Soy Story (Why It’s No Good For You)

A client of mine asked me recently if he could replace the meat in his diet with soy. I already knew about the controversy surrounding soy but I was shocked with what I found out from my research. Dozens of respected scientists have issued warnings stating that the possible benefits of eating soy should be weighed against proven risks.

An interesting historical fact is that traditionally Asian soybean plants were not grown to be eaten but to be used as "green manure" — as a cover crop designed to be plowed under to enrich the soil between plantings of the crops used for food. It was a fertilizer. It wasn’t until the Chiang Dynasty that the Chinese came up with the fermentation methods needed to tame the soybean’s undesirable elements and make it into a food.

In the West, the soybean has mostly been used for its soy oil, which is what you get in most products labeled vegetable oil, margarine, or shortening. Soy here is a product of the industrial revolution — an opportunity for technologists to develop cheap meat substitutes, to find clever ways to hide soy in familiar food products, to formulate soy-based pharmaceuticals and to develop a plant-based renewable resource that could replace petroleum-based plastics and fuels. This last could be good for the planet.

It's all a matter of moderation and suitability. In women excess intake of soy can have adverse hormonal effects involving the reproductive organs and the thyroid. When there is too much soy in the system, a woman may complain of an array of symptoms including fatigue, low libido, heavy menstrual flow, cramping, infertility, depression, hair loss, dry skin and weight gain.

For men the main dangers are related to a decrease in testosterone production. Just about all soy products on the market contain the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) known as isoflavones. Plant estrogens have lowered testosterone levels in rats, monkeys, and other animals as well as humans. This usually leads to decreased libido and lower sperm count. There’s an old wives tale that Japanese women punish their straying husbands by feeding them a lot of tofu!

The processing of soy also makes it a less than desirable food item since the process involves chemicals, such as aluminum, high heat and pressure, robbing it of nutrients it may have had. The high temperature denatures the protein so that it is virtually useless as a protein source. Some people even refer to soy as an anti-nutrient since it contains protease inhibitors, phytates, saponins, isoflavones which interfere with nutrient digestion, mineral absorption, and the immune system.

Trypsin is an enzyme that is responsible for the breakdown of proteins and this action is blocked by soy. When proteins are not completely broken down they tend to putrefy in the gut leading to a host of GI symptoms. Research has also shown that when trypsin is continuously inhibited that the pancreas is prone to pathologies, including cancer.

Soy also contains a substance that promotes red blood cells to clot and together with trypsin, this dynamic duo has been shown to inhibit growth. Fermenting soy products inactivates these harmful effects.

It is also important to note that there are many hidden sources of soy including margarine, ice cream, pastas, bread, chips, cereals, canned tuna, fast-food burgers and vegetable oil. Soy can be found in more than 60 percent of the goods sold in supermarkets. Anyone who's eating processed, packed, or canned foods is probably getting some "hidden soy." It’s even been called the "stealth ingredient."

If you are still not convinced, read Dr. Kaayla Daniel’s book The Whole Soy Story. The information and research provided here will blow you away.