How safe is soy?

[Guest guest]

HOW SAFE IS SOY?

By Susun S Weed

Condensation of an article in NewLife Mag, May '96, by Sally Fallon,

M.A. and Mary Enig, Ph.D.

With widespread concern about the possible unhealthy effects of

commercial meat and cows' milk many more people than before are using

soy products as substitutes for animal products. Soy products are

supposed to be high protein, low calorie, devoid of cholesterol, and

easy to digest. The authors disagree on most of these counts.

 

Click here for a printable version of this article.

 

Soybeans were one of the five sacred grains in the Orient according to

records dating back to before 1134. Agricultural reports speak

frequently of using soybeans in crop rotation (to fix nitrogen and

thus improve soil fertility) but there is no indication that soybeans

were eaten until fermentation processes were discovered, sometime

around 440 BCE. The first soy products eaten by people were tempeh,

natto, miso, and shoyu tamari. And it was not until some centuries

later (2nd century BCE) that the process of making tofu was discovered.

 

While it is true that the people of the Orient have relied heavily on

tofu as a source of protein for about a thousand years, this is not

necessarily by choice nor beneficial. The early Chinese did not eat

soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they recognized

the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which have been

well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are potent

trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for

protein digestion. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, which causes

red blood cells to lump together. Soybeans are also high in phytates,

an organic acids which blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron,

and especially zinc and contributes to widespread mineral

deficiencies. In fact there are more phytates in soybeans than in any

other grain, bean, or plant studied and these phytates are remarkably

resistant to reduction techniques. Only a long period of fermentation

will significantly reduce the phytate content.

 

Another way to moderate the harmful effects of tofu and other

unfermented soybean products is to eat tofu with meat or fish, as is

traditionally done in the Orient. Vegetarians - especially vegetarian

children - who eat tofu and drink soy milk as substitutes for meat and

dairy products are at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe

mineral deficiencies. Oriental children who eat soy but no meat, eggs,

or dairy often suffer from rickets, stunted growth, and lowered

intelligence. Unfermented soy virtually destroys all zinc in the body;

and zinc is critical for optimal development and functioning of the

brain, nervous system and immune system.

 

To what do we owe the current upsurge in use of soy products such as

TVP and tofu in America? Most of the 140 billion pounds of soybeans

raised in the USA every year are made into animal feed or pressed into

soy oil.

 

The soy industry has concentrated for 20 years on creating markets for

the byproducts of soy oil manufacture: lecithin and soy protein. But

these were generally (and rightly) considered " poverty foods " and

rejected by most consumers.

 

The soy industry recognized that, according to a spokesman: " The

quickest way to gain product acceptability in a less affluent market

is to have the product consumed on its own merit by those who are more

affluent. " Thus these soy byproducts have been cleverly marketed to

resemble traditional foods: soy milk malteds, soy baby formula, soy

yogurt, soy ice cream, coy cheese, soy hot dogs, and so on. Let's face

it: these are fake products, not health foods.

 

The production of soy milk does remove trypsin inhibitors, but at the

expense of denaturing the proteins, making them indigestible, of

creating a carcinogen, lysinealine, and of reducing the cystine

content, an essential amino acid which is already very low in

soybeans. The phytate content remains, further deranging the diet.

 

Soy formula and soy milk is often made with soy protein isolate, an

extremely refined product lacking virtually all minerals and vitamins.

Many soy formulas sold for infants are rich in trypsin-inhibitors

which can stunt growth. And all contain staggering amounts of

mineral-depleting phytates. The aluminum content of soy formula is 100

times greater than unprocessed milk. Aluminum has a toxic effects on

infants kidneys and may be a cause of Alzheimer's in adults. Soy

formula lack three important nutrients found in all milk: cholesterol,

which is essential for brain development, and lactose and galactose,

which play vital roles in the development and functioning of the nerves.

 

All is not what it seems with the supposed health benefits of soy.

Allergies to soy are at least as common as allergies to milk.

Nitrosamines, potent carcinogens often associated with meat, are found

in high concentrations in all commercial soy protein foods.

Isoflavones, anticarcinogenic sub-stances present in soybeans may have

a pro-cancer effect when consumed unfermented. Although soybeans

contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, these acids are

particularly susceptible to rancidity when subjected to the high heat

and pressure require to remove the oil from the bean; such rancidity

promotes cancer and heart disease. Additionally, all soy oil is

extracted with a solvent, traces of which remain in the oil.

 

In addition to containing anti-nutrients, soybeans lack these

important nutritional elements (found in all animal products):

cysteine, vitamin B12, vitamins A and D, and cholesterol. Consumption

of unfermented soy products actually increases the body's needs for

vitamin D and vitamin B12.

 

To summarize: traditional fermented soy products, especially when made

with organic beans, are beneficial in the diet when combined with

rice, sea foods, and fermented vegetables. The value of other soy

products is questionable at best, disease causing at worst. The use of

soy as a primary protein source is misguided.

 

Condensed by Susun Weed, PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498 (845-246-8081)

[Guest guest]

The early Chinese did not eat

> soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they

recognized

> the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which have

been

> well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are potent

> trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for

> protein digestion.

 

I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy.... Miso soup tears me

up. Which is a huge bummer becasue I love it. (I am wishy washy

with " liking " things - a lot of things are just o.k. - but I truely

like Miso soup....)

[Guest guest]

Miso is fermented if it's the real stuff.

 

, " Amy P. "

<aviva_hadas> wrote:

>

> The early Chinese did not eat

> > soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they

> recognized

> > the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which

have

> been

> > well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are

potent

> > trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for

> > protein digestion.

>

> I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy.... Miso soup tears

me

> up. Which is a huge bummer becasue I love it. (I am wishy washy

> with " liking " things - a lot of things are just o.k. - but I

truely

> like Miso soup....)

[Guest guest]

Wonder what it is? I have figured out that it is the miso soup -

reduced everything else from the equation....

 

> Miso is fermented if it's the real stuff.

 

> >

> > I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy.... Miso soup tears

> me

[Guest guest]

Look at the label carefully and see if the miso is fermented. Or

there might be something else in there. I have seen some things

being sold as miso that aren't fermented.

 

, " Amy P. "

<aviva_hadas> wrote:

>

> Wonder what it is? I have figured out that it is the miso soup -

> reduced everything else from the equation....

>

> > Miso is fermented if it's the real stuff.

>

> > >

> > > I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy.... Miso soup

tears

> > me

[Guest guest]

>I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy....

Miso soup tears me up. Which is a huge bummer becasue

I love it.

 

Even this highly doubtful article acknowledges that it

is unfermented soy that is the supposed problem. Miso

is fermented.

 

Best, Pat ;=)

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

some soy stuff (esp tofu) is difficult for some people to digest

I know this is true for me, so I try not to OD on the tofu

the worst thing that happens to me, though, is I get gassy

 

psybermus <psybermus wrote:

 

 

>I wonder if this is my gastric issue with soy....

Miso soup tears me up. Which is a huge bummer becasue

I love it.

 

Even this highly doubtful article acknowledges that it

is unfermented soy that is the supposed problem. Miso

is fermented.

 

Best, Pat ;=)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Ive heard about soy being harmful in the way of blocking some enzymes, but its

in UNCOOKED TOFU

 

Mary Elizabeth <faeriepinkie wrote:

 

HOW SAFE IS SOY?

By Susun S Weed

Condensation of an article in NewLife Mag, May '96, by Sally Fallon,

M.A. and Mary Enig, Ph.D.

With widespread concern about the possible unhealthy effects of

commercial meat and cows' milk many more people than before are using

soy products as substitutes for animal products. Soy products are

supposed to be high protein, low calorie, devoid of cholesterol, and

easy to digest. The authors disagree on most of these counts.

 

Click here for a printable version of this article.

 

Soybeans were one of the five sacred grains in the Orient according to

records dating back to before 1134. Agricultural reports speak

frequently of using soybeans in crop rotation (to fix nitrogen and

thus improve soil fertility) but there is no indication that soybeans

were eaten until fermentation processes were discovered, sometime

around 440 BCE. The first soy products eaten by people were tempeh,

natto, miso, and shoyu tamari. And it was not until some centuries

later (2nd century BCE) that the process of making tofu was discovered.

 

While it is true that the people of the Orient have relied heavily on

tofu as a source of protein for about a thousand years, this is not

necessarily by choice nor beneficial. The early Chinese did not eat

soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they recognized

the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which have been

well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are potent

trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for

protein digestion. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, which causes

red blood cells to lump together. Soybeans are also high in phytates,

an organic acids which blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron,

and especially zinc and contributes to widespread mineral

deficiencies. In fact there are more phytates in soybeans than in any

other grain, bean, or plant studied and these phytates are remarkably

resistant to reduction techniques. Only a long period of fermentation

will significantly reduce the phytate content.

 

Another way to moderate the harmful effects of tofu and other

unfermented soybean products is to eat tofu with meat or fish, as is

traditionally done in the Orient. Vegetarians - especially vegetarian

children - who eat tofu and drink soy milk as substitutes for meat and

dairy products are at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe

mineral deficiencies. Oriental children who eat soy but no meat, eggs,

or dairy often suffer from rickets, stunted growth, and lowered

intelligence. Unfermented soy virtually destroys all zinc in the body;

and zinc is critical for optimal development and functioning of the

brain, nervous system and immune system.

 

To what do we owe the current upsurge in use of soy products such as

TVP and tofu in America? Most of the 140 billion pounds of soybeans

raised in the USA every year are made into animal feed or pressed into

soy oil.

 

The soy industry has concentrated for 20 years on creating markets for

the byproducts of soy oil manufacture: lecithin and soy protein. But

these were generally (and rightly) considered " poverty foods " and

rejected by most consumers.

 

The soy industry recognized that, according to a spokesman: " The

quickest way to gain product acceptability in a less affluent market

is to have the product consumed on its own merit by those who are more

affluent. " Thus these soy byproducts have been cleverly marketed to

resemble traditional foods: soy milk malteds, soy baby formula, soy

yogurt, soy ice cream, coy cheese, soy hot dogs, and so on. Let's face

it: these are fake products, not health foods.

 

The production of soy milk does remove trypsin inhibitors, but at the

expense of denaturing the proteins, making them indigestible, of

creating a carcinogen, lysinealine, and of reducing the cystine

content, an essential amino acid which is already very low in

soybeans. The phytate content remains, further deranging the diet.

 

Soy formula and soy milk is often made with soy protein isolate, an

extremely refined product lacking virtually all minerals and vitamins.

Many soy formulas sold for infants are rich in trypsin-inhibitors

which can stunt growth. And all contain staggering amounts of

mineral-depleting phytates. The aluminum content of soy formula is 100

times greater than unprocessed milk. Aluminum has a toxic effects on

infants kidneys and may be a cause of Alzheimer's in adults. Soy

formula lack three important nutrients found in all milk: cholesterol,

which is essential for brain development, and lactose and galactose,

which play vital roles in the development and functioning of the nerves.

 

All is not what it seems with the supposed health benefits of soy.

Allergies to soy are at least as common as allergies to milk.

Nitrosamines, potent carcinogens often associated with meat, are found

in high concentrations in all commercial soy protein foods.

Isoflavones, anticarcinogenic sub-stances present in soybeans may have

a pro-cancer effect when consumed unfermented. Although soybeans

contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, these acids are

particularly susceptible to rancidity when subjected to the high heat

and pressure require to remove the oil from the bean; such rancidity

promotes cancer and heart disease. Additionally, all soy oil is

extracted with a solvent, traces of which remain in the oil.

 

In addition to containing anti-nutrients, soybeans lack these

important nutritional elements (found in all animal products):

cysteine, vitamin B12, vitamins A and D, and cholesterol. Consumption

of unfermented soy products actually increases the body's needs for

vitamin D and vitamin B12.

 

To summarize: traditional fermented soy products, especially when made

with organic beans, are beneficial in the diet when combined with

rice, sea foods, and fermented vegetables. The value of other soy

products is questionable at best, disease causing at worst. The use of

soy as a primary protein source is misguided.

 

Condensed by Susun Weed, PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498 (845-246-8081)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Yuck! Uncooked tofu is terrible!

 

veronica R <blo0ming wrote:Ive heard about soy being harmful in the

way of blocking some enzymes, but its in UNCOOKED TOFU

 

Mary Elizabeth <faeriepinkie wrote:

 

HOW SAFE IS SOY?

By Susun S Weed

Condensation of an article in NewLife Mag, May '96, by Sally Fallon,

M.A. and Mary Enig, Ph.D.

With widespread concern about the possible unhealthy effects of

commercial meat and cows' milk many more people than before are using

soy products as substitutes for animal products. Soy products are

supposed to be high protein, low calorie, devoid of cholesterol, and

easy to digest. The authors disagree on most of these counts.

 

Click here for a printable version of this article.

 

Soybeans were one of the five sacred grains in the Orient according to

records dating back to before 1134. Agricultural reports speak

frequently of using soybeans in crop rotation (to fix nitrogen and

thus improve soil fertility) but there is no indication that soybeans

were eaten until fermentation processes were discovered, sometime

around 440 BCE. The first soy products eaten by people were tempeh,

natto, miso, and shoyu tamari. And it was not until some centuries

later (2nd century BCE) that the process of making tofu was discovered.

 

While it is true that the people of the Orient have relied heavily on

tofu as a source of protein for about a thousand years, this is not

necessarily by choice nor beneficial. The early Chinese did not eat

soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they recognized

the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which have been

well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are potent

trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for

protein digestion. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, which causes

red blood cells to lump together. Soybeans are also high in phytates,

an organic acids which blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron,

and especially zinc and contributes to widespread mineral

deficiencies. In fact there are more phytates in soybeans than in any

other grain, bean, or plant studied and these phytates are remarkably

resistant to reduction techniques. Only a long period of fermentation

will significantly reduce the phytate content.

 

Another way to moderate the harmful effects of tofu and other

unfermented soybean products is to eat tofu with meat or fish, as is

traditionally done in the Orient. Vegetarians - especially vegetarian

children - who eat tofu and drink soy milk as substitutes for meat and

dairy products are at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe

mineral deficiencies. Oriental children who eat soy but no meat, eggs,

or dairy often suffer from rickets, stunted growth, and lowered

intelligence. Unfermented soy virtually destroys all zinc in the body;

and zinc is critical for optimal development and functioning of the

brain, nervous system and immune system.

 

To what do we owe the current upsurge in use of soy products such as

TVP and tofu in America? Most of the 140 billion pounds of soybeans

raised in the USA every year are made into animal feed or pressed into

soy oil.

 

The soy industry has concentrated for 20 years on creating markets for

the byproducts of soy oil manufacture: lecithin and soy protein. But

these were generally (and rightly) considered " poverty foods " and

rejected by most consumers.

 

The soy industry recognized that, according to a spokesman: " The

quickest way to gain product acceptability in a less affluent market

is to have the product consumed on its own merit by those who are more

affluent. " Thus these soy byproducts have been cleverly marketed to

resemble traditional foods: soy milk malteds, soy baby formula, soy

yogurt, soy ice cream, coy cheese, soy hot dogs, and so on. Let's face

it: these are fake products, not health foods.

 

The production of soy milk does remove trypsin inhibitors, but at the

expense of denaturing the proteins, making them indigestible, of

creating a carcinogen, lysinealine, and of reducing the cystine

content, an essential amino acid which is already very low in

soybeans. The phytate content remains, further deranging the diet.

 

Soy formula and soy milk is often made with soy protein isolate, an

extremely refined product lacking virtually all minerals and vitamins.

Many soy formulas sold for infants are rich in trypsin-inhibitors

which can stunt growth. And all contain staggering amounts of

mineral-depleting phytates. The aluminum content of soy formula is 100

times greater than unprocessed milk. Aluminum has a toxic effects on

infants kidneys and may be a cause of Alzheimer's in adults. Soy

formula lack three important nutrients found in all milk: cholesterol,

which is essential for brain development, and lactose and galactose,

which play vital roles in the development and functioning of the nerves.

 

All is not what it seems with the supposed health benefits of soy.

Allergies to soy are at least as common as allergies to milk.

Nitrosamines, potent carcinogens often associated with meat, are found

in high concentrations in all commercial soy protein foods.

Isoflavones, anticarcinogenic sub-stances present in soybeans may have

a pro-cancer effect when consumed unfermented. Although soybeans

contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, these acids are

particularly susceptible to rancidity when subjected to the high heat

and pressure require to remove the oil from the bean; such rancidity

promotes cancer and heart disease. Additionally, all soy oil is

extracted with a solvent, traces of which remain in the oil.

 

In addition to containing anti-nutrients, soybeans lack these

important nutritional elements (found in all animal products):

cysteine, vitamin B12, vitamins A and D, and cholesterol. Consumption

of unfermented soy products actually increases the body's needs for

vitamin D and vitamin B12.

 

To summarize: traditional fermented soy products, especially when made

with organic beans, are beneficial in the diet when combined with

rice, sea foods, and fermented vegetables. The value of other soy

products is questionable at best, disease causing at worst. The use of

soy as a primary protein source is misguided.

 

Condensed by Susun Weed, PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498 (845-246-8081)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

While i value miso, tamari, and tempeh as a great ways to enjoy

soy, i believe the soy issue was highly overstated by scientists

hired by the beef industry a few years ago. They concluded that

unfermented soy beans are poison.

i made a rapid switch to a macrobiotic vegan diet 20 yrs ago and

know that it did great things for me and my sons who had been

under my care until they left home. We are all thriving from our

vegetarianism and understand how to create a complexed

protein. When beans are compared, soy is considered inferior

to aduke, black, and other beans but i havent seen any concrete

studies that soy beans create aluminum poisoning.

Processing can decrease the nurishment value and I agree that

soy isnt the best source of protein but it's not the worst way to eat

and i think that tofu cooked with seasonings and nutritional yeast

is a better fast food than standard fare. I would suggest that

anyone practicing vegetarianism go with lentils, various beans,

nuts, and seeds besides the glut of soy products. Just look at

all the crap in foodstuffs today. Americans have gone overboard

on fast foods since the days when " tv dinners " were introduced

and that's where the real problem lies.

Two years after my kids and i went veggie it was reported that my

son Kevin had the best looking blood the medical staff had ever

seen :]. My mind and body have only flourished since i changed

my eating habits and my offspring are strong, healthy looking

guys.

As long as people use common sense, i think that fast food soy

products are just fine and don't trust the beef industries claims.

Soy hotdogs don't take the place of a balanced, home cooked

meal though. David/OR

 

" Mary Elizabeth " <faeriepinkie> wrote:

 

> HOW SAFE IS SOY?

 

To summarize: traditional fermented soy products, especially

when made with organic beans, are beneficial in the diet when

combined with rice, sea foods, and fermented vegetables. The

value of other soy products is questionable at best, disease

causing at worst. The use of soy as a primary protein source is

misguided.