If we analyze the food guide and government advice on nutrition over a
decade ago and compare those advisements to what is recommended
today, there is one big difference--one specific food crept up onto the
radar of public health officials as if it had some kind of miraculous
nutritional benefit for the public. The problem is, 80 percent of this
food is genetically modified, contains toxic phytochemicals and is
linked to digestive distress, immune system
breakdown, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of heart
disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss of libido. Yet,
governments seem to think that's not a problem.
You've probably already figured out that the food is
soy.
I'll get to how deadly soy is shortly, but first let's backtrack to
the year 2000 and analyze the food guides of two countries, namely
Canada and The United States.
The
waybackmachine is a beautiful tool that can show us exactly what a website looked like in the past. So if we plug in both the
USDA and
Health Canada
websites in the year 2000 at about the same period, we can see exactly
how each publicly funded message translated to each respective food
guide or pyramid.
In the Year 2000
On the
Health Canada
website, there was absolutely no mention of soy at all. Under milk
products, the main message was to choose lower-fat milk products more
often. Most people had no idea back then
how toxic pasteurized milk was, so it was heavily consumed, much more than it is today. There are currently huge debates throughout the internet as to
why humans are drinking milk at all.
On the
USDA website on either the
Milk, Yogurt & Cheese page or the main page illustrating the
Food Guide Pyramid, there is again no mention of soy. The recommendation was also low dairy.
So what happened?
In the Year 2013
Today,
Health Canada promotes fortified soy beverages
on their website for those who don't drink milk. So we go out of the
frying pan and into the fire. We go from the recommendation of a dead
liquid,
namely pasteurized milk to a beverage that may be even more harmful to public health.
"Have milk or fortified soy beverages by the glass or use them in recipes."
"Use milk or fortified soy beverages when preparing scrambled eggs, hot cereal, casseroles and soups."
"Create smoothies by blending lower fat milk or fortified soy beverage with a combination of fresh or frozen fruits."
"Try a latte made with low fat milk or fortified soy beverage."
"Use milk or fortified soy beverages to replace some or all of the water when reconstituting canned tomato or cream soups."
The USDA's
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
(CNPP), kicked their message into high gear in 2002 when they started
heavily promoting soy across the United States. Their key message is
still to switch to fat-free or low-fat milk, however consume
calcium-fortified soy milk is a main heading.
"For those who are lactose intolerant...
include lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk, yogurt, and cheese, and calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage)."
Under
Tips For Vegetarians
"Sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans include beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, and soy products (tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers)."
"Sources of calcium for vegetarians and vegans include calcium-fortified soymilk"
"Calcium-fortified soymilk provides calcium in amounts similar to milk. It is usually low in fat and does not contain cholesterol."
"For breakfast, try soy-based sausage patties or links."
"try veggie burgers, soy hot dogs, marinated tofu or tempeh, and veggie kabobs."
The site is littered with soy recommendations
not only for vegetarians, but also in the promotion of
protein foods.
How did this happen? When soy industry lobbyists get together and decide
to change the framework of nutrition for the masses, it happens. It's
really that simple.
It's not only soy. If you care to investigate further, you'll also
notice how three of the most toxic genetically modified oils in the
world, canola, corn and soyabean
oil are heavily promoted today on both the
Health Canada website and the
CNPP website (on behalf of the USDA), and neither agency had those recommendations in 2000.
The
USDA had absolutely no mention of any of these oils in 2000.
Health Canada also has no mention of these oils in 2000.
How Deadly is Soy
With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95
percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the
U.S., the company used its wide reach to control the
ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution
for their products, according to a review of several
Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews
with seed industry participants, agriculture and
legal experts.
Soy protein is not an effective alternative to any other protein. It is
high in allergens
(some 28 different proteins present in soy have been found to bind to
IgE antibodies). It's also worth noting that the more soy protein you
eat, the more likely you are to develop allergies to it -- and the
more severe those allergies are likely to become.
As Dr. Spreen has pointed out, phytates in unfermented soy products
actually obstruct absorption of protein and four key minerals: calcium,
magnesium, iron, and zinc.
Even so, the public's perception of soy as health food got a boost
from the FDA with a rule that permits soy beverages, soy-based
cheese substitutes, and soy-based butter substitutes to be fortified
with vitamin D.
In their natural form, soybeans contain phytochemicals with
toxic effects on the human body. The three major
anti-nutrients are phytates, enzyme inhibitors and
goitrogens.
These anti-nutrients are the way nature protects the soybean
plant so that it can live long enough to effectively
reproduce. They function as the immune
system of the plant, offering protection from the radiation
of the sun, and from invasion by bacteria, viruses,
or fungi. They make the soybean plant unappetizing
to foraging animals. All plants have some
anti-nutrient properties, but the soybean plant is
especially rich in these chemicals. If they are
not removed by extensive preparation such as fermentation
or soaking, soybeans are one of the worst foods a person can
eat.
The most common soy (99%) sold at major grocery retailers in soy milks
and processed foods is unfermented soy. It is deadly. Unfermented soy
has been linked to digestive distress, immune
system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems
for men and women, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of
heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss
of libido.
The dangers of soy for men are a result of the high levels of the
female hormone estrogen that soy and soy-based products contain.
Primarily, soy affects the quality and concentration of a male’s sperm,
especially if taken in large quantities or if the subject was exposed
to high levels in the womb. A study at Harvard University showed
that there was a definite correlation between men with low sperm counts
and a high intake of soy foods. The study revealed that the average
sperm concentration of 80 to 120 million per millimeter of an adult
male was more than halved when soy formed part of the diet. The case
is more compelling in the study of obese males whose sperm levels are
even lower owing to the estrogen making properties of fat tissue.
When food is eaten, digestive enzymes such as amylase lipase
and protease are secreted into the digestive tract to help
break it down and free nutrients for assimilation
into the body. The high content of enzyme inhibitors
in unfermented soybeans interferes with this
process and makes carbohydrates and proteins from
soybeans impossible to completely digest. When foods are not
completely digested because of enzyme inhibitors, bacteria in
the large intestine try to do the job, and this can
cause discomfort, bloating, and embarrassment.
Anyone with naturally low levels of digestive
enzymes such as elderly people would suffer the most
from the enzyme inhibiting action of soy.
Groups most at risk of experiencing negative effects from the
anti-nutrient properties of soy are infants taking soy baby
formula, vegetarians eating a high soy diet, and
mid-life women going heavy on the
soy foods thinking they will help with symptoms of
menopause.
Soybeans have a high content of goitrogens, substances that
can block the production of thyroid hormone as well
as cause goiter formation. Low thyroid activity
plagues women in America, particularly middle-aged
women. Thyroid hormone stokes the cellular
furnaces, known as mitochondria. When thyroid production is
low, energy levels as well as body heat are also low. Low
thyroid level is what makes old people move so
slowly and seem like every action is a huge chore.
Low thyroid means the action of the heart is
reduced, resulting in lack of oxygen to the cells,
a prime condition for cancer.
Genistein, an isoflavone found in soybeans, can also block thyroid
production. Phytate can accentuate these effects
because it binds up zinc and copper, leaving
little of these important minerals available to
make thyroid hormone.
People filling up their shopping carts with raw or cooked
soybeans, soy milk, and other non-fermented
soybean products do not realize that the
isoflavones they contain will not be available to their
bodies. Most of the isoflavones in soy products are bound to
carbohydrate molecules called glucosides. In this
form genistein is actually called genistin. It is
fermentation that transforms genistin into
genistein. Many products in the U.S. do not distinguish
between genistin and genistein on their labels.
Even with fermented soy foods, a little goes a long way. The
nutrients found in miso, tempeh, and natto can be beneficial
in the moderate amounts found in the typical Asian
diet, but have the potential to do harm in higher
amounts. In China and Japan, about an ounce of
fermented soy food is eaten on a daily basis.
When fermented soy foods are used in small amounts they help
build the inner ecosystem, providing a wealth of friendly
microflora to the intestinal tract that can help
with digestion and assimilation of nutrients, and
boost immunity.
A study in an issue of Indian Journal of Medical Research
suggests that eating soybean oil may boost cancer risk compared to
eating a type of butter called cow ghee, a type of butter used in South
Asian cuisine.
Soy Lecithin has been lingering around our food
supply for over a century. It is an ingredient in
literally hundreds of processed foods, and also sold
as an over the counter health food
supplement. Scientists claim it benefits
our cardiovascular health, metabolism,
memory, cognitive function, liver function, and even
physical and athletic performance. However, most people
don't realize what soy lecithin actually is,
and why the dangers of ingesting this
additive far exceed its benefits.
Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil
goes through a "degumming" process. It is
a waste product containing solvents and pesticides
and has a consistency ranging from a gummy
fluid to a plastic solid. Before being
bleached to a more appealing light yellow,
the color of lecithin ranges from a dirty
tan to reddish brown. The hexane extraction
process commonly used in soybean oil manufacture today
yields less lecithin than the older ethanol-benzol
process, but produces a more marketable
lecithin with better color, reduced odor
and less bitter flavor.
In theory, lecithin manufacture eliminates
all soy proteins, making it
hypoallergenic. In reality, minute amounts
of soy protein always remain in lecithin as
well as in soy oil. Three components of soy protein
have been identified in soy lecithin, including the
Kunitz trypsin
inhibitor, which has a track record of triggering
severe allergic reactions even in the most minuscule
quantities. The presence of lecithin in so
many food and cosmetic products poses a
special danger for people with soy
allergies.
If you eat soy in any form, unless it's
fermented and organic, you are risking your immediate and long-term
health. Check your labels, check your ingredients and most of all stay
away from anything that is heavily advertised with soy as being a
health food.
If you haven't already figured it out, your government in not your ally when it comes to your health,
so do as much research as possible, and cross reference every detail that comes out of public health education.
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