Say It Isn't Soy... Tofu Is Dangerous

by Christopher D'Orta

Wanna hear something totally incredible...soy foods may be bad for your health! Whoa!! Now just hold on a second here!!! What? How can that be? Well, we all have all heard that soy food is the miracle food... that soy foods are the answer to the world’s food problems...that soy foods are great for just about every physical ailment. So what is wrong with soy? Lots, if not prepared properly. Read on friend to hear the incredible truth....

Soybeans came to us from us the Orient. Originally, the Chinese used it for crop rotation, not as food, because they knew of potentially harmful nature. They knew that soy had to be properly prepared (i.e., fermented) in order to be considered a "safe" food. Then and only then were the health wonders of the soy bean ready for use in the human body in a healthy way. (That they KNEW the true nature about soy, and so many other foods, is quite incredible considering the level of technology they had. They used their innate intelligence, and of course, experience. When something wasn’t working, they admitted it. We would do well to borrow from this kind of wisdom.)

Truly, we are the first peoples to be eating soy in a wholly improperly prepared, unhealthy state, and we are paying for it with our health. So how did this happen? Well, one of the problems is that there is so much conflicting confusing information floating around. Every time something new comes out, all the "mis-informationists" get out there propaganda machines and go to work. We hear one day that the egg is a bad thing. The next day we hear that it is good. Is fat good or bad? How much protein should we partake of? The opinions are wildy varied to these matters, and many others. So, who do we believe?

The soy product manufacturers took advantage of our good nature to believe and trust what we read, and picked up the anti-animal product mantra being bantered about by the (well intentioned, but many times mis-guided) health professionals. The soy product manufacturers went ballistic with the mis-information. But, there was little REAL evidence to back up their dubious claims.

The truth is that soy beans have large numbers of harmful substances that can wreck health. For instance, soybeans have enzyme inhibitors which block action of trypsin, and other enzymes, needed for protein digestion. When proteins are not properly prepared, allergies can develop, leaky guts can form, and many other health problems can arise. Further, these "anti-nutrient" are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking and can produce not just reduced protein digestion, but also serious gastric distress, and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake, (all of which are serious concerns). Further, soybeans are also super high in phytic acid or phytates (soy is the highest food source of these pernicious substances in fact). Phytic acid is an organic acid which blocks uptake of essential minerals-iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, devastatingly so.

There are however healthy forms of soy products. The traditional fermented soy products such as miso, natto, and tempeh. The fermenting process greatly decreases the phytate content, as well as enzyme inhibitors. The fermentation process also makes the soy much more easily digestible. Soy taken in these forms is a good source of all the good the soybean has to offer.

One can also soak raw soy beans overnight, preferably with a lactose acid element added like yogurt or fresh whey, before cooking slowly for long periods of time. Further, soy in this form is easily digestible. (Please note that ALL beans and grains should be soaked prior to cooking to reduce phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors, and to make them more digestible. Soaking also increases the nutrient quantity, AND, quantity. I will discuss soaking further in a further article.) (Please also note that persons with certain "overgrowth" diseases like candida should consult a health care practitioner before ingestion large quantities of fermented foods.)

And lastly, one may sprout soy beans...which is a super way to get to all the wondrous health benefits of soy.

Indeed, when prepared properly, soy is LOADED with health goodness. Soy has phyto-chemicals such as isoflavones, which behave as estrogen balancers. If you have an overload of estrogen, they will block absorption receptor sites; if you have too little estrogen, they will mimic estrogen. Soy also enhances the immunity system, has wonderful omega 3 oils, acts as an anti-oxidant, is anti-carcinogenic, fights heart dis-ease, and fights osteoporosis. Whew! Quite a food!! But when eaten in an improperly prepared state, soy can do much harm.

So, ironically, even eating ‘healthfully" can hurt you if you do not know what you are doing. Curious times we live in. I have seen many times where a client of mine will come in and complain that in spite of eating healthfully, they still do not feel great, and sometimes have worsened with "health foods." Perhaps you too, (or other "health-conscious" people you know), started to eat "healthfully," and did began to feel better, to have less disease symptoms, to lose weight, etc.... But soon thereafter, all the good health you experienced vanished, and then some. Indeed, within a relatively short period of time, your health slowly began to totally deteriorate. There are many reasons this will occur (these reasons to be discussed in a future article), but one of the main one is that you began to eat too much improperly prepared soy!

See, you were told to include soy in your diet, and you dutifully followed this advice, because you were told is was a good thing. But no-one told you that un-soaked and un-fermented soy was loaded with elements that would harm you. You ate soy more and more, and your health suffered, more and more. Then you go to your health care practitioner and complain that the health food regime just ain’t working. What’s the answer to you? Eat more soy! (Better stated though... "eat more poison!") Incredible right? Continue to read on....

The food giants have swamped the public with pro-soy propaganda whereby they claim that they neutralize the potentially dangerous attributes of this. The manufactures do admit that soy has harmful elements, but they claim they take measures to remove these elements. But there is little truth to back up this claim.

For example, they claim that in producing soy products like soy milk that they soak the beans in an alkaline solution to remove the trypsin inhibitors. Then the pureed solution is then pressure cooked. Caring folks right? Well, bully bully for them. In actuality, this makes the soy carcinogenic and difficult to digest, kills nutrients, and does not remove all of the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Further, it destroys the cysteine content. This is particularly dangerous because the soy product manufacturers have convinced the public that meat and dairy are bad for one’s health, (which is generally not true), and one of the few good sources of cysteine is meats and diary, (more on the anti-animal based food propaganda in a future article).

Another commonly used form of soy is tofu. Often thought of as a healthy addition to the diet, replacing meats and dairy, tofu is made form unsoaked soybeans, unfermented soybeans and can be harmful when used prodigiously over long periods of time. But who knew right?

A major cause of concern is the infamous soy formula. Soy protein isolate is the main ingredient of soy-based formulas. These formulas have an extraordinary high aluminum content, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s in adults. (Just think what it does to an infant brain which is not even wholly developed yet.) The soy formulas also have trypsin and enzyme inhibitors, and high phyate content, which can lead to major deficiencies and hindered growth. (Studies show that soy formula babies often are smaller than breast fed, and dairy fed babies). Soy formulas are also given to babies with milk allergy, but allergies to improperly prepared soy may be even worse. Soy also has no cholesterol, which is critical development of brain and nervous system. (Cholesterol is generally not a bad thing, counter to the massive anti-cholesterol propaganda put out by the margarine and vegetable oil companies. Again to be discussed in a future article).

The bottom line is that soy is not to be considered unhealthful or dangerous if prepared properly. When fermented, the magical health giving properties of soy (and there are many!) are released, in a safe way. So, enjoy your fermented soy products...miso, natto, and tempeh, etc.... and reap the benefits. But do not always believe what you read, dear friend.

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