Is it Really Soy Delicious?

Walk through the aisles of any health food store these days and you’ll see a myriad of soy substitute foods, everything from soy baby formula to soy hotdogs. But how many people know what soy is really all about? Many people who want to get healthy and lose weight choose soy as a substitute food either because they are intolerant to dairy or because they are vegetarian and want (what they have been told is) another good source of protein.
Regardless of what advertisements tell you about soy, I’d like to alert all of you to the dangers of soy and encourage each of you to do some research before you consider it to be a healthy addition to your diet.

Soy Foods Block Mineral Absorption: Soy contains very high levels of phytates, which have been proven to block enzyme activity and cause digestive issues. Phytates are also mineral blockers and decrease the body’s ability to absorb essential minerals such as magnesium (a natural anti-inflammatory), iron, zinc and calcium, to name a few. As we all know, even small amounts of mineral deficiencies can lead to chronic fatigue, a weakened immune system and lethargy. The only way to decrease the level of phytic acid in soy is by soaking and fermenting it (which is why fermented soy products, such as tempeh, are the only soy foods anyone should be eat if they decide to add soy to their diet). Unfortunately, the majority of soy products on the market today are over-processed, cheaply made and do not undergo this long, old-fashioned fermenting process.

Soy Foods Contain Phytoestrogens: Unfermented soy foods (such as tofu, soy milk, etc) contain phytoestrogens that mimic female hormones in both men and women. In fact, a recent study carried out by Geo-Pie, an extension of Cornell University, found that soy formula leads to premature maturation in males and females as well as menstruation as early as six years of age in females. In fact, it is believed that one bottle of soy formula is hormonally equal to feeding a child up to five birth control pills a day. Because all of the hormones in our body work synergistically, setting off high levels of one hormone leads not only to early development but also to a wide range of diseases later in life (soy is often linked with leukemia, breast cancer and thyroid cancer). Everyone has heard of the dangers of phytoestrogens leaking on to foods from plastics, so why would you eat a food that is naturally loaded with phytoestrogens?


Soy Foods DO NOT Help People Get Fit and Lose Weight: Most processed soy foods contain very high levels of added sugars and actually cause weight GAIN, not loss. In addition, evidence suggests that the isoflavones in soy products suppress thyroid function, causing many people on high-soy diets to experience weight gain, decreased sex drive, increased irritability, anxiety disorders, memory loss and chronic pain syndromes.

I urge all of you to do your own research and decide if soy truly is the "health food wonder" the health industry claims it to be.
For a complete list of references used in this article, please contact info@holisticfitsf.com.