The Truth about Soy

No single food can claim to be the “perfect food.” But if you ask a vegetarian, the one food that comes close to “perfect” would be soy.

Soy has been claimed to be an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms and prevent osteoporosis, among other benefits. But did you know that this “perfect food” was listed by the USDA as an industrial product back in 1913?

How Did Soy Become so Popular in America?

Nutrition expert Dr. Mary Enig explains that soy is so popular in America because soy oil has become a very large industry after farmers started planting soy to extract the oil.

In 1924, U.S. soybean production was only at 1.8 million acres but by 1954, the harvest ballooned to 18.9 million. Soybean is now America’s third largest crop, with the U.S. supplying more than half of the world’s soybean demand. And to think that soy isn’t even native to the Western hemisphere.

Since there was a surplus of soy oil and a lot of soy protein residue that they could only feed to animals in small amounts, they had to find another big market, which of course, was you and me.

As a result of the millions of dollars spent on marketing and intense lobbying of the FDA, more than 80 percent of Americans now believe that soy products are healthy.

The FDA approved a health claim for soy in 1999, which stated that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that included 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. This resulted in massive soy sales. In fact, between 2000 and 2007, over 2,700 new foods using soy as an ingredient were introduced to the market, and from 1992 to 2007, soy food sales increased from $300 million to nearly $4 billion!

Popularity has elevated soy’s status as a healthy food. But is soy really healthy?

What You Don’t Know about Soy May Harm Your Health

Soy products can be classified into two main groups: fermented and unfermented. In terms of farming, soy is grown either organic or genetically modified. Unfortunately, around 80 percent of soy is genetically modified, which can wreak havoc with your health and should be avoided at all costs.

Unfermented soy includes soy products such as tofu, bean curd, all soy milks, soy infant formula, soy ice cream, soy protein powders and soy meat alternatives, such as soy hotdogs and sausages and veggie burgers, and contains:

• Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein – mimic and block the female hormone estrogen
• Phytates(phytic acid)  – block your body’s uptake of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and iodine
• Enzyme inhibitors – hinder protein digestion
• Haemaggluttin – causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth
• High levels of omega 6 fat – promotes chronic inflammation

Because soy contains phytoestrogens, it only takes two glasses of soy milk daily for a month to alter a woman’s menstrual cycle.

If you’re a nursing mom, you should not give soy-derived products to your baby because infants who are exclusively fed soy formula consume the equivalent of five birth control pills worth of estrogen every day.

The Whole Soy Story author Dr. Kaayla Daniels downplays the supposed benefits of soy, pointing out that soy does not effectively lower cholesterol. She also explains that the processing methods do not remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but only leave toxic and carcinogenic residues due to the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents used.

The American Heart Association and other groups and health professionals also no longer support the soy health claims endorsed by the FDA.

Studies show that a high soy diet may cause a number of health problems, including:

• Thyroid problems like thyroid cancer, weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss and loss of libido
• Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents
• Breast and bladder cancer
• Brain damage
• Reproductive disorders like persistent sexual arousal syndrome
• Pancreatic disorders
• Kidney stones
• A weak immune system
• Severe, and sometimes fatal, food allergies
• Digestive intolerance
• Increased risk of asthma

But not all forms of soy are bad. Properly fermented soy products, like natto (traditional Japanese soybean), tempeh (whole soybeans pressed into loaves), miso (soybean paste), soy sauce and fermented tofu and soy milk, are the right types of soy to consume because the fermentation process greatly reduces the levels of isoflavones, phytates and anti-nutrients.

Eating fermented soy is very beneficial in enhancing the friendly bacteria in your large intestine, which neutralizes the bad bacteria and allows you to assimilate more foods and nutrients.

There are two things I’ve learned in this soy controversy; first, popularity does not necessarily mean a food is healthy and second, it’s still better to have a balanced diet than to rely on a single “perfect food.”

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Tags: FDA, fermented soy, tofu