An excerpt from Rick Schaff’s book, “MISLED

Many people concerned about the ill effects of meat and dairy products have resulted to eating soy products as a “healthy” alternative. Moreover, Soy advocates are quick to claim that it is high in protein, free of cholesterol, and very low in fat. However, they may omit that many of these products are made from unfermented, over-processed soy and that eating large quantities of these products may actually cause negative health ramifications.

To clarify the difference between soy, it can be broken down into two different groups: UNFERMENTED and FERMENTED. Unfermented soy products include fresh soybeans, soy nuts, soymilk, tofu. It can be found in literally hundreds of other products as well. Fermented soy products are found in tempeh, miso, natta, and shoya tamari products. Fermentation is a procedure in which a food’s own living enzymes are used to pre-digest the food before you consume it in your diet.

The critics of unfermented soy products claim that if you look at soy from a historical point you will find that soybeans were traditionally used in agriculture for crop rotation because they replenished lost nitrogen in the soil. However, there is no historical indication that soybeans were routinely eaten for food until the fermentation processes was developed around 440 BC. Today unfermented soy products are eaten on a daily basis in large quantities, and have been accused of causing many health problems from thyroid deficiencies to cancer.

The main problem spawning these accusations is that soybeans contain phytates, an organic acid that blocks the uptake of valuable minerals, which include calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc. Soybeans actually contain more phytates than any other grain, bean, or plant. A vegetarian diet that relies heavily on unfermented soy products (as many health conscious Americans do) may be placing them selves in jeopardy by creating a serious zinc deficiency. Zinc is critical for normal functioning of the brain, nervous system, and immune system. Furthermore, zinc is necessary for over 300 enzymatic activities to take place, which include the production of white blood cells, insulin secretion in the pancreas, the production of sperm, fetal development, and the protection of the body from heavy metal poisoning.

Nutrional experts tell us that fermenting soybeans is the most significant way to reduce their phytate concentration to avoid depleting minerals. Moreover, the process of fermentation enhances our body’s abilities to absorb protein and generate compounds that inhibit tumor growth and significantly stimulate the immune system.

Advocates of the soy industry claim that these accusations against unfermented soy products are part of a scheme thrown about by the dairy industry to instigate and encourage declining sales. Moreover, they adamantly deduce that thier products are safe and healthy for our bodies.

It all boils down to this. Comparing Asians to Americans, Americans tend to eat significantly higher amount of soy products (unfermented and-or fermented), and in my opinion, many questions still need to be answered about Soy products to presuppose that it is nutritious to consume in large quantities, and especially on a day to day basis.

A lot of study has pointed us in the direction that fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso are nutritious for us to eat. On the contrary, studies have actually caused us enough concern to question the nutritional value of these products (like soy milk and tofu). There is an old saying that goes “everying in moderation” and so for me I would say that it may be smarter to be cautious about how often we eat soy products until we get more information about the values and possible risks it opposes to our lives.

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