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The soy lecithin debate

Soy can be found in almost everything we eat today, from infant formulas to protein bars. Most people believe that it’s something healthy to consume, but it has a sinister side that is kept hidden for the sake of the old mighty dollar.


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Do you eat soy?


A few months ago I started doing some research on what an expecting mother should eat while pregnant for a healthy baby since my sons wife was pregnant and made a comment that she was starting to eat soy burgers for lunch.

My first reaction was what on earth is a soy burger?

Since I have never eaten any soy products or at least that’s what I thought at the time, I never did any research on soy but I new that something called a soy burger was not natural and needed some scrutiny.

I found most people, especially vegetarians say that it’s very healthy to eat soy and you can loose a lot of weight just by switching to a diet completely of soy.

Here are some of the good things that they say about soy:

It’s a good source of protein
Its low in saturated fat
Is full of amino acids
Its high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, good fats)

And it is true that you can loose weight by eating a diet high in soy but not because soy is good for you. It’s because you put yourself in a nutrient deficient state.

Today they mainly use unfermented soy because is quicker and cheaper to make.

Unfermented soy and its counter parts inhibits your body from absorbing protein; calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron due to they are high in phytic acid.

Simply meaning that when you consume a diet high in soy you are actually denying your body of essential nutrients and this leads to weight loss. Obviously this is not healthy weight loss and can lead to some future health problems.

Many people also switch to soy because they are lactose intolerant, but Soy is also a food allergy and many people suffer without knowing the cause thinking that soy is good for them.

Now you are probably saying this is bull since the Japanese are healthier and have been eating soy for many years. As true as this is they only consume an average of 10 to 25 grams of soy a day in their diet plus vegetables, fish, and fruit.

They also consume only fermented soy products that all studies show are fine to consume with moderation.

But today a lot of people are consuming up to 200 grams of soy a day, some on purpose and some without their knowledge.

Soy can be in products under other names, Lecihtin or soy protein isolates (SPI) are the most common and you would be amazed how many products have this ingredient in them.

It’s easy to see how many people are ingesting high quintiles of soy without their knowledge.

Soy protein isolates (SPI) is the left over by product of creating soybean oil, instead of throwing it away it gets added to processed foods to add protein. But it must be treated with a high temperatures chemical process first making it difficult for your body to absorb the protein.

And if it that wasn’t bad enough they also created genetically engineered soybeans (GMO) that are the main source of all soy products used today.

They actually have a soybean called round up ready.In case you have never heard of round up it’s a highly toxic chemical used for killing weeds.

It’s actually illegal for any homeowner to use round up around any lakes or wild life due to the danger of run off and how toxic it is.

Soybeans are also a common feed to cows, so one-way or another you are eating soy unless its 100% organic beef.

Soy is well known for its ability to mimic estrogen, phytoestrogens or isoflavones are estrogen like compounds.

They say if you feed your baby only soy formula it receives the equivalent of 5 birth control pills worth of estrogen a day. They also say this plays a major role in the development of the baby during the first few months of life.

The end result girls will enter puberty much earlier than normal, look at the young girls today as compared to the 70’s the development difference is astounding. Now you may be saying so what, but this comes with a price. Early maturation in girls can lead to reproductive problems, infertility and breast cancer.

For boys it could affect their male characteristics and behavior, some are actually questioning the effect on sexual orientation. Pediatricians say they are noticing a lack of development of the sexual organs and learning disabilities.

Concerns are so great about soy formula consumer groups in Canada and New Zealand have called for a ban on soy infant formula.

If you are pregnant or have a baby you may want to read this about soy from prevent disease.

If you are going to have a baby breast-feeding is the best and safest way to go, unless you cant produce enough milk or have a medical condition. If this is the case I would choose only 100% organic FDA certified cows milk baby formula. Not that I truly trust the FDA but the options are limited when it comes to feeding your baby today.

In the old days baby formulas were made up from scratch when a mother couldn’t breastfeed, and I have read a lot of post where someone would say that they grew up on a home made formula and if it worked for them it must still be a good way to go today.

I was also fed a whole milk baby formula made by my mother but unfortunately today we live in a different world; chemicals pesticides and hormones are in almost everything we consume and I would use extreme caution if you pursue this course.

Even the FDA says you should only consume a certain amount of soy a day in your diet.

This is a statement from the FDA website:
As a science-based agency, FDA recognizes that research information evolves with time and that some of the existing confusion will be resolved as new studies are completed. “We continue to monitor the ongoing science,” Yetley says. “As new data warrants, we make adjustments in our position and the advice we give to the public. We take this responsibility very seriously.”
Now I don’t know about you but when I hear statements like this I say WTF?
If you want to read the entire post here is the link FDA and soy

So the debate continues is soy good or bad?

This reminds me of the debate about cigarettes when I was growing up where they kept coming out with information or studies saying they posed no harm, we all know how that turned out.

Many people could smoke their whole life without any trouble but the majority would suffer serious health problems or death. But still cigarettes are legal and it’s all because it’s a revenue cash cow.

I personally would only eat fermented soy products in moderation if you find it something you must do.

If you want to know how much soy is safe to eat and what products contain them I found this great site called soy online service that also gives you the myths and facts about soy.

So I leave you with two questions:

Do you eat soy, yes or no?

And why?

Want to know more about a healthy diet? read
The best foods to eat for fitness

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