If you have anything to add pro or con to this doc PLEASE feel free to do so! This is just a quick note on the topic as I have seen so many questions about soy lately I thought we could consolidate it to one place so that everyone could go back to it whenever they needed to.
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We had all been led to believe that soy is a miracle... It helped women through the menapausal years and could be used as a cow milk substitute and didn't taste bad... actually tasted pretty good.
As a family we ate soy like there was no tomorrow for a few years in the late 90's through 2001. Then we heard the shocking news ~ soy causes problems with growth and blocks some nutrients from being assimilated by the body. Boy were we floored!
Then the big one came out... excessive amounts of estrogen actually did the opposite of what we were trying to do... it caused cancer... boy, that just sunk the boat.
Here is a list of things that have been discovered or really re-discovered about soy and why we should not eat it unless we use it in its fermented form. ~ Wendy
- soy is great... yes, it is wonderful as a nitrogen fixer in your soil... good cover crop option.
- Soybeans contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.
- Trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinin are growth inhibitors. Weanling rats fed soy containing these antinutrients fail to grow normally.
- The Chinese did not eat unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils because the soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or "antinutrients". First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion.
- Soy also contains goitrogens - substances that depress thyroid function.
- 99% of soy is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of our foods.
- Soybeans are high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract. Scientists are in general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries. The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume that has been studied, and the phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking. Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans.
- When precipitated soy products like tofu are consumed with meat, the mineral-blocking effects of the phytates are reduced. The Japanese traditionally eat a small amount of tofu or miso as part of a mineral-rich fish broth, followed by a serving of meat or fish. Vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies. The results of calcium, magnesium and iron deficiency are well known; those of zinc are less so.
- Soy Protein Isolate: Not So Friendly Soy processors have worked hard to get these antinutrients out of the finished product, particularly soy protein isolate (SPI) which is the key ingredient in most soy foods that imitate meat and dairy products, including baby formulas and some brands of soy milk. Basically put... they try to remove spi and put it into things like baby formula. In feeding experiments, the use of SPI increased requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12 and created deficiency symptoms of calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid remaining in these soy products greatly inhibits zinc and iron absorption; test animals fed SPI develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.
- Celibate monks living in monasteries and leading a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods quite helpful because they dampen libido.
- Traditionally fermented soy products make a delicious, natural seasoning that may supply important nutritional factors in the Asian diet. But except in times of famine, Asians consume soy products only in small amounts, as condiments, and not as a replacement for animal foods.
- In 1996, researchers found that women consuming soy protein isolate had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, a condition that presages malignancies. A year later, dietary genistein was found to stimulate breast cells to enter the cell cycle - a discovery that led the study authors to conclude that women should not consume soy products to prevent breast cancer.
- domesticated birds being fed a soy based diet did gain something in the color of their plumage, however, there was decreased fertility in the birds, with precocious maturation, deformed, stunted and stillborn babies, and premature deaths, especially among females, with the result that the total population in the aviaries went into steady decline. The birds suffered beak and bone deformities, goiter, immune system disorders and pathological, aggressive behavior. Autopsy revealed digestive organs in a state of disintegration. The list of problems corresponded with many of the problems the Jameses had encountered in their two children, who had been fed soy-based infant formula. (read more on the Jameses story here: http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy2.htm)
- Scientists have known for years that soy-based formula can cause thyroid problems in babies. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female? Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits (testes smaller than normal on manturation), but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior. Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding - which began in earnest in the early 1970s - cannot be ignored as a probable cause for these tragic developments. The consequences of this truncated childhood are tragic. Young girls with mature bodies (due to estrogen content of soy based formulas fed to them) must cope with feelings and urges that most children are not well-equipped to handle. And early maturation in girls is frequently a harbinger for problems with the reproductive system later in life, including failure to menstruate, infertility and breast cancer.
The above was taken directly from: http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm ~ there is so much more detailed info there... it is 2 1/2 pages long but worth the read!
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This is another great article to read on soy: http://www.optimumchoices.com/Soy.htm ~
topics include:
Is Soy a Health Food?
Asian Cultures Only Ate FERMENTED Soy
Soy Was Used to Lower Testosterone Levels
Standard American Diet (SAD) Contains Too Much Soy
Symptoms of Menopause, Enlarged Thyroid, Low Energy,
Forgetfulness, Lack of Focus and Depression
Hormonal Disruption in Infants
Studies Suggest Soy Affects Infertility, Menstrual and Other Reproductive Problems
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Could Eating Too Much Soy Be Bad for You?
New studies suggest that eating large amounts of soy s estrogen-mimicking compounds might reduce fertility in women, trigger early puberty and disrupt development of fetuses and children
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Oh Soy Bad: How We are Misled about the Benefits of Soy[http://www.skrewtips.com/2008/02/08/oh-soy-bad-how-we-are-mislead-about-the-benefits-of-soy/]
topics include: Why is Soy Bad for You – The Soy Problems, Dangers of soy: The Negative Soy Side Effects, What Then? A Soy Alternative?, Fermented soy is best, What Foods Are Rich in Soy?, Hidden sources of soy, What’s a Consumer to Do?, and How Much Soy Do You Think was Consumed in Historical Asia?
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