The Dangers You Need to Know About Soy

Soy has become very big business within the last decade and in fact since 1992 - 2006 the soy industry increased from $300 million in annual sales to four billion as a result of massive advertisements and investments.

Many health conscious folks have added soy products to their diet, believing the many advertisements of the proclaimed health benefits obtained from such a wonderful product. Has the soy industry misled the public?

Alarming studies over the past few years has been revealing many health issues concerning soy, such as links to breast cancer and brain damage, but yet many still believe that soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers, and even soy ice cream are a healthier choice.

Fermented Soy is Good

Many Vegetarians use soy as their primary source of protein and may find these alarming discoveries much more serious than others, and could even stir up much debate; the fact is there are many studies and references that indicate this to be a serious concern. The idea of incorporating soy started out as good. Asian people are known to live longer and healthier lives, which much has been contributed to their diet that is high in soy intake; however they are consuming fermented soy products such as natto, Miso, tempeh and soy sauce.

Fermented soy is a great source of vitamin K2 which is known to prevent osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and many other great health benefits. After long periods of the fermentation process are the phytate and anti-nutrient levels of soybeans reduced, and their beneficial properties become available for the digestive system. These are the types of soy that are healthy and recommended by reputable sources, it must be fermented- tofu is not on this list of recommend sources of soy because it is not fermented.

• Over 90 percent of the soy grown in the United Stated is genetically modified. This is done so that the plant is able to resist the toxic herbicide Roundup. This will kill all weeds around the soy plant allowing the soy crops to grow faster resulting in cheaper soy. So now we have less expensive soy that is loaded with toxic pesticide. GM soy has been linked to increased allergies and even infertility. If you think that you do not consume a lot of GM soy products you may be mistaken, nearly 80 percent of the world’s soy is used in farm animal feed, its everywhere. This is another great reason to know where your food is coming from, and if you can raise it, and grow it yourself or find a reputable farmer who does.
• Soy contains toxic levels of aluminum and manganese. Soy formula is said to have 80 times higher manganese than human breast milk.
• Unfermented soy contains Goitrogens which interfere with thyroid function. Soy milk is a big contributor of to thyroid dysfunction hypothyroidism in women in the US.
• Contain Phytic acids which bind metal ions preventing beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. Eating meat helps to reduce the mineral blocking of these phytates which is another reason why vegetarians should lessen their intake or eliminate completely unfermented soy.
• Unfermented soy can have many harmful effects on your health such as, brain damage, breast cancer, infant abnormalities, thyroid disorders, fatal food allergies, and impaired fertility

In Conclusion- My final thoughts of the Soy Controversy

It’s time we get all the facts and begin to take action immediately. I have only touched a few of the many alarming health facts and concerns regarding soy and do realize the controversy of this topic, as many still share different views. I do agree that soy does have many healthy benefits but should only be consumed as unfermented soy. I am not a big fan of genetically altered food and also feel this to be a great reason to stay away from many soy products. I do love and enjoy edamame, but plan to buy my seed from a reputable seed company and grow my own. I have left a couple of links below that are loaded with information and more useful links and studies, and encourage you to check it out.

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