An excerpt from Rick Schaff’s book, “MISLED

Many people concerned about the ill effects of meat and dairy products have resulted to eating soy products as a “healthy” alternative. Moreover, Soy advocates are quick to claim that it is high in protein, free of cholesterol, and very low in fat. However, they may omit that many of these products are made from unfermented, over-processed soy and that eating large quantities of these products may actually cause negative health ramifications.

First let’s understand the difference between soy products. Soy can be broken down into two different classifications, UNFERMENTED and FERMENTED. Unfermented soy products include fresh soybeans, soy nuts, soymilk, tofu, and is also contained in about three hundred other products on our grocery store shelves. Fermented soy products are found in products like tempeh, miso, natta, and shoya tamari products. Fermentation is a process in which a food’s own living enzymes are used to pre-digest the food before you eat it.

The detractors of unfermented soy products will inform us that if you look at the history of how soy was used you will find that soybeans were initially used in agriculture for crop rotation because they replenished lost nitrogen from the ground. However, there is no historical indication that soybeans were routinely eaten for food until the fermentation process was realized, which was around 440 BC. Now adays most soy products are unfermented, and have raised concerns about creating health issues that negatively affect the thyroid and even may cause cancer when taken in mass quantities from a day to day consumption.

The main problem spawning these accusations is that soybeans contain phytates, an organic acid that blocks the uptake of valuable minerals, which include calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc. Soybeans actually contain more phytates than any other grain, bean, or plant. A vegetarian diet that relies heavily on unfermented soy products (as many health conscious Americans do) may be placing them selves in jeopardy by creating a serious zinc deficiency. Zinc is critical for normal functioning of the brain, nervous system, and immune system. Furthermore, zinc is necessary for over 300 enzymatic activities to take place, which include the production of white blood cells, insulin secretion in the pancreas, the production of sperm, fetal development, and the protection of the body from heavy metal poisoning.

Nutrional experts tell us that fermenting soybeans is the most significant way to reduce their phytate concentration to avoid depleting minerals. Moreover, the process of fermentation enhances our body’s abilities to absorb protein and generate compounds that inhibit tumor growth and significantly stimulate the immune system.

Advocates of the soy industry claim that these accusations against unfermented soy products are part of a scheme thrown about by the dairy industry to instigate and encourage declining sales. Moreover, they adamantly deduce that thier products are safe and healthy for our bodies.

It all boils down to this. Comparing Asians to Americans, Americans tend to eat significantly higher amount of soy products (unfermented and-or fermented), and in my opinion, many questions still need to be answered about Soy products to presuppose that it is nutritious to consume in large quantities, and especially on a day to day basis.

Many research studies lead ust to believe that fermented soy products that I’ve mentioned in this article are of nutritional value to our bodies. However, there are studies that show the opposite. With that being said, I do believe that we should use these products in moderation until we have more questions answered about the true nutritional values of these products.

Tags: Diet

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