The Truth About Soy

As you can tell I can get very riled up when I am passionate about something, especially health related. When our Heavenly Father looks down from heaven on the atrocities that His creation has created, I know that He weeps. Last summer when I went to a vegetarian way of eating like most people I switched to foods to replace the ones I was eating. The most popular meal and protein replacement for vegetarians on the market are soy products. Soy (edamame) has been tooted the wonder food.

I have to share a honest conviction with you that I had from the start. I believe it was knowledge from the Lord that I never felt good about the use of soy.  In the beginning though I didn't know what else to do. I can remember going out to buy soy milk, soy yogurt, soy corn dogs, and just about everything else. The more health videos that I watched online and the more articles I read the more I found that the health benefits of soy that have been told to the public have been lies.

The first problem with soy is that most soy in our foods are GMOs, that is an acronym for Genetically Modified Organisms. GMO refers to an organism that has had its genetic material altered through genetic engineering. In relation to food and agriculture, this would include, plants, seeds, and livestock that have been genetically engineered in a lab to increase yields, pest resistance, or enhance desired traits.

So basically in layman's terms any foods that are GMOs have had their genes messed with by some engineers who didn't believe that God did a good enough job with His creation. I have one word ladies and gentlemen, greed, it is all about greed. Many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are GMOs.  At this time any food labeled USDA Organic cannot contain GMOs.

Soy also contains a plant estrogen called genistein (also known as phytoestrogens).  It is not a twin to the estrogen found in our bodies, but it is close enough to trick our bodies into thinking that it is the same thing. When we consume too much estrogen that adds to our own estrogen count then causing many problems.

In women too much estrogen can cause things like tumors to grow, especially in the breasts. In men too much estrogen ingestion can cause men to have lower sperm counts, infertility, and other problems. In children the problems are even worse. Babies who consume soy formula alone are basically eating the equivalent of 5 birth control pills. 

Down the road in girls this soy consumption leads to early menstrual symptoms, and body developments like breasts and hair growth. In boys this can lead to a total hormonal imbalance. This estrogen increase decreases the testosterone, which  can cause his brain to actually operate like that of a baby girl. His organs may not work properly, and can be undersized. This hormonal imbalance can lead to gender confusion.

Soy is hidden in so many foods on our shelves today, organic and non-organic. Soy is in things for no real reason as far as I can tell. As most people know the first 5 ingredients of a product are the most predominant in it.  If you want to know the truth anything with much more than 5 ingredients probably shouldn't be consumed anyway. At any rate you might notice that many time the soy added in some shape or form is usually at the end of the list.

Someone people might argue that if it isn't that much then is it really that bad for you?  There is a scripture that comes to my mind  in Galations 5:9 that says "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."  Ok, so let play with that thought for a minute, is a little bit really harmful?  Soy is in 60% or more of conventional foods on our shelves. Soy is also in many organic foods as well.

Lets look at the average United States citizen's diet for the day, let's see if this sounds at all like you: 

Breakfast: a bowl of cereal, cup of orange juice, and a cup of coffee
Lunch: a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with mayo, an apple, and a bag of chips
Snack: a chocolate peanut butter cup
Dinner: spaghetti and meatballs, salad with ranch dressing

What would you say if I told you that there is soy lecithin in the cereal, soy proteins in the turkey lunch meat, soy lecithin in the bread, soybean oil in the mayonaise, soy lecithin in the chips, soybean oil in the peanut butter cup, soy protein in the frozen meatballs, soybean oil in the tomato sauce, and soybean oil & soy lecithin in the ranch dressing?Does it seem like a little bit then?

Soy is hidden under different names as well. Soy can also be recognized as hydrolyzed plant protein, isolated vegetable protein, vegetable gum, vegetable broth, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, isolates, methylcellulose, mono- and diglycerides, vegetable broth, vegetable oil, vegetable protein, vegetable starch, and vegetable fat.

The constant consumption of soy can cause an assortment of allergies. The processing of soy in products can also create a byproduct of monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a neurotoxin that can and has caused brain damage in individuals.  Soy also prohibits the absorption of necessary nutrients like iron and calcium.

Some naturopaths will say that organic fermented soy like in food products such as tempeh and miso can be healthy and beneficial. However, the problem lies with the fact that most people will not limit themselves to the consumption of only fermented soy. I would advise to stay away from soy if at all possible. The risks are too great.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/07/the-evidence-against-soy.aspx
http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/1624.html
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327
http://www.healthmasters.com/blog/does-soy-turn-little-boys-little-girls-shocking-truth
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm
http://www.ehow.com/video_4974836_what-foods-have-soy.html
http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/allergy/soy.html