See: http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg44820.html RE: [Biofuel] Cleaning Up Factory Farms ... and vegetarians
Best Keith >The Dark Side of Soy >Is America's favorite health food making us sick? >By Mary Vance, Terrain >Utne Reader July / August 2007 Issue >http://www.utne.com/issues/2007_142/features/12607-1.html >As someone who is 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 soy milk, soy yogurt, tofu, and Chick'n patties. I >pored over labels looking for words I couldn't pronounce--occasionally >one or two would pop up. Soy protein isolate? Great! They've isolated >the protein from the soybean to make it more concentrated. Hydrolyzed >soy protein? I never successfully rationalized that one, but I wasn't >too worried. After all, in 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) >approved labeling I 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 >weren't only safe--they were beneficial. >After years of consuming various forms of soy nearly every day, 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 I ate edamame >or why I was often moody and bloated. It didn't occur to me at the time >to question 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 >a connection between soy and reduced disease risk another cropped up to >challenge the claims. What was going on? >"Studies showing the dark side of soy date back 100 years," says >clinical nutritionist Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story (New >Trends, 2005). "The 1999 FDA-approved health claim pleased big business, >despite massive evidence showing risks associated with soy, and against >the protest of the FDA's own top scientists. Soy is a $4 billion [U.S.] >industry that's taken these health claims to the bank." Besides >promoting heart health, the industry says, soy 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 lower incidence of breast and prostate cancer than >people in the United States, and many of these studies credit a >traditional diet that includes soy. But Asian diets include small >amounts--about nine grams a day--of primarily fermented soy products, >such as miso, natto, and tempeh, and some tofu. Fermenting soy creates >health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to >maintain digestive and overall wellness. By contrast, in the United >States, processed soy food snacks or shakes can contain over 20 grams of >nonfermented soy protein in one serving. >"There is important information on the cancer-protective values of soy," >says clinical nutritionist Ed Bauman, head of Bauman Clinic in >Sebastopol, California, and director of Bauman College. Bauman cautions >against painting the bean with a broad brush. "As with any food, it can >have benefits in one system and detriments in another. [An individual >who is sensitive to it] may have an adverse response to soy. And not all >soy is alike," he adds, referring to processing methods and quality. >"Soy is not a food that is native to North America or Europe, and 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. Soy >is a viable food, but we need to look at how it's used." >Once considered a small-scale poverty food, soy exploded onto the >American market. Studies--some funded by the industry--promoted soy's >ability to lower disease risk while absolving guilt associated with >eating meat. "The soy industry has come a long way from when hippies >were boiling up the beans," says Daniel. >These days the industry has discovered ways to use every part of the >bean for profit. Soy oil has become the base for most vegetable oils; >soy lecithin, the waste product left over after the soybean is >processed, is used as an emulsifier; soy flour appears in baked and >packaged goods; different forms of processed soy protein are added to >everything from animal feed to muscle-building protein powders. "Soy >protein isolate was invented for use in cardboard," Daniel says. "It >hasn't actually been approved as a food ingredient." >Soy is everywhere in our food supply, as the star in cereals and >health-promoting foods and hidden in processed foods. Even if you read >every label and avoid cardboard boxes, you are likely to find soy in >your supplements and vitamins (look out for vitamin E derived from soy >oil), in foods such as canned tuna, soups, sauces, breads, meats >(injected under poultry skin), and chocolate, and in pet food and >body-care products. It hides in tofu dogs under aliases such as textured >vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and lecithin--which is >troubling, since the processing required to hydrolyze soy protein into >vegetable protein produces excitotoxins such as glutamate (think MSG) >and aspartate (a component of aspartame), which cause brain-cell death. >Soy also is one of the foods--in addition to wheat, corn, eggs, milk, >nuts, and shellfish--most likely to cause allergic reactions. Most >people equate food allergies with anaphylaxis, or a severe emergency >immune response, but it is possible to have a subclinical sensitivity, >which can lead to health problems over time (and is exacerbated by the >lack of variety common in today's American diet). >"People can do an empirical food sensitivity test by eliminating the >food for a period of time and reintroducing it to see if there's an >immune response, but most don't do this," says Bauman. "Genetically >modified (GM) soy is the most problematic, and that's probably what most >people are eating if they're not paying attention. People can develop >sensitivity to a food that has antigens or bacteria not originally in >the food chain, as is the case with GM foods." >Yet avoiding GM soy doesn't mean all is well, Daniel says: "One question >I get all the time is, What if I only eat organic soy?' The assumption >is that GM soy is problematic and organic is fine. Certainly, organic is >better, but the bottom line is that soybeans naturally contain plant >estrogens, toxins, and antinutrients, and you can't remove those." >The highest risk is for infants who are fed soy formula. "It's the only >thing they're eating, they're very small, and they're at a key stage >developmentally," says Daniel. "The estrogens in soy will affect the >hormonal development of these children, and it will certainly affect >their growing brains, reproductive systems, and thyroids." Soy formula >also contains large amounts of manganese, which has been linked to >attention deficit disorder and neurotoxicity in infants. The Israeli >health ministry recently issued an advisory stating that infants should >avoid soy formula altogether. >Antinutrients in soy block enzymes needed for digestion, and naturally >occur-ring phytates block absorption of essential minerals. This is most >worrisome for vegans and vegetarians who eat soy as their main source of >protein, and for women in menopause who up their soy intake through >supplements. >Soy contains phytochemicals--plant nutrients with disease-fighting >activity--called isoflavones. Studies claim isoflavones can mimic the >body's own estrogens, raising a woman's estrogen levels, which fall >after menopause, causing hot flashes and other symptoms. On the other >hand, isoflavones may also block the body's estrogens, which can help >reduce high estrogen levels, therefore reducing risk for breast cancer >or uterine cancer before menopause. (High estrogen levels have been >linked to cancers of the reproductive system in women.) >Although soy's isoflavones may have an adaptogenic effect (contributing >to an estrogen-boosting or -blocking effect where needed), they also >have the potential to promote hormone-sensitive cancers in some people. >Studies on the effects of isoflavones on human estrogen levels are >conflicting, and it's possible that they affect people differently. In >men, soy has been shown to lower testosterone levels and sex drive, >according to Daniel. >Bauman believes processed soy foods are problematic but maintains that >soy has beneficial hormone-mediating effects. "People are largely >convenience-driven," he says. "We're looking at this whole >processed-food convenience market and we're making generalizations about >a plant. Is soy the problem, or is it the handling and packaging and >processing of the plant that's the problem? >"Primary sources of food are a good thing. Once there was a bean, but >then it got cooked and squeezed and the pulp was separated out, and it >was heated and processed for better shelf life and mouth feel. Soy milk >is second or third level in terms of processing." >Bauman's eating-for-health approach calls for a variety of natural and >seasonal unprocessed whole foods, including soy in moderation, tailored >to individual biochemistry and sensitivities. "Using soy as part of a >diet can bring relief for perimenopause, for example," he says. "Throw >out the soy and you throw out the isoflavones." (It is possible to >obtain plant estrogens to a lesser extent from other foods, such as lima >beans or flax.) "The literature is extensive on the benefits of soy, and >that should always be stated, just as the hazards should be. That's >science. These studies are not ridiculous or contrived, but take a look >at them. Who's funding them?" asks Bauman. >"There are a lot of problems with these studies," Daniel says, adding >that the 1999 heart health claim was an industry-funded initiative. >"Even if there is positive information, and even if these studies are >well designed, we need to weigh that against the fact that we've also >got really good studies showing the dangers. Better safe than sorry is >the precautionary principle. Possible bene-fits are far outweighed by >proven risks." >Daniel and Bauman agree on the benefits of variety. "My experience as a >clinical nutritionist is that people who have a varied diet tend not to >get into trouble," says Daniel. >"We like to demonize certain foods in this society," says Bauman. "If >you want to find a fault, you'll find it. The bottom line is: What is a >healthy diet?" >Reprinted from Terrain (Spring 2007), published by Berkeley's Ecology >Center. Dedicated to fine feature writing about environmental issues, >Terrain is distributed free throughout Northern California. >Subscriptions: $15/yr. (3 issues) from 2530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA >94702; www.ecologycenter.org/terrain. >Soy "Nuggets" >Tofu >Soy milk, curdled and pressed into cubes of varying firmness. Often used >as meat substitute. A nonfermented product, tofu contains antinutrients, >which can block absorption of essential minerals. >Miso >Fermented soybean paste, used in soups and sauces. Rich in probiotics, >good bacteria that aid vitamin absorption. Miso is high in sodium but is >considered one of the healthiest soy products. >Soybean Oil >To extract oil, soybeans are superheated, ground, pressed, mixed with >chemicals, and washed in a centrifuge. Soybean oil accounts for 80 >percent of all liquid oils consumed annually in the United States. >Soy Milk >A processed beverage made of ground soybeans mixed with water and >boiled, which removes some toxins. Sugar is added to improve flavor. An >eight-ounce serving contains up to 35 milligrams of isoflavones, which >may change estrogen levels and hormonal function. >Snack Food >Highly processed, a source of trans fat. Check your labels: Potato >chips, tortilla crisps, and many other deep-fried things have been >cooked in soy oil--straight up or partially hydrogenated. >Tempeh >Whole soybeans pressed into loaves, which are then fermented. Often used >as a meat substitute. Tempeh is rich in B vitamins, minerals, and >omega-3 fatty acids. >Fast Food >A source of hidden soy. Processed soy proteins extend some burgers and >chicken (nuggets, patties, even "grilled breasts"). Buns contain soy oil >and to a lesser extent soy flour and lecithin. Soy oil also appears in >dressings and dips, in American "cheese," and as the No. 2 ingredient in >fries. There's even soy in Big Mac's secret sauce: Soybean oil nets top >billing. >Edamame >Whole soybeans, commonly boiled in the pod and eaten as a snack. Most >commercial edamame has been preheated to make digestion easier, but it >still contains antinutrients. > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
