Food products made with soy can be extremely dangerous to your health. This is a shocking statement, as almost every processed food contains some form of soy and 85% of all consumers believe that soy is a "health" food. Popular processed soy products like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers and soy ice cream are commonly thought of as healthy alternatives to the non-soy variety. The trouble begins with the processing of the soy bean into separate components that are used as food ingredients. The soy bean is most commonly processed into soy protein, soybean oil and soy lecithin. Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, says “Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents." Findings from numerous studies have found that processed soy ingredients raise homocysteine levels in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can build-up excessively in the body and can lead to heart disease, stroke and birth defects. In addition to the threat posed by processed soy protein, a high soy diet has been linked to thyroid problems, cancer, brain damage, reproductive trouble (soy increases estrogen levels), kidney stones, weakened immune system and food allergies. Sadly, you are consuming soy whether you are buying soy products or not. Ten percent of the average person's calories come from soybeans, usually in the form of soy oil. The typical list of ingredients on any processed food box may contain 2-3 different soy ingredients. The soy bean has become a billion dollar business and is one of the largest cash crops in the nation. The Monsanto Corporation has genetically modified the soybean (which has its own negative health effects) and owns the patent on the soybean seed. Monsanto has even taken mid-west farmers to court for failing to follow its soybean seed rules. Many cases involve the Monsanto Corporation suing farmers for using soybean seeds harvested from plants grown from Monsanto soybean seeds. Even though this practice of using harvested seeds to plant crops has been used by farmers for thousands of years, Monsanto would like farmers to use only its seeds. There is so much money involved in the soybean industry, corporations will go to extreme lengths to extend and protect their profits. That is why millions of dollars are spent on marketing and advertising the soybean as a "health food product." The only way to completely avoid soybean additives is to eat whole foods and prepare them yourself. One important fact in this story is that not all soy is bad for you. Fermented soy, such as miso, soy sauce and natto are healthy for you because the fermentation process reduces the harmful toxins in soy and also increases probiotics, which are important for healthy digestion. However, before eating soy beans or products containing soy protein, soybean oil or soy lecithin, consider the current research involving soy; and do not accept the label of soy "health food" without taking a closer look. If you have the facts, you'll choose good food that will help build good health.
