In today's society for one reason or another we are all constantly aware of body weight, and often succumb to peer and media pressure to conform to certain dietary expectations. Not only this, but certain foods are often labelled as 'health foods' - rightly or wrongly, and consumption of these are elevated to the point that they can actually do more harm than good.
As you know our slogan 'good food good health' is to try and get everybody to eat a varied and balanced diet, nothing in small doses occasionally will hurt you, but to eat the same food types all the time can cause an unbalance in nutrients and absorption of crucial elements needed for healthy support of our body.
Soy is classed, and especially by vegetarians as a 'health food', but there are many reasons that caution should be used when eating large amounts of the products. While fermented dark soy sauce has high antioxidant properties which we know is good for us - and these out weigh vitamin C and red wine, lesser known is that the beans are high in phytic acid which impedes absorption of key minerals.
Two members of my family were and are on long-term diet plans including my mother and have used the reputable company Slimming World, where healthy balanced varied diets are used. The diet plan consists of red and green days, meat being only eaten on a red day.
This had worked well with weight loss, but mum who has suffered from hypothyroidism for over 25 years had been using tofu and soy products regularly to make up some of the 'meat' on red days and also using it on green days as it is meat free, began feeling less than her usual bubbly self. It took her and her GP many weeks before cutting out soy and realising this was what was interfering with her thyroid hormone utilization.
Apparently, this problem in not only limited to people with thyroid conditions, people with normal functioning thyroid glands can be affected also if their consumption of soy is high.
Soy phytoestrogens are the problem in these cases as they are potent antithyroid agents, leading to hypothyroidism and also it is thought might cause thyroid cancer. Autoimmune thyroid disease has been linked with infants through consumption of soy formula.
Also these phytoestrogens have the potential to cause infertility, and are known to disrupt healthy endocrine functions and are linked with promoting breast cancer.
Antinutrients contained in soybeans can inhibit enzymes that digest proteins and curb amino acid uptake, although in tofu and bean curd the enzyme inhibitors are reduced.
Many people say they never eat soy, but if they checked the labels on foods they have in their kitchen cupboards would be quite surprised, many foods especially processed contain soy protein isolate, bean oil, flour or soy lecithin and are included in products such as sweets, bread, sausages and cereals to name but a few.
Soybeans are high in phytic acid as I mentioned earlier, and this organic acid reduces absorption of key minerals - magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron. Growth problems in children have been caused by diets high in phytates.
Soybeans phytic acid content is not reduced by normal cooking means - soaking and slow cooking for long periods, only by a fermentation process.
By eating soy regularly it increases the body's vitamin D requirement and also vitamin B 12, as B 12 analogs are not absorbed in soy.
Worryingly aluminium that is toxic to the kidneys and nervous system, has been found in soybeans in fairly high levels.
As you can see there are many reasons that caution should be heeded when eating soy as a health food, and when it is substituted for dairy products and meat regularly, mineral deficiencies can happen and so a good supplement can help to maintain a healthy balance.
On the plus side, fermented soy products provide nutrients that the body can easily absorb such as Natto, Tempeh and Miso. Soy sauce has been found to have a preventative aspect that has shown to slow down neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
Soy protein has been shown to aid the lowering of blood cholesterol, and this works significantly and more effective with people who have very high cholesterol levels, in respect to those who had not substituted animal proteins for soy proteins.
People that incorporate soy products regularly into their diet have been shown to live healthier lives, as generally these people are aware of the diet they are eating, and it is often much more varied and balanced good food.
Soybeans are naturally rich in phosophatidycholine that give an efficient system of nutrient delivery and is also an important component of cell membranes for good health.
As for soy and weight loss or fat burning, no conclusive evidence is available to say that soy products actually maximize this, even though the proteins themselves contain the properties of fat and water absorption, aeration, emulsification and imparting of texture.
Solubility and dissociation of soy globulins and proteins is affected greatly by salt content and the ph of the solution, and these proteins perform best where acids and salts are present causing a 'sponge' like action. This action of the polysaccharides may and can only occur as fast as other metabolic processes.
It is therefore true that soy products can absorb up to four times their weight in water, but as for fat loss there is no conclusive proof that soy products can produce this. It can be effective as a supplement in helping with fat loss and toning of the body when used in conjunction with exercise and a healthy diet regime.
So as with any diet program we should all take care to eat good food for good health and use supplements to maximise health benefits and to counteract any deficiencies. Soy can be a healthy option especially when consumed in moderation.
So remember good food is good health.
Sandra & Ted
This article was composed by Sandra & Ted Wosko. We have always been interested in health issues especially having children, and as with most people, we all suffer with some type of ailment. We are always researching on more and more topics in the endless task of gaining more knowledge to increase our expertise, benefiting ourselves and other people alike. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Wosko |
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