SOY: a harmful illusion

Soy became very popular in the 90s due to heavy marketing. Now everyone thinks they're healthy because they eat soy. Let's see how bad this idea actually is.

90% of Worldwide Soy Is GMO

When you eat GMO soy, you ingest toxic pesticides into your body. This changes your gut bacteria with dramatic effects lasting long after you stop eating them. This creates a cascade of problems: allergies, digestive issues, altered body functions with consequences for many other systems. GMO soy even alters fertility in future generations.

Soy Is Full of Anti-Nutrients (Toxins)

Phytic Acid

Soybeans are very rich in phytates/phytic acids — "anti-nutrients" that inhibit absorption of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. This creates digestive and metabolic issues and inhibits digestive enzymes, making protein digestion harder. Long, slow cooking won't break down phytates enough.

Goitrogens

Soy is rich in goitrogens that disrupt thyroid function, blocking thyroid hormone production. This leads to hypothyroidism or goiter. The thyroid is critical for metabolic function — staying away from thyroid blockers is essential.

Poisonous Aluminum and Manganese

Most soy is processed in large aluminum tanks — aluminum is absorbed into soybeans and then ingested by you. Conventionally-farmed animals forced to eat GMO soy contaminated with aluminum and manganese also accumulate these poisons. These metals are toxic to the brain and nervous system.

Infant soy formulas contain 1000 times more aluminum than conventional milk formulas. This is horrific.

Estrogens (Phytoestrogens)

Soy has high concentration of phytoestrogens. A woman drinking 2 glasses of soy milk for a month will see her menstrual cycle altered. These phytoestrogens mimic human estrogens, disrupting the whole hormonal system.

Young girls: early onset of puberty or hormonal imbalances. Young boys: altered puberty, leading to infertility problems. Infants in soy formula: receive 5 birth control pills worth of estrogens a day. This is a dramatic problem for sexual development.

Most Processed Foods Contain Soy

Whether soy oil ("vegetable oil"), soy lecithin, or any soy isolate/extract/protein — all are equally harmful for the reasons above.

Common Soy Products to Avoid:

• -Tofu
• -Soybean oil ("vegetable oil")
• -Soy milk
• -Soy cheese, ice cream, yogurt
• -Soy meat
• -Soy protein
• -Edamame
• -Soy infant formula
• -TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) = soy protein isolate with large amounts of MSG

Why Didn't Asian People Have These Problems?

Because:

• -They didn't eat as much soy as we do now (it's everywhere in our food chain)
• -They ate 100% natural WHOLE soybeans, not separated oils from proteins
• -They mainly ate FERMENTED soy

Fermented Soy Is Different

Fermentation significantly decreases the toxic effects of anti-nutrients in soy. Fermentation is also a powerful way to heal gut flora with beneficial bacteria.

Fermented soy forms: Miso, Natto, Tempeh

Natto especially provides vitamin K2, essential for:

• -Preventing osteoporosis
• -Cardiovascular disease
• -Dementia and brain diseases
• -Protection against prostate, lung, liver cancers and leukemia

Bottom Line

Soy is not the health food the food industry has marketed it to be.

If you consume soy, choose:

• -Organic
• -Non-GMO
• -Preferably fermented forms (miso, tempeh, natto)
• -Keep quantities moderate

For infant formulas, choose alternatives to soy-based ones. Be aware of what you're ingesting. Read labels.

When in doubt, choose organic fresh wholefoods.

In Love and Health,

Stephanie