The Great Soy Deception

As I approached the dairy section today at the grocery store, I patiently waited (about 30 seconds) for a young woman standing in front of the soy milk to make her choice and leave so I could buy my pint bottle of heavy cream.  I wanted to warn her… “Don’t buy the soy milk!”  But instead I politely excused myself, grabbed my cream and ran… well, left anyway.  What would I tell her when she asked me, “Why not?” Well, being the coward that I am, it’s easier to rant in a blog post than face to face with an ignorant consumer, so here goes.

I used to drink soy milk.  In fact I was caught up by all the “soy is good for you” hype.  That was during my life as a vegan.  For awhile, I believed the lie that animal protein triggers cancer.  And, having had bits and pieces of myself removed by a surgeon that were confirmed to be cancerous, I was determined to figure out how to avoid any future occurrences.  So I gave up meat along with anything that had casein (meat protein) in it— milk, cheese, eggs, butter, cream—the whole nine yards.  Did I replace it with healthy fruits and vegetables?  Well, yes, to a point.  And bread.  And rice.  And beans.  And cookies, cereal, candy, popcorn, muffins, bagels, pasta, crackers.  Yes, the vegan diet is full of variety, I discovered.  But one of the big problems with a vegan diet is the absence or at least shortage of protein, a substance the body requires for good health.  Thankfully, there was a whole line of soy products – and everyone knows that soy beans have one of the highest levels of protein in the plant world. 

So I swapped out my milk for chocolate soy milk to drink and plain soymilk for my cereal.  I tried soy patties for burgers (too dry), fake ground “beef” made out of soy (okay in chili), soy sour “cream,” soy “butter” spread, fake soy mayonnaise, fake soy “cheese” (absolutely awful!), and soy ice cream.  I was eating soy every day in every meal. 

Soy is marketed as being a cancer-fighter (good for me), a possible remedy for post-menopausal symptoms (even better), and one of the primary meat substitutes for vegans.  Considering how much of this “healthy” food I was eating, I should have been beaming with good health.  Not so much.  Instead, I was tired, achy, had a terrible constant gas problem, bad breath, dull hair, and I was putting on weight…steadily.  I was catching colds, blossoming with fever blisters about every three months, and it took twice as long for cuts and scrapes to heal.  I couldn’t walk a mile without getting winded.  I felt downright old.

Within six months I started “cheating.”  I’d put cheese on my veggie sandwich or order fish at the restaurant or a cobb salad with egg once in awhile.  Even still, I was feeling guilty because I was still convinced that vegan-eating was the anti-cancer protocol, but I just didn’t have the will to maintain it.  By the end of a year, I was back on chicken, steak, and the occasional McDonalds quarter-pounder with cheese… and about thirty pounds overweight.

Fast forward a couple years and I have become the crazy sister-mother-friend-stranger who studies labels, reads about food and nutrition, and carries around a soap box on which I preach the dangers of the food supply as often as I can get away with it. 

What we are eating is making us fat and sick!

And one of the worst offenders is SOY. 

I realize such an announcement will come as a shock to many, but the plain truth is, all the virtues of soy that we have come to accept have been perpetuated by the soy people.  In 2009, soy was a $29 billion industry in this country-- the U.S. being the world's largest producer and exporter.

That said, here are a few things you should know about soy from The Whole Soy Story, a book I highly recommend if you eat soy:

·     The Chinese did NOT eat the soy bean from time immemorial; the idea that soy is eaten in great quantity in Asia is an invention of the soy industry

·     Soy protein is notoriously hard to digest unless enzymes and microorganisms go to work on it first (fermentation)

·     The vitamin D2 in soymilk (check the label) has been linked to hyperactivity, coronary heart disease and allergic reactions

·     Soy protein isolates (SPI) have increased levels of toxins and carcinogens such as lysinoalanines and nitrosamines (“In the 1970s, the Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology concluded that the only safe use for soy protein isolates was as a binder and sealer for cardboard boxes.”) ...SPI contains some 38 petroleum compounds

·     Spun soy protein fibers (the stuff of soy synthetic “meat”) have a “scouring effect” on the GI tract and cause marked amounts of flatulence (soy milk will also give you gas...along with most other soy products)

·     Soy is one of the top 8 allergens

·     Soy as a primary source of protein often results in dry skin, lusterless hair, balding, poor muscle tone, weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, digestive distress, allergies, immune breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, and reproductive disorders (among other problems)

·     Soy protein is likely to raise the cholesterol level of the average person

·     25 grams of soy protein a day is capable of disrupting the endocrine system

·     Phytoestrogens (estrogen mimickers) can cause thyroid disease, lower testosterone levels in men, cause menstrual difficulties for women and disrupt fetal development

·     Soy contains protease inhibitors (anti-nutrients) which adversely affect growth and/or the pancreas of every mammal and bird species tested

·     The phytates in soy block absorption of minerals by the body

·     Soy infant formula has 75 to 80 times more manganese and 130,000 times more isoflavones than breast milk

Soy is not, I repeat NOT, a “health” food.  The soy bean was originally developed as a fertilizer.  The soy industry, like the corn industry, spends a lot of money to find innumerable ways to market their product.  They fund not-so-independent studies to “prove” that soy is good for you.  They don't really care whether or not it is.  The FDA (friend of industry—not consumer) has supported the soy industry by allowing its various health claims, such as “heart healthy” or “lowers risk of cancer,” etc. to be perpetrated to the public.  And the medical profession, sadly, accepts the FDA's pronouncements as fact.  These industry studies are not supported by independent studies, however.  To the contrary, there are many studies that have shown soy to be either downright UN-healthy, or at least suspect.  

If you truly believe that eating meat is dangerous or at least “suspect”-- whatever you do, don’t replace it with soy products.  There is enough evidence by both scientific research and anecdotal reports to show that soy products are not safe, nutritious substitutes for meat.  Check out the documentation below before you buy your next carton of soy milk.  You are in charge of your own health.  Don’t be swayed by slick marketing and government promises.  Inform yourself through reliable sources.  The truth is out there! 

“Seek, and ye shall find.”

Soy Milk Dangers

The Hidden Dangers of Soy

Dangers of Soy

Soy Alert

Newest Research on Why You Should Avoid Soy

Danger in Soy Products

The Truth About Soy

The Dangers of Soy Are Real -- And Much Worse Than You Might Think

Dangers of Soy Infant Formula