***Upon reading this article I encourage you to do some of your own research and challenge my position in your own mind.
Google scholar is a great place to find studies on this subject.
I would also point you toward authors and professionals such as Mike Geary and Ori Hoffmekler for more detailed information.
*** Soy has a reputation for being a heart saver.
A healthy meat alternative.
And as an overall healthy food.
I disagree.
Emphatically.
And while it would be easy for us to just go with the flow and serve it, we opt to stick to our guns and our policy that if "we won't eat it, we won't serve it.
" The reputation that soy un-deservingly enjoys can be traced back to advanced processing technologies and huge marketing budgets that have taken what used to be considered a waste product and turned it into a lifestyle choice for people who are trying their hardest to get and stay healthy.
But unfortunately, the story has been twisted.
And innocent consumers with the best of intentions are getting hurt by it.
Of course this isn't the first time we've found out that the supplement and/or food processing industries have been selling us one thing and delivering something else.
To defend unbridled soy consumption, many people point to the eating habits in The Orient.
The claim is that since Asian diets are by nature so healthy, and they eat a lot of soy, then soy must be good.
Right? Wrong.
First, soy was first consumed in a fermented form a few thousand years ago in China.
(according to historical records of course.
) We're talking about foods like miso, soy sauce, tempeh, etc.
Later on, it was discovered that pureed cooked soybeans could be prepared in a very specific way to form tofu.
Use of these foods was traditionally in very small quantities.
And always with meat.
The fact is that soybeans contain significant amounts of anti-nutrients.
Modern, simple cooking processes can not deactivate these substances.
It is only the fermentation process that can begin to accomplish this.
And even then, the process is not complete.
That being said, when the Japanese, for instance, did eat fermented soy, even then it was only with a quantity of meat or nutrient dense fish broth.
This is because the nutrients in those foods counteract the anti-nutrients left over in the fermented soy product.
The way we are encouraged to consume soy now...
is WAY out of proportion to what is safe, nutritious, or healthy.
Soy was never intended to be a major protein source until marketers realized they could sell it to affluent customers with claims of tangential health benefits.
A vegetarian who consumes large amounts of soy based mock meats, tofu, and soy milk is doing far more damage than good in their body.
Soy protein isolate, which is usually marketed as a protein powder but also used in mock meats is produced through a very intense chemical process.
You may also have heard of the end product referred to as TVP.
Textured vegetable protein.
This stuff ends up being loaded with toxins.
Not to mention that you've taken a food that really isn't that good for you, and split it into different components: namely by stripping the fiber via mixing with an alkaline solution and then applying an acid wash to finish the process.
Sounds delicious right? It should come as no surprise then that studies have shown an increased need for vitamins D, E, K, and B12 as well as many important minerals.
Even better, soy protein isolate used to be considered a waste product.
That is until some brilliant minds figured out how to convert the stuff to dollars.
If we knew how many synthetic flavorings, sweeteners, preservatives, emulsifiers, and laboratory made nutrients go into what was a nasty smelling gross looking product that used to be tossed into a dumpster but now suddenly gets turned into a mock chicken, we'd be rightly disturbed.
And don't even get me started on soy milk.
We'll save that for another day.
To summarize, fermented soy, tofu, etc...
when properly prepared and treated can be enjoyed in small quantities in traditional fashion and provide nutritious and positive health benefits.
It's the "Frankenstein-ization" of soy and over consumption of raw soy products in disproportionate amounts that are very unhealthy.
At any rate, I hope you found this article enlightening.
If you were in the middle of eating a soy burger...
my apologies.