News - Nutrition
Soy, good or bad?
Soy everywhere. Is this good or bad?
Nick Lynch S.S.C, C.F.T.
Soy is a food that has been around for centuries and counting. Now soy is everywhere and in everything. We read about how great soy is because of its high protein, low fat and calories content which is appealing indeed. What about the actual break down of soy? What is in this food? Just because there are low calories and high protein, does that mean its good for me? By that logic we should all go out and eat ants right? Maybe as ants have also been around as a food source for many centuries. Just kidding, I wouldn’t suggest eating ants. More seriously though, let’s take an inside look at soy and the real affects it plays on our bodies.
Lets start with the loss of bone density when consuming soy products. Soy contains something called phytates, which block the absorption of minerals such as calcium and zinc. These two minerals are used to build strong bones as we all know. These minerals are important for growing children, adults, the elderly and everyone. Often time’s soy products will have added synthetic vitamins such as vitamin D2 also known as ergocalciferol. Vegans accept vit. D2, as it is not from an animal source, since soy is marketed as a vegan safe food this vitamin is used. The problem with D2 is your body cannot digest this properly as vitamin d is fat-soluble and d2 is from a vegetable source, a fat free source. Vitamin D2 has been linked to coronary heart disease, hyperactivity and allergic reactions. One more thing to look out for with soy is the amount of sugar that is put into the product. This is most dominant in milks and yogurts from soy. Sugar depletes bone density.
Soy is a thyroid suppressant. In other words, soy slows down your metabolism causing you to gain unnecessary fat and throw off your natural hormonal balance. What in the soy causes this suppressing action? Isoflavones, which are an estrogen-like compound found plentifully in the soybean. These phytoestrogens (isoflavones) are more plentiful that you may think. For example; a women with who has normal thyroid function will need less than 2 cups of soy milk per day to start suppressing her thyroid or even just a small handful of soy nuts. Suppressed thyroid as a result of consuming soy not only causes weight gain but also mental confusion, inability to focus, increased risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia later in life, infertility, constipation, hair loss and loss of bone density.
What if I really love soy and do not want to stop eating it, is there a safe product to consume? Of course, there are a few kinds of soy that are safe to eat and made in a way that gets rid of all the nasty above listed agents. These forms are fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, natto and shoyu. When fermented dangers such as the isoflavones, goitrogens and other thyroid suppressing, mineral blocking agents are killed off. You can find these forms of soy at health food stores in your area or order them online.
All in all soy is a dangerous food and requires a lot of attention before consuming. It’s hard to avoid as this food is in the news, the grocery store, TV, movies etc. Think about it like this, cigarettes are also in the movies, news, stores, TV etc. You wouldn’t smoke 2 glasses of tobacco a day would you?
Below left: Tempeh sandwich.
Below right: Miso soup. Yummy and safe/health.
