With anything - nutrition is a journey. Our family is not where I'd like it to be, but we're moving in the right direction! We've cut down on processed foods, GMOs, etc., and are starting to cut down on gluten as well. There are many health benefits to all of these! That's just the tip of the ice burg! There is SO much more! This post I'm going to focus on soy and explain why we've cut down and are trying to eliminate soy. I think that blog post shared a lot of great points. I, personally, am not trying to point out one specific product, though, I do feel like there is a lot of education in that post! One thing the post reminded me of actually is how people DON'T EVEN KNOW! I'm not just talking about not knowing the dangers of some ingredients in their products, but they don't even know what's IN their products because they don't read the labels! I ALWAYS encourage you to look past the "cover" and read the ENTIRE list of ingredients! I had a friend tell me she chose this particular product because she is a breast cancer survivor and doesn't use products with soy - yet the label clearly states it has soy protein! What a shame! She has the right idea but failed to acknowledge the ingredients! Look beyond marketing campaigns, commercials, etc. ALWAYS do the research for yourself and READ THE LABELS! You may avoid different ingredients that my family doesn't, so I could recommend a product that is great for our family but not for yours, so even if it's great for us I'd still recommend that you read the labels!
So why not soy?
This is a summary of the dangers of soy from The Weston A Price Foundation
* High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
* Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
* Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
* Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
* Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
* Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D.
* Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
* Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
* Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
* Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.
Obviously because my husband had cancer twice I'm constantly doing research and becoming more aware of the link between foods, cosmetics, etc. and cancer. There are too many to share in one blog, and if you're interested in the bath and beauty side of it I recommend visiting my Pea of Sweetness website. In fact, soy is often found in bath and body products as well, which I am becoming more aware of as well!!
The link between soy and estrogen floored me. I can truly say I had NO idea! When our oldest was a baby I was unable to breastfeed him. He had reflux and spit up ALL THE TIME. At one point soy formula was suggested to me. Not by the doctors but by a well-meaning family member. I was desperate, so I tried it. He spit up more with that soy formula than the milk-based formula! I quickly took that off my list! Yet still it didn't click to me that when our daughter was a baby I had to reduce dairy in my diet due to her sensitivity to dairy proteins (I was breastfeeding her), so when I ran into an emergency situation where I didn't have milk stored but she needed a bottle while I was away from her I gave soy formula. Ignorance on my part because my thinking was she can't have milk based formula since she's sensitive to dairy so soy must be a better option in this situation. We ended up in the Emergency Room that night! She vomited so much she got dehydrated, pale, and lethargic. I was told it was just because she wasn't used to it. That's an INTENSE reaction to not being used to something. I learned the hard way and even still up until a few months ago (our oldest is almost 6 now and our daughter is 4) I didn't really know HOW dangerous soy can be! I knew soy must not be that "good for you" and didn't often consume it or have my family consume it, but when I started doing my research I was APPALLED at what I read about babies on soy formula! I was shocked - and extremely grateful both of them had a negative reaction, and I never tried to give it to our youngest. Of course, I wish the negative reaction could have been avoided, but I'm glad there are no long-term effects because they regularly consumed soy since those incidents were enough for me to not use soy! I read a child consistently on soy formula is the equivalent of giving them 4-5 birth control pills a day! Can you IMAGINE that thought! We would NEVER do that willingly - yet if they're getting soy formula that is exactly what they're getting! A great reference to babies and soy here as well as just the dangers of soy in general.
So what are the alternatives?
Well, alternatives are plenty! Dairy is, of course, an option, though it is probably the most "unpopular" alternative vs. soy because most people that are turning to soy are doing so because they cannot have dairy - whether it be an allergy, lactose intolerance, etc. Quite frequently, though, those allergic or sensitive to dairy proteins will also be sensitive to soy proteins! There are other options as well in the "proteins" category. As I mentioned with Tropical Shakeolgy it is vegan but WITHOUT soy protein. Often "vegan" means soy, but definitely not always! Brown rice, in this case, is the protein of choice.
What about "milk"? Well, if cow's milk isn't an option again, rice is an option. Rice milk is generally available at a variety of stores! My preference for milk is almond milk. There is also coconut milk! So the options aren't as limited as you think! There are many! A lot offer "flavors" - vanilla, chocolate, or original. So don't feel like if you're limited on dairy you MUST use soy milk because that is truly NOT the case!
I'm linking up a lot of information because though I hold the same opinion and am personally aware of the dangers I am currently holding a sleeping toddler and sometimes it's easier to link up then to come up with my own words for thoughts that have already been so clearly written! So I found these great resources to help inform my readers as well! In an effort to continue to add more content to the site sometimes this is the best way! So please take the time to do your own research! I know I did - A LOT, and that research is leading me to a completely soy-free home! I pray you make the decision that is best for YOUR family! Blessings!
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