Know Your Enemy: Soy

So I'm starting this segment called "Know Your Enemy".  Yes, it's inspired by the song from Rage Against the Machine, but it's also derived from the practice of recognizing the evils around you that aren't exactly as advertised.  This week's enemy of Know Your Enemy: Soy.

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:

Losing Weight Just By Showering Properly

When I initially embarked on my weight loss journey (which consisted of finding determination and picking up the 4 Hour Body), I didn't think about how my body actually loses the fat and other bad stuff that I pick up while eating gross, yet delicious food.  I read an article about a NASA scientist who studied Michael Phelps' training and diet and figured out that something was amiss with his claim about consuming 13,000 calories to stay in top shape.  I saw a similar reading in 4HB.  The key to the body losing some extra weight, and cutting the fat, literally, was by taking a cold shower or an ice bath.

Now I know what you're thinking: there's no way in hell I'm coming from home from the gym and getting into a cold shower.  To help boost your confidence about getting into a cold shower, start slow.  Don't immediately jump into a cold shower prompting you to shriek and possibly fall down naked.  Only bad things can happen from there on.  Ease the water toward cold when your already in the shower and you'll build a little more of a tolerance.  Now Ferris recommends a 10 minute cold shower.  I usually stuck with a 5 minute shower only because I don't waste too much time.  The feeling afterwards is so refreshing.  Usually I would feel like I was sweating a little bit after a hot shower.  But with the cold shower: I feel dry, cool, and your body temperature will become elevated since it now thinks you need to regulate it from being in the cold (hence how you lose those extra pounds over time)

The ice bath, which requires a tub, is a little more time consuming and pricier if you need to get bags of ice just to take a bath.  I recommend doing an ice bath as a weekend thing.  Filling extra tupperware with water and freezing it will help with the ice part.  I stayed in my ice baths for about 10-15 minutes or whenever the ice melted.  Don't stick your head in ice cold water!  But try to keep most of your body below the water for the majority of the time.  After you're done, the same feeling of refreshment will overtake your body.

Here is a video of Tim Ferris on the View:

Aside from the ice baths and cold showers, I've found the using less shampoo has actually made my hair better.  I only shampoo my hair maybe once every 4-5 showers and sometimes less.  Now I picked up this technique after reading about how shampoo was used decades ago and how it's used now.  If you think back to the 1960's and 1950's, you can remember a time in a movie or TV show when a girl would refuse to go out with a boy she didn't like because "she had to wash her hair" (womp womp, poor Eddie Haskell).  I think I saw this on TV Land or Nick at Nite, but it got me wondering "where did this excuse come from and where is it now?".  Well lo and behold I did some research and found that people used to only use shampoo when they felt their hair was getting really out of hand and felt grimey.  I know that Loreal, Pert, Herbal Essences and whatever you put in your hair in the morning makes you feel like your hair is doing so much better than everyone else's, but that's what the marketers of these products want you to think.  Cutting back on shampoo has made my hair, thicker, fuller, and healthier.  I can't explain the science behind it, but it works.  Try cutting back on shampoo and I bet you will see healthier hair that won't end up in the drain.

My Squat Schedule (That's really crushing my legs and ass)

This is my Squat schedule.  The days that have check marks on them are the days that I have been done.  I'm officially half way done with this.  I haven't decided what 30 day routine I want to do next, but you can bet it will be either arms or abs.  Maybe a little something in between.  Now, let me tell you I didn't think I would make it past day 7, and now I'm moving to day 16.  I didn't start on the first of the month, but I don't think I would've done it at all if I waited until then.  There is no time like the present and I think it's about time that we all take a page out of this ambition post and get to work on ourselves.  Sure, the "pain" in my legs and ass is a little hard to get through, but you know what, I think it's going to be worth it.  So eat healthy, get on a workout regimen, and figure out your 30 day challenge.

Ma halo.