Do I have to cook fresh soybeans because of the amount of lectin they contain? And what about green beans?
Kim
Patricia Schutte, nutritionist
It is best to cook fresh soybeans from the refrigerator before eating them. Fresh soybeans are raw or only briefly heated. In raw legumes, such as soybeans, the natural toxin lectin for. The amount of lectin in fresh soybeans is not exactly known. Lectin is rendered harmless by heating.
As a precaution, the advice is to cook fresh soybeans for 6 to 8 minutes before eating them.
Symptoms of lectin poisoning
Raw or undercooked legumes can cause intestinal problems. The symptoms of lectin poisoning are abdominal pain, nausea, fever and mild diarrhoea. These complaints often come within three hours. You will usually feel better after about four hours. If you consume a lot of lectin and often, your intestines and kidneys can be damaged. As a result, you can absorb nutrients less well.
Dried soybeans
Lectin is also present in dried legumes, such as dried soybeans or kidney beans. The amounts are higher than in fresh legumes. With dried legumes, you can neutralize lectins by soaking them in water and boiling them for at least 10 minutes.
Green beans
Also in green beans are lectins. For this reason, it is better not to eat them raw. Boil or stir fry them for 10 to 15 minutes. Green beans in jars and cans can be eaten without cooking, because they are already cooked.
Do you also have a question? Then ask one of our experts. Always go to your doctor with urgent questions, the experts are not the right person for that. They also do not diagnose. You can find the other conditions here.
Patricia Schutte has been working as an information officer at the Nutrition Center in The Hague for more than 25 years. She answers questions about healthy, sustainable and safe food.