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There are certain foods and herbs that we can eat on a daily basis that will help us maintain a lean and healthy body. Unfortunately there are also certain foods or ingredients in foods that have the opposite effect – making us fat and sick. Many may think they know what these bad foods are – high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, saturated fats, etc. But one ingredient that most aren’t aware of is SOY.
Did you know that many soy products can actually cause weight gain, PMS, bloating, stubborn fat, contribute to prostate enlargement, cancer and other disorders?
Many view soy as the new dairy. It may be used as such, but what most people don’t realize is that soy actually has a metabolic estrogenic effect in the body. If you’re male, you may want to think twice before consuming processed or unfermented soy products, as these types of soy can be feminizing. Do you want to be increasing the estrogen content in your body when excess estrogen is a known cause for gynecomastia (fatty breasts in men), prostate enlargement and cancer? Or, if you’re female, do you really want excess estrogens circulating throughout your body when estrogen dominance is a known cause for bad PMS, breast cancer and other female disorders? It’s important that we all understand the consequences of consuming soy based foods. I’ve spoken to numerous people who think they are eating “healthy” by replacing all dairy with soy. Some may initially lose weight due to diet change, but at what cost? Furthermore, many can’t figure out why their stubborn fat and metabolic disorders increase or persist. The problem very likely lies in the processed soy. Whether it’s soy milk, soy ice cream, veggie burgers,certain brands tofu or other processed soy based products, all overwhelmingly contribute to an excess of estrogen in the body.
Why soy causes estrogen dominance or excess estrogen
Briefly, soy actually contains phytoestrogens. Although natural, phytoestrogens have an estrogenic effect on the body. In a world already overwhelmed by estrogenic chemicals, the last thing needed is to mistakingly consume a food or ingredients that contribute to the problem. One of the most obvious signs of excess estrogen in the body is the formation of stubborn fat, particularly in the belly in men, and more commonly in the hips and thighs of women.
In addition, here’s what the Weston A. Price Foundation lists as some of the dangers of eating soy:
- High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
- Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
- Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
- 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 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.
- Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
- Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
- Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
- Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
- Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.
But soy is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other particular estrogenic chemicals that we are ingesting on a regular basis that are causing us problems. I’ll write more on these later.
How to Use Soy
For now, make sure to minimize your soy consumption. Check the ingredients labels of the foods that you buy and make sure that their are no hidden soy ingredients. These types of processed soy ingredients tend to cause the most harm. If you want to consume soy, make sure you do so in small amounts and make sure that the types of soy that you ingest are fermented soy, such as organic tempeh, miso, natto, shoyu (real soy sauce) and the like. Like all real foods, soy can have a place and function in the diet, but care needs to be taken NOT to overconsume it. Also, remember that when consuming soy, organic fermented varieties are the most nourishing and beneficial to the body. Forget any of the processed kinds, as they appear to do nothing but cause harm.
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