Thanks for this. My son has a problem with lactose and we've been giving him soy milk.
Daryle On Jul 11, 2007, at 12:54 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/56087/ > > As someone conscious of her health, I spent 13 years cultivating a > vegetarian diet. I took time to plan and balance meals that > included products such as soymilk, soy yogurt, tofu, and Chick'n > patties. I pored over labels looking for words I couldn't > pronounce. Occasionally an ingredient or two would pop up among my > fake sausages. Soy protein isolate? Great! They've isolated the > protein from the soybean to make it more concentrated in my veggie > dogs. Hydrolyzed soy protein? I never successfully rationalized > that one, but I wasn't too worried. After all, in 1999, the FDA > approved labeling found on nearly every soy product I purchased: > "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams > of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease." Soy > ingredients are not only safe -- they're beneficial. > After several years of consuming various forms of soy nearly every > day, something wasn't right. I felt reasonably fit, but somewhere > along the line I'd stopped menstruating. I couldn't figure out why > my stomach became so upset after eating edamame or why I was often > moody and bloated. It didn't occur to me at the time to blame soy, > heart-protector and miracle food. > When I began studying holistic health and nutrition, I kept running > across risks associated with eating soy. Endocrine disruption? > Check. Digestive problems? Check. I researched soy's deleterious > effects on thyroid, fertility, hormones, sex drive, digestion, and > even its potential to contribute to certain cancers. For every > study that proved there was a connection between soy and reduced > disease risk, others cropped up to challenge these claims. What was > going on? > "Studies showing the dark side of soy date back 100 years," says > Kaayla Daniel, PhD, clinical nutritionist and author of The Whole > Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food.Ê "The > 1999 FDA-approved health claim pleased big business, despite > massive evidence showing risks associated with soy, and against the > protests of the FDA's own top scientists. Soy is a global four- > billion-dollar industry that's taken these health claims to the > bank." Besides heart health, the industry says that soy consumption > can alleviate symptoms associated with menopause, reduce the risk > of certain cancers, and lower levels of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. > Epidemiological studies have shown that Asians, particularly in > Japan and China, have a much lower incidence of breast and prostate > cancer than in the US, and many of these studies trace the results > back to a traditional diet that includes soy. Daniel says a common > misconception is that Asians are consuming more soy than they > actually are; soy accounts for only about 15 percent of their total > calories, or nine grams per day. Asian diets include small amounts > of primarily fermented soy products, such as miso, natto, and > tempeh, and some tofu. By contrast, in the US, processed soy food > snacks or shakes can contain over 20 grams of soy protein in one > serving. > "There is important information on the cancer protective values of > soy," says Ed Bauman, PhD, clinical nutritionist, head of the > Bauman Clinic in Sebastopol and director of Bauman College of > Holistic Nutrition, who cautions against painting the bean with a > broad brush. "As with any food, it can have benefits in one system > and detriments in another. If there is an individual sensitivity, > one may have an adverse response to soy. And not all soy is alike," > he adds, referring to processing methods and quality. > Soy is indigenous to Eastern Asia, where it was once considered > toxic and used only as a cover crop. It was eventually fermented > for better digestibility; it had long been known that soy caused > extreme digestive distress if consumed raw or undercooked. > Fermenting soy deactivates these harmful constituents and creates > health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to > maintain digestive and overall wellness. Daniels mentions that > Asian populations may have had success with soy because they are > consuming primarily the fermented forms. > As soy moved west, it became a new addition to the diets of > Europeans and Americans. "Soy is not a native food to North America > or Europe, and I think you have issues when you move food from one > part of the world to another," Bauman says. "We fare better when we > eat according to our ethnicity. I think soy is a viable food, but > we need to look at how it's used and maybe consider using other > food stock that's more indigenous." > > >
