The Good, the Bad, and the Soy

Soy used to be my favorite thing to eat. I used to eat lots of soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, edamame, natto (with MSG and junk in the sauce), soy protein, soy bars, etc. Until I found out one of the main reasons why I had so many health problems was due in part to soy. Oh joy. I've stopped eating it now for three years, and I still react to even small amounts of soy (like the amount you find in chocolate - yes, chocolate bars do have soy in them!). It sucks, but you know what, I got over it (and almost all Asian food). I'd rather be healthy.

Now, I find out that soy inhibits the thyroid (my latest shiny object), mimics estrogen (which is bad for an estrogen dominant person - female or possibly male!), and can cause allergic reactions in many (unsuspecting) people. Not fun for anyone.

I don't eat it. I don't recommend it to anyone, except in a few fermented products that are to be eaten every once in a blue moon. And, that's a blue moon, mister!

Now, research has come up indicating that soy products (conventionally processed soymilk, soy protein isolate, soy "cheeze", textured vegetable protein, meatless burgers, meatless chicken, etc.) are processed using hexane, a chemical solvent AND a neurotoxin. How companies can get away with using this process and still call a food "natural" is beyond me.

So, here's a video summarizing the results of a recent study. If you eat soy and plan on continuing to eat it, maybe this study will give you some thoughts about what soy sources you do end up eating.



Also, if you want to read an article from the Cornucopia Institute about questionable nature of "organic" soy coming from China (and some of the American products using the questionable soy), take a look at this webpage. The CI also has an organic soy scorecard so you can see which companies have the healthiest soy sources. This all brings me back to the point that your health depends on where your food comes from!

Thoughts? Do you eat soy?