Soy: Wonder Food, Or Bad For Your Health

Chances are you've heard about the many alleged health
benefits from eating soy foods, such as: lowering your
cholesterol, helping with menopausal symptoms, warding
off osteoporosis, and even reducing the risks of some cancers.

Are these true? Hard to know for sure.

But Have You Heard ...Chances are you've heard about the many alleged health benefits from eating soy foods, such as: lowering your cholesterol, helping with menopausal symptoms, warding off osteoporosis, and even reducing the risks of some cancers.

Are these true? Hard to know for sure.

But Have You Heard that...

Soy contains something called, "phyto-oestrogens", and
studies have now linked these phytoestrogens with an
INCREASED risk of certain types of cancer (including
breast), reduced male fertility, damaging brain function
in men, and causing hidden developmental abnormalities
in infants. Some researchers even believe that the early
onset of puberty in western women is due to the spread
of soy in our diets. Also, a Swedish study showed that
soy, like peanuts, could be responsible for severe,
potentially fatal cases of food allergy, particularly in
asthmatic children who were sensitive to peanuts.

So You Don't Eat Tofu or Drink Soy Milk...

but if you thought that only "earthy crunchy tofu types" and
Asian people eat soy, guess what? It's in more than 70%
of the food in grocery stores and fast food chains. Yup,
it's an invisible ingredient in nearly everything we eat, from breakfast cereals and chocolate bars, to chicken nuggets, beef burgers, and lasagna. Much of it is genetically engineered (a bad thing), unless it's certified organic.

Soy contains a potent enzyme (trypsin) inhibitor which affects protein digestion. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, a clot promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.

Trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinin have been rightly
labeled growth depressant substances. Luckily this isn't a
problem with fermented soy, like tempeh, natto and miso.

Why is soy used so extensively?

Believe it or not, soy is used to "bulk out"and bind many
processed foods because it's cheap and it allows food
companies to claim higher protein content on their label.
You might not know that soy was in your food because
sometimes it's labeled as "lecithin" or just vegetable oil.

Any Negative Environmental Effects?

You bet... 90% of the 200 million tons of soy produced around the world is used to feed animals. So, that means it's in most meats we eat. Sadly, a high demand for soy has led to a 40% jump in deforestation in the Amazon rainforests. I've read that giant bulldozers linked together with huge metal chains drive through
the forests, literally tearing up everything in their paths. How disgusting! Indigenous tribes who have lived in the forest for thousands of years are the worst hit by these land clearances. Loss of trees leads to flooding and changes in local climate. And, of course there are the ill health affects from breathing the chemicals sprayed on the soy.

Is There Anything Good About Soy?

Yes, fermented soy, like natto, miso, and tempeh are still
considered a "health food". They contain the enzyme,
nattokinase, which is considered a safer option to aspirin
because it has been dissolving blood clots for more than
20 years, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola. Fermented soy
also stops the effect of the phytic acid in soy which binds
with certain nutrients and inhibits their absorption. The
fermentation creates the "good" bacteria, the probiotics.
Probiotics are very important to our bodies (especially if you are taking antibiotics which kills them off along with the bad bacteria). They help increase the quantity, availability, digestibility and assimilation of nutrients in the body.

Sprouted organic soy (which is in the organic food bars that
I sell) is also considered healthy. As I understand it, the
sprouted soy doesn't have the trypsin inhibitors, is a "live" food full of enzymes (something we lose as we age), and is not concentrated, like tofu.

So, there you have it. If you choose to eat soy, make it
certified organic, and fermented or sprouted.