Soy dear, what’s the deal?

 

by Kavita Jhaveri-Patel

There are many many questions that arise when thinking about soy and the effects of soy on our bodies.  On one hand, you hear and read studies that soy is great for you - good for heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. In other studies, soy has been linked to breast cancer, heart disease, thyroid problems, and infertility.  This is confusing for sure, especially when you see heart disease on both the pro and the con list!

 Let me take you on a little Eastern journey.  Way back in the day in Asia, particularly in Japan and China, soy was known to be hard on digestion so it was only consumed in 2 ways:

 

1. Young Soy Bean or Edamame

2. Fermented soy such as tofu, tempeh, miso, and natto

 

Young soybeans were okay to eat because they haven’t developed the enzyme that can inhibit protein digestion; in fact the enzyme doesn’t become active until the soybean is matured. “Fermented soy products create health-promoting probiotics, which have the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain healthy digestion,” says Mary Vance, who wrote the article “The Dark Side of Soy”.  These two forms allowed for healthy use of soy and was the only way it was originally consumed. 

 

However, today, especially here in the United States, the soybean has become much like corn, in the sense that every part of the kernel (or bean) is used.  Just peruse through the supermarket and read the ingredient labels.  You will find soy bean oil, soy flour, soy protein, soy lecithin, and soy milk in everything.  What does all of this mean? These forms of soy are extremely processed, and therefore have little value in terms of health and nutrition.  Like all foods that are packaged and processed, companies have boiled, smashed, extracted, or operated out many of the nutritional properties that nature skillfully included in order to make it a whole health promoting food.  It is like eating white sugar, which has no nutritional value, and no resemblance to its natural source, the sugar cane.  I think you get the point.

 

The next question is quantity. Let’s again use our Eastern counterparts as an example.    In the Asian diet only small amounts (approximately 9 grams a day) of primarily fermented soy products are consumed. Versus here, processed soy snacks, shakes, cereals, cookies, and soy ice cream can contain over 20 grams of non-fermented soy protein in one serving, says Mary Vance. This is a significant difference and therefore, can lead to many of the health issues described above.  I am a big believer in moderation and reading ingredient labels.  Packaged foods can be sneaky, so make sure you look for the kind of soy included in the product.  If it says anything close to soy protein, stay away!

 

So (or should I say soy), the answer to all of your questions about soy can be answered in 2 simple, short points.  1) Consume soy products 2-3 times a week, and 2) when consuming soy, only consume the two types described above.  You can’t go wrong with following these rules, and your health will thank you!

 

Footnote:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/56087/?page=entire

http://kavitawholistic.com/

 

Comments

[green tea]

Hello
Its interesting to know about Soy.Sometimes I take Soy milk.Soy foods serve as a great source of many amino acids and fiber.Thank you very much for providing such knowledge about Soy.