I’ve been thinking about tofu lately…one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants is Eden’s Alley and I’ve been frequenting it a lot. I know most of the people there are trying to be healthier, but what worries me is how much soy we are getting. Not just there, but in our everyday diets.
There is a false belief that eating and drinking soy is a healthy habit. Many of us may have heard that there is less cancer in Asian populations, possibly because of a soy diet. We also have a false idea of how much soy and what types of soy Asians consume. The truth is Asian countries eat soy more as a “condiment.” A vegetarian or health conscious person in America will eat far more soy than what is in the traditional Asian diet. Asian countries also traditionally eat fermented varieties such as miso and tempeh. Asian countries don’t use soy milk, soy yogurt, soy flour, soy protein, roasted soy beans, soy chicken nuggets, soy cheese, soy burgers…get the picture? They are NOT fermented, and even worse, are likely from genetically modified organism (GMO).
Why is this significant? When soy is fermented, it alters its composition, taking out most of the “bad” stuff associated with soy. We have processed soy lurking in every corner! The worst part is we think it is HEALTHY.
So, why can soy be detrimental in large quantities? Soy contains:
1. Trypsin Inhibitors – trypsin is essential to our ability to process protein, and soy contains several chemicals that are inhibitors.
2. Phytic Acid – this decreased the ability for minerals to be absorbed in the intestinal tract. Studies have shown animals on soy have had mineral deficiencies. Interestingly, the traditional way to eat soy in Asian is to eat it with meat, which reduced the effects of the phytic acid.
3. Goitrogens – a substance that depresses thyroid function. Soy isoflavones contain goitrogens and inhibit the thyroids ability to produce hormones. Even thought Asian countries have fewer of some cancers (like breast) it actually has a HIGHER rate of thyroid cancer. Interesting…
4. Phylates – which are phytoestrogens, and act like estrogen in the body. In a study of pregnant mothers on soy, the offspring had more reproductive problems. This is not the first time I have written about phylates. My first two boys were on soy formula, which contain so much phytoestrogen, it is like giving them 2-5 birth control pills a day! Bummer…
What is the answer to all of this information? Eat anything that has potential negative side effects IN MODERATION. There is no reason why we all can’t eat a little tofu at Eden’s Alley every once in a while. But be aware that soy is in everything from bread to chips, so we don’t need to be drinking soy milk for our health – it may even be causing us problems.
Dalai Lina 