The Truth About Soy Food Producers Don't Want You to Know

The truth about soy--the whole truth--remained unknown to me for over a couple of years after I began drinking soy milk. As a bodybuilder, I always supplement my protein intake with protein shakes. I used to mix the powder in cow's milk.

After a while I noticed that I got bloated and experienced stomach cramping. At first I thought that broccoli was causing it. I removed broccoli from my diet, but still experienced the bloating and cramping.

I next removed milk from my diet. Once I did that, I didn't experience any more stomach discomforts. It was then that I substituted soy milk for the cow's milk. I had heard nothing through the advertising media but the health benefits of soy, especially the milk. The media cleverly hides the truth about soy.

"Vegetarians and health enthusiasts have known for years that foods rich in soy protein offer a good alternative to meat, poultry, and other animal-based products. As consumers have pursued healthier lifestyles in recent years, consumption of soy foods has raised steadily, bolstered by scientific studies showing health benefits from these products. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration gave food manufacturers permission to put labels on products high in soy protein indicating that these foods may help lower heart disease risk..." (Read...)

Soy and its derivatives such as soy lecithin, soy sauce, soy protein isolate, soybean oil, etc. are in or a part of hundreds of food products. Vegetarian foods such as veggie burgers are practically staples. Until I discovered the truth about soy, I regularly ate veggie burgers.

Large scale cultivation of the soybean didn't begin in the United States until after World War II. Production quickly rose to 140 billion pounds of soybeans per year. Now the United States produces more than 50 percent of the world's soybeans.

Historically, soybeans have been eaten for thousands of years. They originated in the Orient. However, the soybean was not used for food until a method of fermentation was discovered. This happened during the Chou dynasty (1134 - 246 B.C.) The first soy products were tempeh, natto, miso, and soy sauce.

The soybean inherently contains toxic and otherwise harmful substances. Enzyme inhibitors interfere with the digestion of protein and can result in pancreatic disorders, and even cancer. Cooking is not sufficient enough to disable these inhibitors. This is the truth about soy that soybean growers and processors don't want you to know.

Soybeans contain hemaglutinin. This substance causes red blood cells to lump together. Hemaglutinin and the enzyme inhibitors have been called growth depressant substances.

The soybean is also high in phytic acid or phytates. Phytic acid is an organic acid naturally found in the bran or hull of all seeds. Phytates block the assimilation of the minerals calcium, copper, zinc, and iron. Soybeans have a higher phytate content than any other grain or legume that has been studied. Not even a long and slow cooking process will reduce this content. Only fermentation can accomplish that.

Because of the high phytic acid content of soybeans, they should not be used as a meat substitute. That will result in severe mineral deficiencies. Unfortunately this is not widely known because the truth about soy is concealed.

A 2001 study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reveals that commercially processed soy products, especially textured soy protein have very high oxalate levels. Oxalate will bind with calcium in the kidneys increasing the risk for kidney stone development.

The production of soy milk is interesting. The beans are first soaked in an alkaline solution to remove as much of the enzyme inhibitors as possible. The phytic acid content remains though. However, the alkaline soaking produces a carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) called lysinealine.

Another health-destroying aspect of the creation of soy products from the soybean is that monosodium glutamate is formed during processing.

Unless the soybean has been fermented, all soy products should be avoided. Only the process of fermentation can nullify all the health-destroying aspects of the soybean. It should also be noted that even in countries where soy products are native, they are not eaten in the quantities that Americans eat them.

As I mentioned earlier, soy products and derivatives are included in many food products. You will have to scrutinize food labels very carefully to weed them out. Don't buy soy sauce or any soy protein powders. Avoid soybean oil in snack foods.

Unfortunately textured vegetable protein or textured soy protein is a meat substitute. It is given to children in school lunch programs. Left on the ground, animals will not touch it. Animals have excellent instincts when it comes to food. Anything that they avoid, we, too, should avoid. Detail... More... Return to Nutrition From Truth About Soy