“For years, the soybean and its derivatives have been touted as the ultimate in health food, but more research shows the direct opposite may be true.”
-Omar Sommereyns
Florida International

Read Omar’s entire publication in PDF covering…

• Issues of Contention Regarding Soy Consumption
• The Soy Industry and the FDA
• Why Reading Food Labels is Important
• Studies showing soy can have a negative impact on one’s health, including thyroid function

If you don’t eat dairy products because you are lactose intolerant, suffer from allergies, or you are a vegetarian or vegan, you probably think that the Western version of soy products are a good alternative.

There is plenty of research on the effects of eating soy foods regarding your health. It’s touted to protect you against a wide array of illnesses such as:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Hot flashes for menopausal women
• Osteoporosis
• Memory Loss
• Kidney Disease
• Weight Gain
Read more…

When I started researching soy after developing a severe allergy, the soy industry were promoting that soy helps prevent cancer, reduces the risk of heart disease, and lowers cholesterol. After closer examination, these claims appear doubtful at best, and soy may actually be a contributing factor to breast cancer.

Read more…

Soy has become so popular because of the industry advertising. It started me off as a believer! There was considerable research done in 1966 about the harmful substances within the soybeans. And now, it’s claimed to be the “miracle” food.

Production of soybeans in the U.S. is 40 times more now than it was starting in the 20th century. First it’s made for animal feed and then manufactured into soy oil, vegetable oil, margarine, and shortening.

Why has the soy industry concentrated on finding alternative uses and new markets for soybeans? Because it’s cheap and very profitable. It’s disguised in everything from hamburgers, hot dogs, baby formula, flour, and much more. It’s often marketed as low-fat, dairy free, or as a high protein meat substitute for vegetarians. The soy derivatives you need to look for are textured vegetable protein (TVP), partially hydrogenated soybean, soy protein isolate (SPI) hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP).

Read more…

Many people think soy products and soymilk are healthy substitutes. Unfermented soy is bad for you. It is difficult for your body to digest. If you experience cramping, nausea, or unusual weight gain did you ever consider that it could be related to soy foods? Studies show that it can be contributing to serious health problems. Read more…

I participated in a phone interview with Paulina Marinkovic and a video was created for NBC news.

Watch video here: http://vimeo.com/9418187

Now it’s time to reclaim your health – order your copy of
The Hidden Dangers of Soy.

By Josh Vogt, eHow Contributing Writer

1. Soy sprouts are often added to salads and sandwiches, blended into smoothies, baked into bread, or turned into soy flour and milk. They are valued for high protein content and contributions to heart health. However, despite the benefits, soy sprouts can also be the source of food allergies and weakened immune systems, especially among women. Discover the dangers soy sprouts pose and decide if consumption is worth the risk.

Allergies

2. Soy sprouts are extremely reactive to the immune system, according to
Dr. Stuart Berger. Consumption of soy sprouts can trigger allergic symptoms, such as heightened adrenaline, itching in the throat, hives, and digestive discomfort. Most allergic reactions are mild, but can worsen with repeated exposure. At the highest risk are those people who already exhibit allergic reactions to milk and dairy. Children who are exposed to soy sprouts and other soy products at an early age can also develop allergies, and as such, infant exposure to soy should be avoided entirely, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Women’s Health

3. Women are a high-risk demographic when it comes to soy sprouts, partly
because of soy’s high estrogen content, which, according to Mercola, can alter a woman’s chemical balance in negative ways. Soy sprouts also contain enzymes that block proper digestion, inhibit oxygen transference in the blood stream, and contribute to thyroid dysfunction, breast cancer, and cause kidney stones in women. The main way to avoid these unhealthy effects of soy sprouts is to make sure that soy intake is in a fermented form, such as miso. Proper cooking of soy sprouts before consumption can also downplay the unhealthy symptoms while heightening benefits like nutrient absorption and cancer prevention.

Illness

4. In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listed uncooked soy sprouts as a serious source of illnesses, especially among the elderly and children, or anyone with a weakened immune system. Soy sprouts can be exposed to high levels of bacteria during growth, and have been identified as containing E. Coli and Salmonella viruses. If not properly washed and prepared, this bacteria can be transferred to the human host. Contaminated sprouts can cause food poisoning, with symptoms of fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea, sometimes severe enough to require hospitalization. Advisories are still in effect concerning proper
care and consumption of soy sprouts, and the FDA has stepped up its monitoring of sprout facilities to ensure sanitary development and harvesting is enforced.

By Andreas Moritz as it appeared on Facebook.

Soy products have made it into the food industry big time. Soy has been praised as the miracle food that will save the world. However, in spite of impressive nutritional content, soy products are biologically useless to the body, for reasons explained below. Today, soy is contained in thousands of different food products, which has led to a massive escalation of disease in both developed and underdeveloped countries.

Given the fact that soybeans are grown on farms that use toxic pesticides and herbicides—and many are from genetically engineered plants—increasing evidence suggests soy is a major health hazard. With a few exceptions, such as miso, tempeh and other carefully fermented soy products, soy is not suitable for human consumption. Eating soy, soy milk, and regular tofu increases risks of serious health conditions.

In addition, soy is a common food allergen.

Numerous studies have found that soy products:

• increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants
• contribute to thyroid disorders, especially in women
• promote kidney stones (because of excessively high levels of oxalates which combine with
calcium in the kidneys)
• weaken the immune system
• cause severe, potentially fatal food allergies
• accelerates brain weight loss in aging users

Soy products contain:

• Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the
hormone estrogen
• Phytic acids, which reduce the absorption of many vitamins and minerals, including calcium,
magnesium, iron, and zinc, thereby causing mineral deficiencies
• “Antinutrients” or enzyme inhibitors that inhibit enzymes needed for protein digestion and
amino acid uptake
• Haemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen uptake and growth
• Trypsin inhibitors that can cause pancreatic enlargement and, eventually, cancer

Phytoestrogens are potent anti-thyroid agents which are present in vast quantities in soy. Infants exclusively fed on a soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed a milk-based formula. This would be the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. For this reason, premature development of girls (early puberty) has been linked to the use of soy formula, as has the underdevelopment of males. Infant soy formula and soy milk have been linked to autoimmune-thyroid disease, and now also to death.

In 2007, two parents were convicted of murder and given life sentences in prison for starving their 6-week-old baby to death by feeding it with soy milk and apple juice. Now, soy experts are again calling for clear and proper warning labels on all soy milk products—following this and several other babies’ hospitalizations or deaths under similar circumstances.

Only properly fermented soy products, such as miso and tempeh, provide soy nutrients that can easily be absorbed. To make soy products nutritious and healthy, they must be carefully fermented—according to the traditional preparation methods used in Japan.

Typically, soy must be fermented for at least two summers, ideally for 5-6 years, before it becomes beneficial for the body. In spite of the documented scientific evidence that shows soy to be carcinogenic and also cause DNA and chromosome damage, the multi-billion dollar soy industry has managed to turn this generally worthless food into one of the most widely used “nutritious foods” of all times. In a written statement, a spokesman for Protein Technologies said that they had “. . . teams of lawyers to crush dissenters, could buy scientists to give evidence, owned television channels and newspapers, could divert medical schools and could even influence governments . . .” We cannot expect that the powerful and wealthy soy industry is going to disappear any time soon, but we can still make the choice to avoid non-fermented soy products or foods that contain soy. Soy acts more like a drug, not a food, upsetting the body’s entire hormonal balance.

This is enough reason to avoid soy at any cost.

The latest news on the toxic chemical hexane is coming out of China this week with 4 workers reportedly died from work hexane exposure at the United Win iPod factory at which they worked.

Nutiva has been a leader in the organic food world alerting people to the dangers of hexane for both workers and consumers, and was one of the first brands to label its products non-hexane.  We look forward to a day when hexane is banned from food production altogether.

Many well-known food brands offer soy-based products that are processed with hexane.

Such brands include Clif, Luna, Kashi, Silk, Nature’s Way, Bragg’s,  and Genisoy, to name just a few.

Listen to this explosive YouTube Health Ranger Mike Adams  on hexane HERE.

From WIKIpedia: In the industry, hexanes are used in the formulation of glues for shoes, leather products, and roofing. They are also used to extract cooking oils from seeds, for cleansing and degreasing all sorts of items, and in textile manufacturing.

I have an alergy to the sun and I am also hypothyroid with Hashimoto’s disease.   My dermatologist has prescribed a supplement to prepare my skin and protect it from the sun.  The supplement contains soy bean oil (without GMO) and soy lecithin.  The Soy bean oil is the second ingredient listed on the box which means there is a lot.  Is this supplement safe for me to take?