lead in with soy...

i was going to write a blog today about what i put in my tummy part 2 which i intend to be about "FAKE MEAT" but nathaniel sent me an article about "creating chicken without the egg" and it reminded me that maybe i should write a blog first about why i don't eat soy.

my #1 reason is because of the high amounts phyto-estrogen in soy.  oh, and the fact that most soy is genetically motified.  they also can mimic testosterone and inhibit the absorption of minerals like iron and calcium, and cause you to need more vitD and b12...  i've also read something about the thyroid and i know that if you are susceptible to aluminum toxicity, that you should avoid soy (learned that in the book he's not autistic, but...).  but anyway, when i was poking around looking for more reasons (i was hoping to make a top ten list), i found an actually list of ten reasons why that was so well written, i decided to just link to his blog (which i see that he posted it from another link but that one wouldn't work for me...) and repost it rather than coming up with a list of my own.

i'm just going to reiterate his last line really quick, though:  "I personally do not eat soy and will avoid it at all costs." which is almost exactly what i do.  i try not to buy anything that has soy in it - i will consider it if it is processed in a plant with soy (because that is nearly impossible to avoid), but, i'd say that 95% of our house is soyfree.  that 5% would be soy sauce (which i rarely use) and other sauces that have soy sauce in them. 

so, here is the list i didn't make:

10 reasons why you should NOT eat soy!

I have decided to write this Blog about soy because there is a lot of controversy and myths out there in the health and fitness industry as to how beneficial soy is for your health. I am going to tell you quite the opposite and how you should most definitely AVOID SOY!

1. Phytic Acid. Soy contains  high levels of phytic acid. In soy this reduces the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children. It is possible to neutralise phytic acid in soy through methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. However most soy  in modern times is not prepared through these methods.
2. Protein Digestion.  Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
3. Phytoestrogens. Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
4. Hypothyroidism. To add to the point above, 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.
5. Vitamin B_12. Vitamin B₁₂ analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B₁₂.
6. Vitamin D. Rather than satisfying the body's needs for vitamin D, soy foods increase the body's requirement for this vital vitamin.
7. Denatured proteins. Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
8. Processing. Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
9. MSG. When soy is processed with typical food processing methods, free glutamic acid or MSG is formed. MSG is a potent neuro-toxin. Often additional amounts of MSG are added to many soy foods.
10. Heavy metal toxins. Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

As you can see, these 10 reasons to avoid soy are rather damaging to the reputation of this "health food". I suggest you review these points and then have a think whether you would like to continue using soy in your diet.
I personally do not eat soy and will avoid it at all costs.