Say No to Soy.
SOY HAS BEEN TOUTED AS A HEALTH FOOD FOR YEARS. BUT IS IT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE?
We’ve been told for years that soy is good for us. That it’s a great protein source for vegetarians, that tofu is healthy and red meat is not. I’m here to tell you that all of that is a big fat lie.
Here are my top 3 reasons why you should eliminate soy from your diet.
1. SOY IS A PHYTOESTROGEN
What is a phytoestrogen? It is a group of plant based chemicals that mimic the female sex hormone Estrogen in the body. Why is this bad? The endocrine system is a delicate balancing act. The release of thousands of hormones are carefully synchronized through the glands and organs of the endocrine system. Hormones lock and unlock processes within the body. Too much of one hormone or not enough of another can throw the body into total imbalance. When a phytoestrogen is introduced into the body it disrupts the delicate balance that the endocrine system has worked so hard to creat. When the level of estrogen is too high and the hormone progesterone is too low, this is called “Estrogen Dominance”. Research has shown that the following diseases are associated with Estrogen Dominance:
- Breast cancer
- Cervical dysplasia
- Depression with anxiety or agitation
- Early onset of menstruation
- Endometrial (uterine) cancer
- Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs
- Fatigue
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Hypoglycemia
- Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes)
- Infertility
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Magnesium deficiency
- Memory loss
- Mood swings
- Osteoporosis
- Polycystic ovaries
- Premenopausal bone loss
- PMS
- Prostate cancer (men only)
- Sluggish metabolism
- Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism
- Uterine cancer
- Uterine fibroids
Quite a list, right? When you consume soy, you are risking sending your body into an estrogen dominate state. You are overloading your liver with excess hormones to conjugate and deactivate. For those of you who are men, you are inundating your body with a female sex hormone. Many men these days are having trouble with excess breast tissue, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, loss of libido and a plethora of other issues. A majority of the time this is traced back to excess estrogen in the blood stream.
2. SOY IS USUALLY GENETICALLY MODIFIED
91% of the soy planted in the US is genetically modified. What does genetically modified mean? It means that the genes and chromosomes of GMO foods are changed or manipulated to be able to withstand harsh chemicals and pesticides without killing the plant. Farmers can douse their entire fields with glyphosate and only kill the weeds.
Wouldn’t it make sense that if something kills anything (including weeds) it also could be killing us at a cellular level? It's like eating chicken that has been doused in bleach. Sure, any harmful bacteria has been killed, but it has still been doused in bleach. We are not meant to eat these things. On a chromosomal and genetic level, they are unrecognizable to our bodies because they are not naturally occurring in nature.
3. SOY IS OVER-PROCESSED
If someone can explain to me how a soybean can turn into a beige jiggly mass of tofu or a liquid without any harsh chemicals, bleaches and solvents being used…I am all ears. Much of the soy found in the western diet has been bleached, acid washed, and burned into submission.
“Soya veggie burgers and sausages generally use the same chemically extracted fraction of the bean. This meal is the product of the industrial crushing process the vast majority of the world’s soya beans go through. The raw beans are broken down to thin flakes, which are then percolated with a petroleum-based hexane solvent to extract the soya oil. The remains of the flakes are toasted and ground to a protein meal, most of which goes into animal feed. Soya flour is made in a similar way. The oil then goes through a process of cleaning, bleaching, degumming and deodorizing to remove the solvent and the oil’s characteristic “off” smells and flavors. The lecithin that forms a heavy sludge in the oil during storage used to be regarded as a waste product, but now it has been turned into a valuable market in its own right as an emulsifier.” Via The Guardian
.....gross.
THERE ARE TWO MORE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS I WANT TO TOUCH ON.
1. The soy we are eating today is drastically different than the fermented, organically grown soy that was traditionally found in Asia. Asian cultures have historically eaten soy primarily in its fermented forms: miso, tempeh, soy sauce, and tamari. Traditionally, Asian cultures have eaten these soy products in small amounts, more as sauces and condiments than main dishes. Three cubes of fermented soy in miso soup is sigfinicantly different than a 3 glasses of soy milk per day. They were eating these in addition to meals, not as substitutes. The average Asian diet in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan includes between 9 and 36 grams of soy per day. Compare that to a cup of tofu (252 grams) or soy milk (240 grams). Minimally processed, organically grown, non-gmo is the way to go if you are going to eat soy.
WE ARE FEEDING THIS CRAP TO OUR NEWBORNS AND INFANTS.
I think this is where the crazy side of me comes out. Where I could just cry and scream and rip out my hair. We are feeding this to our newborns. Our most innocent and defenseless. Newborns were NEVER intended to eat soy in their first weeks, months and years of life. Yet we are feeding newborns formula filled with soy protein isolate and soybean oil. The part that infuriates me more than anything is that nobody is educating our parents. I know that every parent has an innate desire to protect and nourish their child. I also know that parents are often scared into listening to people who know very little about nutrition. I want you to read the following ingredient list and tell me if you think this sounds suitable for a newborn.
Corn Syrup (38%), Soy Protein Isolate (16%), High Oleic Safflower Oil (11%), Sugar (10%), Soy Oil (8%), Coconut Oil (7%), Calcium Phosphate (3%). Less than 2% of the Following: C. Cohnii Oil, M. Alpina Oil, Beta-Carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Fructooligosaccharides, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Magnesium Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, L-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, m-Inositol, Mixed Tocopherols, Zinc Sulfate, d-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, L-Carnitine, Niacinamide, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Selenate, and Potassium Hydroxide.
Corn syrup (sugar) is the first ingredient. Followed by soy. Followed by an oil that is high in inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids. Followed by more sugar. Followed by soy oil (see the process of extracting soy oil above).
This is unacceptable.
Read that again. No wonder the ages at which young girls are going through puberty have reached an all time low. We are seeing 6 year old girls starting their cycles and developing breast tissue.
This has to stop. We have to take the initiative for our health. I feel a personal responsibility to spread this message. It keeps me awake at night. I can’t focus in the grocery store because I am too distracted watching all of the uninformed food choices people are making. I know that if people only knew. If they only knew how to choose real food, they would.
For more information, click on the links below.