10 Reasons To NOT Eat Soy!
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I have decided to write this Blog about soy because there is a lot of controversy and myths out there in the health and fitness industry as to how beneficial soy is for your health. I am going to tell you quite the opposite and how you should most definitely AVOID SOY!
- Phytic Acid. Soy contains high levels of phytic acid. In soy this reduces the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children. It is possible to neutralise phytic acid in soy through methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. However most soy in modern times is not prepared through these methods.
- Protein Digestion. Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
- Phytoestrogens. Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
- Hypothyroidism. To add to the point above, soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
- Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.
- Vitamin D. Rather than satisfying the body’s needs for vitamin D, soy foods increase the body’s requirement for this vital vitamin.
- Denatured proteins. Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
- Processing. Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
- MSG. When soy is processed with typical food processing methods, free glutamic acid or MSG is formed. MSG is a potent neuro-toxin. Often additional amounts of MSG are added to many soy foods.
- Heavy metal toxins. Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.
As you can see, these 10 reasons to avoid soy are rather damaging to the reputation of this “health food”. I suggest you review these points and then have a think whether you would like to continue using soy in your diet.
I personally do not eat soy and will avoid it at all costs.
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4 Responses and Counting...
Soy doesn’t seem to have done people in China any harm. I’ve been using soya milk for over 20 years – no problems, and in fact, I am in very good health indeed.
Hi Chebarbz, Thanks for your comment – As I mentioned in my post the subject of soy truly is a controversial one with many differing opinions.
With regards to the health of the people in China, the Cornell Study researchers chose not single out soy foods for study as a separate food item because they did not find them to be used in vastly superior quantities – they simply grouped them with “legumes”. They found that legume consumption varied from 0 to 58 grams per day, with a mean of about 12. Assuming that two-thirds of legume consumption is soy, then the maximum consumption is about 40 grams (about 3 tablespoons) per day with an average consumption of about 9 grams.
One advocate of using soy as a health food is Mark Messina, author of The Simple Soybean and Your Health, who recommends 1 cup, or 230 grams, of soy products per day in his “optimal” diet as a way to prevent cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. However, the Cornell study found that consumption of legumes was not strongly correlated with the prevention of any degenerative disease. Messina is obviously advocating a much larger quantity of soy than that of the Chinese population.
What must also be considered is the quality and the preparation of soy too. Proper soaking and sprouting to create fermented or “aged” soy is the correct method of preparation. In our modern times it is rare to find soy prepared this way.
So I must agree with you that soy in the small quantities that the Chinese have had them in the past, and with the correct preparation methods, has not seemed to harm them too much. However, when you look at the health of the Chinese as a whole now they are not the epitomy of health that they once were.
I hope this clears up any thoughts you might have on soy. Good luck with your health!
I for one am happy to see this blog. I am ,of course, biased because I am allergic to soy. But, because of this allergy, I have researched the topic a great deal, because the darn stuff is in absolutely everything! I agree that there are some real downsides to soy. Particularly in regard to thyroid function and the interference in normal hormonal regulation in women. In fact women who have ovarian cancer are told strictly not to eat it at all because of this effect. Soy is not all it is cracked up to be. In many ways I believe it is like fluoride…an industry needed a cheap way to get rid of it and started touting the health benefits of putting it in everyone’s diet and like sheep, people just accept it. If people want to consume it on a regular basis, I would say to at least read arguments on both sides with an open mind and not just the studies that say what you want to hear.
[...] Some of you may remember that I posted a while ago regarding 10 Reasons why you should not eat soy. [...]