Aiyer says.
Dr Pal also observed how unprocessed soy is one of the very few plant-based complete proteins, but soy chunks or processed soy products found across the country are not particularly nutritious. Aiyer also mentioned tofu and tempeh which are soy products and are now gaining popularity in Indian households.
“For some people I recommend a paneer-tofu mix so they balance each other. What happens is you can cut down on the fat content of the paneer, if you’re watching your calories that carefully. You will also raise the protein intake with tofu and the texture is better,” said Aiyer
