For quite some time, I’ve been concerned because of the amount of soy that is in much of what we eat. I read labels, and I find soy in anything from salad dressing to baby formula, and just about everything in between. There are soy products like soymilk, soy cheese, and tofu cuties (ice cream sandwiches made with soy).
Soy is fed to chickens, turkeys and cows. (Do cows graze on soy?) And, it's promoted as the
miracle food to "feed the world" and "cure all health problems." Hey, if you’re in menopause – take soy!?
I’ve been researching soy for quite some time, and I’ve discovered some interesting and scary things about soy. So,instead of trying to re-write my own notes, I have decided to highlight the research from two highly respected women who’ve done far more than I have – Debbie Pearl of No Greater Joy and Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions). I’ve included the URLS for both of the articles I'm quoting from. I’ve purposely left out sections of the articles and I've added . . . so that you would be drawn to their sites to read what I've left out.
Of course, I am presenting only one side. For me, the evidence is "in." I don't need to be further convinced, and so, therefore I have no need to include an argument for the benefit of soy.
However, as in anything, it’s a persons individual responsibility to be informed and to do their own research. My encouragement is to NO take anything for granted. Don’t assume, that just because it says it’s "healthy" - that it is. Take responsibility for yourself and for your family.
Soy Alert by Debbie Pearl of No Greater JoyOur BabiesPreliminary studies are indicating that children given soy formula go through puberty much earlier than children who were not fed soy products. Why? Because the phytoestrogens/ isoflavones in soy act like a hormone in the body, causing the infant to have hormones like the adult body. A 1994 study done in New Zealand revealed that, depending on age, potency of the product, and feeding methods, infants on soy formula might be consuming the equivalent of up to 10 contraceptive pills a day . . .
Little Boys"Early puberty (caused by consuming soy products) may increase a boy’s chances of developing testicular cancer later in life, because it means longer exposure to sex hormones," said University of North Carolina researcher . . .
Allergies are a growing concern. Soy is one of the most allergenic foods in . . .
Little GirlsIn 1982 pediatric endocrinologists reported that their studies indicated an increase in the incidence of breast development in girls younger than eight years of age. In the first study of 130 little . . .
And OUR MEN? A Half Helping of a Man?What are phytoestrogens doing to the men? Researcher, W. David Kubiak reports that "...because female hormones or estrogen given to men in small quantities can quickly overwhelm androgen activity, and soy produces estrogen molecules in biologically significant amounts, it might be inferred that a steady diet of miso, tofu, soy sauce, and so on might not be best for leadership trainees or aspiring Lotharios (lovers)."
Debbie Pearl - No Greater JoyCinderella’s Dark Side by Sally Fallon & Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. (
Nourishing Traditions)
The propaganda that has created the soy sales miracle is all the more remarkable because, only a few decades ago, the soybean was considered unfit to eat - even in Asia. During the Chou Dynasty (1134-246 BC) the soybean was designated one of the five sacred grains, along with barley, wheat, millet and rice.
However, the pictograph for the soybean, which dates from earlier times, indicates that it was not first used as a food; for whereas the pictographs for the other four grains show the seed and stem structure of the plant, the pictograph for the soybean emphasizes the root structure. Agricultural literature of the period speaks frequently of the soybean and its use in crop rotation. Apparently the soy plant was initially used as a method of fixing nitrogen.13
The soybean did not serve as a food until the discovery of fermentation techniques, some time during the Chou Dynasty. The first soy foods were fermented products like tempeh, natto, miso and soy sauce.
At a later date, possibly in the 2nd century BC, Chinese scientists discovered…
Soybeans also contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together . . .
Additionally 99% a very large percentage of soy is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of our foods…
Yet soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein are used extensively in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages and fast food products. They are heavily promoted in third world countries and form the basis of many food giveaway . . .
"Just imagine you could grow the perfect food. This food not only would provide affordable nutrition, but also would be delicious and easy to prepare in a variety of ways. It would be a healthful food, with no saturated fat. In fact, you would be growing a virtual fountain of youth on your back forty."
The author is Dean Houghton, writing for The Furrow,2 a magazine published in 12 languages by John Deere. "This ideal food would help prevent, and perhaps reverse, some of the world's most dreaded diseases. You could grow this miracle crop in a variety of soils and climates. Its cultivation would build up, not deplete, the land...this miracle food already exists... It's called soy."
Just imagine. Farmers have been imagining - and planting more soy. What was once a minor crop, listed in the 1913 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product, now covers 72 million acres of American farmland. Much of this harvest will be used to feed chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows and salmon. Another large fraction will be squeezed to produce oil for margarine, shortenings and salad dressings . . .
Taken from the
Mercola site.
In conclusion, I think the only good use for
soy, is in candles!
I always love to share my "deal."
