Why soy you asked? Well, good question. Sure we are lead to believe that Soy is a very valuable source of nutrition and can be used in many different dishes. It is a mainstay for lots of Asian cuisine dishes and is the Vegetarian/Vegan's number one go-to food for a source of Protein. But there are also many drawbacks from Soy. Things not included when you're about to scarf down that Thai Dish, or drink that glass of Soy Milk, or even finish off that McDonald's hamburger. McDonald's Hamburger?
That's right. There isn't much on the McDonald's menu that doesn't contain soy. The buns, the oil, the dressings, the sauces, mostly all contain Soy. If you are given half an hour to eat lunch during the workweek, then always, always, ALWAYS, try to bring your lunch. I'm sure that your food will lose it's taste and get boring, but it will seem a tad bit healthier.
Now, many vegetarians and vegans praise Soy as being the savior to the answer to their question of what can I eat if I don't like meat. They say it's the best food because it tastes like whatever you put it with. I'll repeat that - Soy is a cubed, tasteless, food. It's highly processed -which is one of the main things you hear Vegans/Veggies say about most meats, but never their own food. But the reason they love Soy is because Soy plants don't cry when it's been fermented, smashed, and cubed into trays. The day that "90% of all Soy in U.S. is a GMO" makes it onto Oprah and most of the dinner-makers in the country put two-and-two together is the day that Soy-lovers go running back to the beef/chicken/fish section of the supermarket.
Another reason to avoid Soy is a phyiscal one: manboobs. Soy contains several Estrogen-like substances that will affect your appearance and mood. Estrogen, which is more useful for the female than the male-in my opinion at least, can create some health problems in a male if consumed at a daily rate. Sexual infertility, swollen prostates, hair loss are just the tip of the spear for men with estrogen dominance. Testosterone levels can lower due to these effects, thus causing lack of sex drive, lower sperm count, your red blood cell count, and the amount of fat around your waist and stomach. Further research suggests that Alzheimer's disease may be linked to Soy intake. A study among Japanese men aged 40-60 living in Hawaii who consumed tofu twice a day showed more signs of dementia than those who didn't consume tofu.
Ever listen to a doctor tell you that you should have a steady diet and make sure to get plenty of Calcium, Iron, and Zinc? Well, Phytin, which is found in Soy, inhibits the absorption of those vitamins. Soy is literally blocking all the things your body needs from getting to your bloodstream.
Well, why do Asians eat so much soy? They all look healthy and they consume lots of soy! Asian farmers, who started soy farming in 1100 BC, didn't actually start eating soybeans until they fermented them (Miso, tempeh, etc). However, food producing companies, want Americans to consume more Soy than Asians actually consume, which is not necessarily healthy for you.
Let's sum up some of the things we know about Soy: it's Asian born, highly processed, mixed into most fast foods, bad for men, and can cause long term health effects in everyone. I highly recommend staying away from McDonald's even if you have nothing else to get for lunch in a half hour. I highly recommend switching from Soy Milk to Almond Milk if you don't drink regular cow Milk. I also recommend reading labels and watching out for anything that has the word SOY in it. Afterall, even Charlton Heston figured out that Soy was bad for you:
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