Soy

The Trouble With Soy

"If you eat a lot of tofu, drink a lot of soy milk, or cook up a lot of soy meat-mimicking patties, you've got to rethink things. The vast majority of soy grown in this country is genetically modified and doused with pesticides. It's a big problem. Soy can mess with your thyroid, your metabolism, and your hormones --all related to long-term debilitating conditions. People argue that soy is full of protein, but modern soy products are processed in a way that reduces the nutritional value and increases the carcinogens. Fermented soy -- like miso and tempeh --is better, as long as it doesn't bother your digestive system. Buy organic and GMO-free only and limit yourself to two servings a week. Edamame (soybeans in their original form) is fine. If you're a vegetarian who depends on soy for protein, favor other sources like leafy greens, quinoa, and lentils."

Just hearing about soy makes me nervous and edgy. People who take-in soy products are very defensive about soy, and those that don't are adamant that soy is bad. It seems the tolerance for soy varies, depending on what age you started to ingest it, how much you take in, etc. In my research, the people I respect say "err on the side of caution," use products like tempeh (a fermented soy cake higher in protein and fiber than tofu), natto (a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soy beans), and miso (a fermented soybean paste with salt and some type of grain involved).

TEMPEH NATTO MISO

For the guys out there, here's a fun little fact from my studies in nutrition: "In Zen monasteries, men ate tofu to help reduce their sex drive to sustain a chaste lifestyle. Just putting that out there....

If I was writing about Soy in a separate blog I would go into a lot more, but I'm going to leave well enough alone for now.

What Pam Proposes: With food intake, I always suggest finding moderation. Use your common sense and listen to your body. It will tell you what's right for you....but only if you really listen. Eating refined and processed foods cloud your 'listening ability', so allow your body some rest from the enemy.....and then decide what you feel like when taking in different foods.