Monday, March 17, 2008

Soy and St. Patrick's Day

First of all, happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I hope you're all wearing green.

I just found out some interesting information about soy and soy products. I'm reading The Raw Food Detox Diet and it has a little section about soy so I'll type it out here for you. I've always thought of soy products as a lot healthier than say milk or meat. So here it is.

SOY IS THE MOST MUCUS-FORMING PLANT FOOD ON THE PLANET!
Soy has received a huge amount of press over the last decade. It has been touted as nothing short of a miracle food. Before you slurp back a glass of soy milk in lieu of another mainstream beverage, consider this: soy is the most mucus-forming plant food on the planet. The form of mucus it creates is called mucoid matter - not to be confused with mucus membrane. This mucus is a sticky, sludge-like substance that holds up the body's flow and productivity. It accumulates and creates respiratory distress in asthmatics, creates common digestive problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and, by slowing down the body's digestion and circulation systems, ultimately triggers weight gain and premature aging.
You are probably wondering about all those healthy Japanese, who are supposedly living on soy. The truth is, the Japanese do not eat nearly as much soy as soy product manufacturers would have you believe. More to the point, they do not eat the same heavily processed soy products that Americans eat, like imitation chicken and pseudo-fish. They are eating edamame pods (soy in its natural, unprocessed state) and small amounts of tofu. Americans misinterpret this to mean that every product listing soy as an ingredient is automatically a "free, guiltless food" with myriad magical properties. It's a wonder we don't walk on water after consuming them! Soy sauce is fine because it isn't concentrated, meaning it is a liquid rather than a dense food. You may also employ small amounts of raw miso in recipes. But other than that, you will want to avoid all processed soy products, unless you want to keep reaching for that inhaler!



Americans take what is good in other cultures and overdo it way out of proportion so that it becomes unhealthy. I hate it.

2 comments:

Emily said...

It's so true... Soy is apparently high in estrogen, too, so young boys in particular shouldn't drink it. I've also heard rumor of it contributing to thyroid problems, those run in my family, so I'm careful how much I consume.

Emily said...

I like your new web design!