Bug Juice

[Guest guest]

BUG JUICE

PUBLISHED ON APRIL 6, 2006:

www.tucsonweekly.com

 

 

You may just freak out when you learn what's in your soy milk

By SAXON BURNS

 

Saxon Burns

" I think that people who eat animals don't want to eat insects, " said Lovin'

Spoonfuls owner Peggy Raisglid.

 

Vegetarian/vegan restaurateur Peggy Raisglid didn't know it, but there was

something not-so-plantlike in the Trader Joe's strawberry soy milk she had

been selling her customers.

 

An eagle-eyed patron at Lovin' Spoonfuls, 2990 N. Campbell Ave., spotted the

strawberry soy milk in the refrigerated display case behind the register and

discreetly pulled her aside to ask: " Do you know that soy milk has carmine

in it, which is ground-up insects? "

 

Vegetarians, of course, steer clear of consuming animal flesh, but Raisglid

thinks even avowed carnivores would be turned off if they realized what they

were drinking. " I think that people who eat animals don't want to eat

insects, " she said.

 

As Raisglid sees it, the problem is that most people don't know what carmine

is, and the ingredients list on the soy milk packaging only identifies it as

" color. "

Carmine is derived from the cochineal, a scale insect in the family

Dactylopiidae. There are many species of the bug, including one indigenous

to the Sonoran Desert. The variety most commonly used for coloring,

Dactylopius coccus, is found primarily in Mexico.

 

Carl Olson, associate curator of the University of Arizona's Insect Research

Collection, characterized the cochineal as an immobile " feeding bag " that

produces a white, waxy substance to protect itself as it sucks the juices of

cacti. " All these things do is sit under the wax, put their beak into the

cactus pad and drink, " he said.

The female cochineal is used to make dye. Harvesters peel away the waxy

shell to reveal the engorged bugs, about a quarter of an inch long, attached

to the cacti. Insects are collected, dried and pulverized in preparation for

making the colorant.

 

Cochineal has a long history of being used as a dye. Spaniards took note of

the radiant red textiles produced by Aztecs in the early 16th century. Spain

introduced the dried insect to Europe, and it soon became a precious

commodity that displaced less vivid red colorants.

 

The scarlet dye was used on the distinctive attire of British redcoats,

Canadian mounties, Catholic cardinals and Hungarian hussars. People then

started using it in cosmetics and food.

 

Artificial dyes led to cochineal's decline in the late 19th century. But

concerns in the 1990s about the health effects of synthetic food coloring,

and a resultant push for " natural " alternatives, made harvesting the insect

profitable again. Today, cochineal is used to achieve pink, red and purple

colors in yogurts, candy, grapefruit juice, artificial crab meat, popsicles

and Campari.

 

It's also used in Trader Joe's strawberry soy milk, which sells for $1.29

and is advertised as a " Great Treat for Kids. " Raisglid said she was

" appalled " that the packaging didn't clearly indicate that carmine is an

insect extract, as it's widely known that many vegetarians and vegans drink

soy milk.

 

She contacted Trader Joe's West Coast corporate headquarters, thinking they

might not know what was in the soy milk. But she said a product manager

quickly set her straight.

 

When asked by Raisglid why Trader Joe's didn't clearly indicate that carmine

is derived from insects, the product manager allegedly said they never

claimed the soy milk was suitable for vegetarian consumption.

 

" I think obviously the reason they don't put 'insect' on the product is they

know nobody would buy it if they did, " Raisglid said. " It seems kind of

nefarious to knowingly and wittingly do it. "

 

The Weekly finally reached Trader Joe's spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki on the

fourth attempt over two days. She huffed that she was aware a reporter had

left messages for her about the strawberry soy milk.

 

Mochizuki said the product had been discontinued and would be off shelves

" soon, " without giving a specific timetable. She impatiently declared she

was driving while talking on her cellular phone and then hung up after

saying " thank you. "

 

The Weekly called Mochizuki again 30 minutes later, but she didn't answer.

 

Raisglid said she was told by a Trader Joe's product manager that they were

going to let their strawberry soy milk stock run out and not replace it. But

she'd like prompter action.

 

" I think they should just pull it off the shelf, " Raisglid said. " They know

they've done something wrong. They knew it was shady going in. She (the

product manager) told me they were working with the (manufacturing) company

to change the dye. "

 

to Raisglid, the product manager told her the soy milk was produced by

Pacific Foods, of Tualatin, Ore., and then repackaged and distributed by

Trader's Joe's. A spokesman with Pacific Foods declined comment, saying the

specifics of the deal with their distributor were confidential.

 

Even if Trader Joe's soy milk labeling wasn't exactly forthright, they

weren't breaking the law. Current Food and Drug Administration regulations

don't require food manufacturers to explicitly state what carmine or

cochineal extract comes from, meaning they can use generic terms, such as

" color added, " on packaging.

 

Still, the FDA released a report earlier this year evaluating complaints

about a limited number of allergic reactions to cochineal coloring. It found

that possible health risks weren't widespread, but did make the

recommendation that food and cosmetics clearly indicate that they contain

carmine or cochineal extract.

 

However, the report didn't go so far as to propose that labeling include the

fact that the dyes are made from insects. A public comment period on the

report and proposed labeling changes ends May 1.

 

The strawberry soy milk is now banished from Raisglid's restaurant, but

she'd still like to see more substantive changes to FDA regulations than the

ones being proposed: " Have you ever heard of carmine? No one has, and

they're banking on that. "

[Guest guest]

Here's an article I found on the downside of soy:

 

 

 

Soy Foods Have Downside for Health of Infants, Adults

AlkalizeForHealth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information on this web site is provided for educational

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" The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest

his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the

cause and prevention of disease. "

- Thomas Edison

For more articles about soy see Library.

 

 

Rich Murray: Paddock: soy problems; hypothyroidism 3.25.1 rmforall

 

Fw: TWO ARTICLES FROM THE GETTYSBURG PAPER

Sat, 24 Mar 2001 23:06:23 +1200

" Richard & Valerie james " <divulge

Organization: Soy Information Service

" Rich Murray " <rmforall

 

-

James E. Paddock, ASLA paddock

Richard & Valerie James

Sunday, 18 March 2001 05:10

Re: soy and thyroid

 

Hi Dick and Valerie. I write a weekly column in The Gettysburg

Times, usually on mental health, family life, or business. This

column, " Soy foods have downside for health " appeared today

discussing soy. The hypothyroid and depression column appears next

Saturday. I've also e-mailed the Brain.com summary to most of my

friends, and given it to the owner of my local health food store. My

column has been running for five years and has a good readership in

the local area.

Hope this helps! Susan Star Paddock

bhp (717) 334-5502

 

Soy Foods Have Downside for Health of Infants, Adults

 

Myra was like a lot of educated women today. She listened to dietary

advice and ate more vegetarian foods. She heard from many experts

that soy foods were great for her heart so she began to eat soy

several times a day. She loved soy milk, soy cheese, soy cereal, soy

burgers, soy bacon, tofu etc, etc. She was wondering why on such a

healthy diet she couldn't lose an ounce, no matter what she did. In

fact, over the last few years she'd gained steadily. Her energy

seemed to disappear and she developed dry skin, a puffy face,

headaches, constipation, and painful joints. She always felt cold,

and had to fight depression. She chalked it all up to aging, but a

thyroid test found her thyroid gland was hardly functioning.

 

Of all the risk factors for developing thyroid disease, Myrna was

shocked to discover that over-consumption of soy foods was the major

culprit. Soy is touted as a wonder food, and even the Food and Drug

administration released a statement last year saying that soy

products could help prevent heart disease. No longer confined to

health food stores, soy products are in every supermarket. But

through all the hype, many scientists are challenging the safety of

soy products. Two of those scientists, soy researchers with the FDA

National Center for Toxicological Research, tried to stop the FDA

statement with a protest letter about the negative health effects of

soy. Their letter and other concerns about soy can be found at

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz

 

Apparently scientists have known for years that the isoflavones in

soy products can depress thyroid function and cause goiters in

otherwise healthy children and adults. Researchers at Cornell

University Medical College said that children who got soy formula

were more likely to develop thyroid disease and that twice as many

diabetic children had received soy formula in infancy as compared to

non-diabetic children. In fact, in other countries such as

Switzerland, England, Australia and New Zealand, public health

officials recommend highly restricted medically monitored use of soy

for babies and for pregnant women. Soy formula is a lifesaver for

the 3 to 4 percent of babies allergic to cows milk, but it is so

widely advertised that it is sold to 25% of the entire formula

market. Soy also contains a natural estrogen, which is why it is

recommended to women at menopause. The president of the Maryland

Nutritionists Association, Mary Enig, Ph.D. stated that " The amount

of phytoestrogens that are in a days worth of soy infant formula

equals five birth control pills. " Dr. Enig believes that soy infant

formula may be associated with early puberty in girls and slower

physical growth in boys. Others say it may effect fertility and

normal brain development. Brain.com reports an ongoing study

involving 3,734 elderly Japanese-American men. That research has

found that the men who ate the most tofu during mid-life had up to

2.4 times the risk of later developing Alzheimer's disease. Lead

researcher Dr. Lon R. White said that men who ate tofu at least

twice weekly showed brain aging about five years faster than those

who seldom ate tofu. Soy has also been implicated in interference

with the absorption of zinc, calcium, protein enzymes and amino

acids.

 

Soy is an important crop on American farms, and there is a strong

soy lobby. Nutritionists may urge people, especially women to eat

more of it. But as Dr. Larrian Gillespie, MD says, " I was recently

in China and saw how little soy is used in the daily diet of the

Chinese. We in America think we must consume the entire container of

tofu in one or two days, when that is enough for a whole week! " So

moderation is a good rule for soy as for everything else.

 

Thyroid Problems Mis-diagnosed as Depression

 

Selena had been diagnosed with Major Depression and was put on an

anti-depressant. The medication helped her mood somewhat, but not as

much as expected. Worse, the physical symptoms that caused her to

seek out the medical consult were still not resolved. She seemed to

feel cold all the time, her skin was dry, her hands and feet ached,

and she was constipated. Eventually the MD ordered a thyroid

function test and this time Selena was diagnosed with

hypothyroidism. Treating the underlying medical condition cleared

her depression and gave her more energy than she'd felt in years.

 

The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland at the base of the

throat. When the thyroid is working normally it sets the pace for

the rest of the body's metabolism. When it is producing too much

thyroid hormone the heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism all

speed up. On the other hand, when the thyroid moves too slowly the

heart rate and body temperature lowers, and the metabolism slows so

much that hardly any calories are burned. That is called

hypothyroidism and researchers estimate that it effects 13 million

Americans. Mary J. Shomon, a thyroid patient, has written a heavily

researched book called " Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your

Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know " (Whole Care-Avon,

2000, $14).

 

Symptoms of hypothyroid seem so vague and disconnected that it is

frequently mis-diagnosed. The symptoms can include depression and

common symptoms of depression such as lack of motivation, " brain

fog " , low energy, trouble concentrating, feelings of sadness,

forgetfulness, restlessness, mood changes and weight gain. That is

why depression is often the first diagnosis. All people being

treated for depression should have a thyroid test. Other symptoms

lead to other wrong diagnoses. For example, some patients only

report unexplained weight gain and inability to lose no matter how

carefully they diet or exercise. Their metabolism has slowed to a

crawl. Other thyroid symptoms such as digestive problems and

constipation can lead to expensive testing for stomach problems.

Thyroid-related problems can include high cholesterol and dry skin.

It can is also a factor in the development of carpal tunnel

syndrome, arthritis, or fibromyalgia.

 

Hypothyroid symptoms can include lowered sex drive and fertility

problems. New allergies or a worsening of additional allergies,

breathing difficulties, recurrent sinus infections and asthma-like

feelings can lead to a diagnosis of an upper respiratory problem.

Other symptoms can include dizziness or vertigo, puffiness or

swelling, and even snoring. Eyes may feel gritty and dry or feel

sensitive to light, and there may be a ringing in the ears.

Hypothyroidism can cause irregular menstrual cycles, trouble

conceiving a baby, the development of ovarian cysts and even

miscarriages. People sometimes feel a lump in their throat, or other

strange feelings in their neck and throat.

 

Thyroid disease is ruled out through a simple blood test, the TSH.

However, some people have thyroid symptoms even though their blood

test falls into the normal range, because what is normal to one

person is not to another. More sensitive tests can be given. It is

important that if people think they may have hypothyroidism that

they educate themselves and ask for what they want from their

doctors. On the Internet there are some great web sites such as

http://www.thyroid-info.com and http://www.thyroid.about.com both

managed by Mary Shomon. If hypothyroidism is diagnosed, there are

several thyroid medications that can be used and diet changes can

also help. Soy foods should be avoided as they have been implicated

in the development of thyroid problems in infants and adults.

***************************************************

 

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz

http://www.brain.com

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz

http://www.thyroid-info.com

http://www.thyroid.about.com

http://www.vegsource.com for good diet info

http://www.notmilk.com dairy toxicity

http://www.dorway.com aspartame toxicity