But What About Soy?

Soy has been thought of for a while as a health food. In fact, it has almost become revered in some nutritional belief systems. I have seen enough to the contrary to make me believe otherwise. Has soy been used successfully in certain cultures? Yes. But mostly as a crop to restore nitrogen to soil after farming rice and other grains. A few cultures started to eat fermented versions of them as well. However, this was in moderation and typically combined with sea vegetables. Not the chemically created versions of soybean oil and soy isolate we have infiltrating our food products. From the phytic acids that bind to minerals in our body (like all grains and legumes) to the protein absorption inhibitors to the estrogen-like and thyroid disrupting properties, soy has a number of downsides. Added to that is that most of it is genetically modified and chemically extracted. Bottom line… Fermented soy- ok for occasional use. Think tempeh, natto and miso. You should probably try to stay away from the rest of it.

For more reading, check out my Soy Articles page.