What’s The Buzz with Soy?
In recent years soy has become a controversial subject among health clinics. Among the controversy is that soy in the United States is different from soy in other countries such as Asia. People in the US usually consume genetically modified (GM) soy, which is not fermented such as tofu, soymilk, soy cheese, soy ice cream, soy yogurt, and TVP also called texture vegetable protein. Asia usually consumes fermented soy such as miso, soy sauce, tempeh, and natto. Soy became very popular because the soy industry was promoting it even though GM soy causes many problems with your body where as fermented soy is beneficial for your health.
The US consumes large amounts of soy products such as a cup of tofu to replace animal foods where as in Asia they consume about two teaspoons a day. Soy products cannot replace animal protein because it is not a complete protein since it does not contain enough methionine and cystine. Soy also does not provide vitamin B12, where as animal protein does. In fact, soy contains B12 analogs, which is similar in structure to vitamin B12 but it is not vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 analog binds to your cells in the same receptor sites as B12 so it actually keeps B12 from being able to bind and work in your body. Because of this, you will actually need more B12 in your diet to compete for the binding sites on the cell receptors. In addition, Soy contains phytates, which prevents your body from absorbing calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. It is important for vegetarians not to consume soy products unless it is fermented soy because they are not consuming any meat products, which help decrease the effects of the phytates.
People used to say that soy helps prevent breast cancer but this is controversial because there are many studies that show soy actually increases your chance of getting breast cancer. Soy contains two phytoestrogens, Genistein and Daidzein, which can cause endocrine problems and infertility if you have leaky gut. The FDA does not put a warning on soymilk, which is GMO soy, and yet drinking two glasses a day for a month can change your menstrual cycle. Goitrogens are also in soy and can cause problems with the thyroid along with containing an extremely high level of manganese and aluminum due to the acid washing. When you have a leaky gut and consume GMO soy there are many negative affects so it is important not to consume GMO soy and fix your leaky gut. If you are unsure if your gut is healthy, contact a practitioner who is knowledgeable about healing the gut.
Even though soy has many negative affects, fermented soy can be beneficial to your health. Fermented soy contains vitamin K that helps prevent osteoporosis, brain diseases, cardiovascular disease, and prevent several types of cancers. However, most people in the US do not like the way fermented soy tastes.
Reference www.mercola.com
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