Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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 Uncultured soy products, which include texturized vegetable protein (TVP), isolated soy protein, soy protein isolates, soy milk, soy flour, soy nuts, and edamame bean, pose a digestive challenge for some people. soy that has been fermented or broken down by beneficial bacteria (similar to how cabbage becomes sauerkraut, or milk becomes yogurt) is the least challenging to people's digestion. These forms include tempeh, miso, and natto, which are superior to other forms of soy. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Thumbs down: soy milk
A few years ago, I recommended soy milk as a natural alternative to cow's milk. But since then, far better alternatives have emerged (see below). Also, more information has appeared regarding the environmental impact of soybean farming (the Amazon rainforest is being devastated by clear cutting to create soybean agricultural lands) as well as the frightening fact that most soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GMO) varieties. |
Ben-Erik van Wyk
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 Important soy products are soy paste (miso), soy sauce (shoyu), soy curd (tofu), soy milk and fermented soy cakes (tempeh). Fresh beans are served as a vegetable with meat dishes, while dry beans are used in soups, salads and sweet dishes. Bean sprouts are commonly added to salads, sweet-and-sour vegetables or spring rolls. soy flour is used in sauces and confectionery and soy oil is converted to salad oils, mayonnaise and margarine. Processed soybean proteins have become important as meat and milk substitutes. Nutritional value A cornerstone of east Asian (and vegetarian) nutrition. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| Thumbs down: soy milk
A few years ago, I recommended soy milk as a natural alternative to cow's milk. But since then, far better alternatives have emerged (see below). Also, more information has appeared regarding the environmental impact of soybean farming (the Amazon rainforest is being devastated by clear cutting to create soybean agricultural lands) as well as the frightening fact that most soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GMO) varieties. |
| Check the ingredients on "plain" soy milk the next time you're at the store: It's loaded with sugar!
Without question, most soy milk has become too mainstream, too sugary and too much controlled by the same food and beverage giants that are still manufacturing and marketing other products that promote degenerative disease. Because of these reasons, I no longer recommend soy milk (unless you make it yourself or get it from a small, truly natural company).
Thumbs down: Processed cow's milk
I'm also not thrilled about processed milk from cows. By "processed," I mean homogenized and pasteurized. |
| On top of this, most popular soy milk brands (I won't name names, but these are likely the ones in your grocery store) have been bought out by big, profit-seeking food and beverage corporations, and as a result, they've been sugared up and made nutritionally inferior. Check the ingredients on "plain" soy milk the next time you're at the store: It's loaded with sugar!
Without question, most soy milk has become too mainstream, too sugary and too much controlled by the same food and beverage giants that are still manufacturing and marketing other products that promote degenerative disease. |
Richard Lucas
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 The soybean is also employed in many Chinese food preparations such as soy flour and soy relish, but the three that are of almost universal use in Oriental cookery are soybean oil, soy sauce, and soybean curd.
Soybeans in the United States
The first soybeans were brought to the United States in 1804 by a Yankee clipper ship returning from China. A few people sowed the a tutu iwinvuiva jut \,ut,uiuiuijr tsiauiuvia seeds and perpetuated the plant, but there wasn't much interest in the plant. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Ronnie: Here is another point that you might think about: for those people who do not drink dairy milk, but who buy organic soy milk, the leading organic soy milk brand in the United States is Silk. Many consumers have no idea that Silk - just like Horizon Organic Milk - was bought out by this giant conglomerate, Dean Foods.
Silk used to buy their organic soybeans from U.S. and Canadian organic soybean farmers, and they paid them a decent price - $16 to $21 a bushel - for these organic soybeans. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| Without question, most soy milk has become too mainstream, too sugary and too much controlled by the same food and beverage giants that are still manufacturing and marketing other products that promote degenerative disease. Because of these reasons, I no longer recommend soy milk (unless you make it yourself or get it from a small, truly natural company).
Thumbs down: Processed cow's milk
I'm also not thrilled about processed milk from cows. By "processed," I mean homogenized and pasteurized. |
Richard Lucas
See book keywords and concepts |
| The soybean is also employed in many Chinese food preparations such as soy flour and soy relish, but the three that are of almost universal use in Oriental cookery are soybean oil, soy sauce, and soybean curd.
Soybeans in the United States
The first soybeans were brought to the United States in 1804 by a Yankee clipper ship returning from China. A few people sowed the a tutu iwinvuiva jut \,ut,uiuiuijr tsiauiuvia seeds and perpetuated the plant, but there wasn't much interest in the plant. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| Ronnie: Here is another point that you might think about: for those people who do not drink dairy milk, but who buy organic soy milk, the leading organic soy milk brand in the United States is Silk. Many consumers have no idea that Silk - just like Horizon Organic Milk - was bought out by this giant conglomerate, Dean Foods.
Silk used to buy their organic soybeans from U.S. and Canadian organic soybean farmers, and they paid them a decent price - $16 to $21 a bushel - for these organic soybeans. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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| These forms include tempeh, miso, and natto, which are superior to other forms of soy. Tofu is not cultured, but is precipitated into a curd from soy milk and is a more concentrated protein than other forms of soybean preparations; it can be better digested if eaten with vegetables, or eaten in a soup broth.
Soy imparts excellent health benefits due to their isoflavones, which is why you should consider consuming non-GMO, cultured forms of soy (i.e., miso, tempeh, and natto) in moderation. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| Ronnie: Yes, and Mike here is another point that you might think about: for those people who do not drink dairy milk, but who buy organic soy milk, the leading organic soy milk brand in the United States is Silk. Many consumers have no idea that Silk -- just like Horizon Organic Milk -- was bought out by this giant conglomerate, Dean Foods.
Silk used to buy their organic soybeans from U.S. and Canadian organic soybean farmers, and they paid them a decent price -- $16 to $21 a bushel -- for these organic soybeans. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 To date, my position has always been if you're going to eat soy, fermented soy -- like miso or properly processed tofu -- is best, but non-fermented soy is probably something not to be used in very large doses.
In the past, I have eaten quite a bit of soy, including soy protein, but my favorite protein source at this point is actually rice protein, because I think it's a cleaner protein. Occasionally I will use high-quality whey protein, but I continue to notice that it's not as "clean" a protein source as rice protein. I'm definitely not going to be buying TVP chunks any more. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| Because of these reasons, I no longer recommend soy milk (unless you make it yourself or get it from a small, truly natural company).
Thumbs down: Processed cow's milk
I'm also not thrilled about processed milk from cows. By "processed," I mean homogenized and pasteurized. The pasteurization kills all the beneficial microorganisms, and homogenization artificially modifies dairy fats in a way that ultimately harms the human cardiovascular system when consumed. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| Ronnie: Yes, and Mike here is another point that you might think about: for those people who do not drink dairy milk, but who buy organic soy milk, the leading organic soy milk brand in the United States is Silk. Many consumers have no idea that Silk -- just like Horizon Organic Milk -- was bought out by this giant conglomerate, Dean Foods.
Silk used to buy their organic soybeans from U.S. and Canadian organic soybean farmers, and they paid them a decent price -- $16 to $21 a bushel -- for these organic soybeans. |
Tom Bohager
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 In the Far East, there is an age-old tradition in which molds (fungus) called koji were used in the production of certain foods and flavoring additives based on the soy plant. Examples of this are shoyu (soy sauce) and miso, both of which are made from soybeans and originated in Japan. During the fermentation process, miso develops a complex and distinct flavor. Additionally, natto, produced from the fermentation of soy beans by means of a bacterium called Bacillus subtillus, has been eaten by the Japanese for hundreds of years. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| To date, my position has always been if you're going to eat soy, fermented soy -- like miso or properly processed tofu -- is best, but non-fermented soy is probably something not to be used in very large doses.
In the past, I have eaten quite a bit of soy, including soy protein, but my favorite protein source at this point is actually rice protein, because I think it's a cleaner protein. Occasionally I will use high-quality whey protein, but I continue to notice that it's not as "clean" a protein source as rice protein. I'm definitely not going to be buying TVP chunks any more. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Visit any natural grocer or health food store and look at any veggie cheese or soy cheese product on the shelf. You will find that virtually all of them are manufactured with cow's milk protein. This just goes to show you that just because a food product is positioned as being an alternative to dairy products, or just because it is described as being a soy product, doesn't mean that it is free of animal products. This is especially important for vegans, of course, who are increasingly finding that it's difficult to buy any product that isn't made with animal products in one way or another. |
| I'm fully aware that there are differing opinions on soy in the natural health community, and I remain open to any new information on the safety and efficacy of soy as it becomes available. |
| The implied message from the name of these products is that they are made with soy milk, not dairy products, and are therefore either healthier for you or appropriate for people who wish to avoid cow's milk for health reasons. But what they don't tell you is that virtually every soy cheese product on the market is made with a dairy product. That ingredient is casein, a milk protein.
It is, in fact, casein that is associated with most of the health problems and complaints described by people who consume cow's milk and dairy products. |
David Brownstein
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 Soy
Dietary influences on the functioning of the thyroid gland are important to recognize. soy has been shown to reduce the conversion of T4 to T3 in animals.19 A study in humans found that daily soy consumption resulted in symptoms of hypothyroidism (i.e., malaise, constipation, sleepiness) and goiters in 50% of the subjects. These hypothyroid symptoms resolved one month after stopping the soy ingestion. In my experience, many of my patients who ingest non-fermented soy products daily (i.e., soy milk, cheese, tofu, etc. |
Mike Adams
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 The only one I don't recommend is isolated soy protein because of some of the effects of soy protein. The only soy products I recommend are fermented, non-GMO soy.
If you combine this with a low-glycemic diet, hypoglycemia will almost always disappear within a matter of a few weeks. Physical exercise also greatly helps hypoglycemia, as do substances that slow the digestion of carbohydrates. That includes eating chia seeds, or even taking some vinegar before each meal. Vinegar works in a near-magical way to flatten blood sugar curves. I recommend taking black vinegar supplements. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| The organic milk controversy extends to organic soy milk as well. Horizon Organic's parent company, Dean Foods, also bought out Silk, the leading organic soy milk brand in the United States. Dean Foods has pushed for lower organic standards in the United States and to allow industrial-style production to be called "organic."
Meanwhile, major grocery chains import cheap, so-called "organic" soybeans from China, where the workers are treated much like slaves and organic standards are dubious. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| This just goes to show you that just because a food product is positioned as being an alternative to dairy products, or just because it is described as being a soy product, doesn't mean that it is free of animal products. This is especially important for vegans, of course, who are increasingly finding that it's difficult to buy any product that isn't made with animal products in one way or another. Even yogurt, you may recall, is colored with an insect-derived natural coloring called carmine, which is made from ground-up, red Cochineal beetles frequently imported from the Canary Islands. |
| But what they don't tell you is that virtually every soy cheese product on the market is made with a dairy product. That ingredient is casein, a milk protein.
It is, in fact, casein that is associated with most of the health problems and complaints described by people who consume cow's milk and dairy products. Those complaints include chronic sinus congestion, constipation, and even symptoms resembling asthma. That's because casein is a difficult protein for human beings to digest, which is why it is present in smaller quantities in human breast milk. |
| The front label of their package even says "Nature's Alternative to Cheese," and it describes the product as "made with the goodness of soy." But my question is that if this is a cheese alternative, what is a milk protein doing in the product? Granted, at least Galaxy Nutritional Foods explains what casein is in their ingredients list. It reads "casein (a dried skim milk protein)". So, there is some attempt on their part to educate consumers about what's in the product, but still, it's made with a milk protein derived from cows, and most people don't read the ingredients to begin with. |
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