Soy before Cheese

SOY IS A JUNK FOOD.... WHAT?!?

So.... apparently my comment about cutting out all soy made a few people go hummmmm. So I thought I would share with you all why... soy IS junk food.


Now I must say... I do not have a degree, certification, or any official schooling in the field of soy beans. BUT I have done a lot of research and talked with our holistic doctor and everything I'm saying I believe 'right now' to be true and the best decision for OUR health. So read, learn, and don't be mad at me if you have to change your diet because you read this. :)


Here are a few basic facts about soy beans... a long time ago the USA noticed that women in Asia had lower rates of breast cancer and had less menopause symptoms... so we decided soy MUST be good and we MUST put it in everything. What they failed to realized is that the women did eat soy but they ate small amounts of fermented soy and they didn't eat it in EVERYTHING.


Our bodies are not meant to digest soy in it's unfermented state... it is hard on the body. It causes hormone problems, digestive problems and more. A small amount wouldn't be half bad but... I don't know if you've noticed....SOY is in everything.... soy oil, soy flour, soy beans, soy nuts, isolated soy protein (the worst), soy milk, tofu..... it's just too much of the wrong kind of soy.


Soy also contains goitrogens - substances that depress thyroid function. (any women out there have thyroid problems???)


99% a very large percentage of soy is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of our foods.


Soybeans are high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract.


They acid wash in aluminum tanks leaching high levels of aluminum into the final product. I could go on and on.... do you still want to eat soy???


If not, try these easy suggestions for eliminating soy. You'll have to be very cautious with what you buy... soy is in LOTS of processed foods AND health foods. Just because it says all natural or healthy or whatever lie they put on the front of the box doesn't mean it is.


Try rice or almond milk instead of soy milk

try temphe (fermented soy) instead of tofu

breast milk instead of soy formula... don't hate me {I am not judging those that can not breastfeed}

stay away from veggie meats.... they are loaded with MSG and unfermented soy protein isolate goat cheese instead of soy cheese


here are a few links to some articles if you want to read more....

Avoid soy

Soy, the good and the bad

Soy alert

Soy, the cause or the cure


if you still want more info e-mail me or leave a comment with your email.


{orignally posted December 10th, 2007}


46 comments:

  1. Well, I have always avoided soy because I think it tastes disgusting, but I am glad to have some other good reasons to back up my personal preference!

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  2. Thanks for sharing Brittany! Just wanted to share this bean burger recipe for those that might want an alternative to veggie meats you buy at the store.

    http://www.recipezaar.com/Mexican-Bean-Burgers-147351

    We LOVE these burgers and seriously, they are so tasty. I know you're saying no to cheese too, but hubby likes to mix in a little shredded cheddar sometimes too and oh my goodness...to die for. ;) It's all about moderation right?! A couple of slices of avocado on top, YUM.

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  3. AMEN! Between soy and corn, our culture is really treating us more like barnyard animals...who also should not be eating soy or corn... You said it well, so I won't get started.

    And anybody who wants more info on the corn situation in America should read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Very interesting and informative. And true.

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  4. We do almond milk in our house and do soy about once or twice a week. I was told that soy is a hormaone altering substance, causing th ebody to produce more estrogen. Children going through puberty should eat soy. I have a little boy therefor we avoid soy if at all possible.
    We do eat soy sausage and soy yougurt

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  5. Woah. Well, I guess no more edemame for me! Off to read those articles you linked too...thanks for the info.

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  6. I was always a little worried about giving my oldest child so much soy. I wasn't able to breastfeed {because of surgery that I had before kids} and he had a severe milk allergy. He used soy formula when he was a baby and then drank soy milk for two years until he outgrew his milk allergy. I had read a few negative things about soy, but didn't really have a choice because of his allergy. Thanks for the great info.

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  7. Thanks for that. We cut out soy because of the estrogen level... who needs boys with estrogen, and girls with too much estrogen {they reach puberty way too early in life already}.

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  8. I personally think soy is 'gross' -- I don't drink or eat it (at least that I know of!!). Thanks for the information though.........

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  9. I switched to soy after having my first son because he was having trouble digesting all the milk I drank. Then a few months later I was at the Dr being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, my thyroid was barely functioning. Now I'm on medicine indefinately.

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  10. We use rice milk instead of soy milk for Eliza's cereal. She loves it! She won't eat anything else. :)

    I am careful about my family's intake of soy... there are just too many negatives. I make most everything myself anyways so it ends up not being difficult at all :)

    -Andrea

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  11. I totally agree with you!

    Both my children and myself have Celiac and therefore eat gluten free. I never allowed my children(now adults) to drink milk and have limited their cheese (hard cheese only). We NEVER EVER eat Soy.

    In fact when my son was undergoing testing for Celiac (first one diagnosed) his GI said that SOY is one of the worst things you can put in your body and harder to digest than milk products. I've been careful ever since (10+ years now).

    I urge you to watch, (available on DVD, if you haven't seen it already) the documentary "The World according to Monsanto". They call it the documentary that Americans won't see.

    Eye opening!

    Cheers,
    Blondie
    PS (First time posting, long time lurker) Love your blog!

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  12. I'm glad to know this, and not at all surprised. My concerns about too much dairy (all things in moderation) prompted me to mix things up with some soy milk. My body went completely nuts hormonally (it apparently mimics estrogen?). I suspected the soy milk, and when I stopped, everything returned to normal within a few weeks. Now I won't touch anything with soy in it, it makes me miserable and I shudder to think what excess does to growing children. Fortunately, we love almond milk and the kids enjoy chocolate rice milk as a snack :)

    I vote for more health and nutrition posts from you!

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  13. Brittany...I've been reading your blog for a long time now and have seldom (if ever, really!) commented because I am not really a commenter ;). However, you mentioned in your blog to leave your e-mail address if you'd like more info...and I do! So, here's my address: jrbrun922@gmail.com.

    I am a twenty-six year old who was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease...so I've cut gluten entirely out of my diet. I am fairly health conscious, but probably more of a "poser" ;) compared to you! I'd like any and all advice you can give to me. I haven't yet had children but will be having some in the not-so-distant future (hopefully!) and want to be as healthy as I can.

    Anyway, any resources you can guide me to...or things like that...would be wonderful!

    Thanks and have a great day!

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  14. very good info. I buy veggie burgers and tofu on occasion for myself because I don't eat a lot of meat. I'm not a "full-blown" vegetarian but, I cut back on meat...now after reading this I will be careful to look at what I am buying. I also drink soy milk so, I may have to make the switch. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Great info...did not know all that. I am allergic to all soy so I just stay away from it anyways :)
    ~Elyse~

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  16. Thanks for letting us know. Rice milk is so much tastier than soy milk anyways.

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  17. I am hypothyroid...and was told I could NOT have any soy! Thanks for your bloggette about soy! Now I can fully understand WHY I should not have it....
    I go in and out of feeling well and not well...so I know understand that soy COULD be a culprit...
    Again, thanks for this GREAT information :) Do you mind if I share this link? I have some thyroidal friends...and I am sure this would be useful info for them too! :)

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  18. Yeah! Good post! I dislike all the 'health' lies about soy. Now, cheese, well I am not quite where you are :) We eat organic (raw when possible) cheese. But I am very interested to hear what you have to say about it!

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  19. Very enlightening...I sent you an email because yes, I still have questions!!

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  20. whew makes me glad I didn't get on that bandwagon!

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  21. I'm with the girl next door I skipped that whole craze as well. Thanks for the lesson. Always glad to learn something new.

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  22. Hey, I just came across your blog. :) I gave up soy products about 6 months ago and have switched to almond milk. Unfortunately, both of my sons have grown up on soy milk and I am having the hardest time transitioning them! Not to mention that they love pretty much all soy "meat replacement" foods. It's going to be a tough battle..

    Thank you for writing this post, it's so important that people are aware.

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  23. I just started to read your blog, and I think it is great ... love the pictures of your kids! I keep coming back waiting for the post on avoiding cheese, but this is interesting too. My husband is big time lactose intolerant, but won't drink soy as a replacement because of the hormone issues.

    Although, I'm not sure I agree with all the information. I've lived in China for almost 4 years now, and they eat soy ALL THE TIME. IN EVERYTHING. Soy nuts as snacks. Soy milk is sold off street carts for breakfast. They eat tofu like it's going out of style and they put soy powder in their food.

    Regardless, I think you're take is interesting and I'm going to have to think about how much I consume!

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  24. Not a soy eater...but who would have thunk it....

    Happy Friday.

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  25. I read all the time but am comment shy... but this week I am making myself come out of the shadows of the blogs I stalk.. and what a better time to do so... Soy?

    After the loss of our son in 2007 I tried to lose weight for a bit before we started TTC again? The dietitian told me to eat protein protein protein ... mainly soy.

    I am normally an obsessive researching fool... but with grief and whatnot... I was lazy. After 4 months on soy? I no longer ovulated. 18 months later and I am still not ovulating on my own. In fact, we are going down the IVF road... and the first thing my RE said was soy was to blame.

    Thank you for educating people.

    Blessings,
    CeCe Garrett

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  26. i knew all of this, so we already changed our diet a lot (from soy to other products);

    i only wanted to mention that both my girls are allergic on cow milk, so a great alternate milk is goats milk, not soy and not rice (which is not fat enough for most little chilren).

    leslie

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  27. When I was shopping for a prenatal vitamin I had a difficult time finding one without soy!!! Then I went back for iron supplements later in my pregnancy and had exactly the same problem. It blew my mind. My reason for not wanting soy was because I had heard it's a form of estrogen. I'm pregnant. Why do I need MORE estrogen??? I had to ask my pharmacist for an iron supplement without soy. Drove me crazy! :) Reading your info here makes me even more glad that I was careful at least with my vitamins/supplements.

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  28. Hi Brittany...
    I love reading your blog and seeing the beautiful pictures of your family. I recently had a little girl, our first, and am so interested in learning more about changing our diets before she gets engulfed into a world of junk food. I was curious to know where you got started learning more about all of this and what a sample menu would look like for a week at your house. I need to start gathering recipes and trying some new things. Also, did you make your own baby food? Thanks so much for your input! My email is kshalle23@yahoo.com and my name is Kristen!

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  29. OK - hopefully I'll figure this out to leave you a message! I can hardly wait til nap time to be able to go through your blog!! First, I found you because you left a message for my girlfriend who also has 6 children and of course I had to check you out! I have 3 little boys! Your children are absolutely beautiful and so are you! I can't imagine how you felt have 4 BOYS then having twin GIRLS and IDENTICAL!!! OHHHHH! That just warms my heart to no end! I love it!!!! More when I can write more!! Love to you and blessing to your family!! I'm inspired!

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  30. I don't intentionally eat soy (tofu, soy milk etc) but I've been looking at labels more often lately and, you're right, it's in EVERYTHING! I was also wondering (and maybe you can answer in your next Q&A post) with all the conflicting info floating around out there about what's good or bad for you, how do you determine what's right? Just curious- thanks.

    nicole

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  31. I'm so glad you saved me time doing all that research! I remember hearing that soy wasn't all that it was made out to be. Thanks!

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  32. I was so glad to read your post, particularly because I have hypothyroidism, and I never knew until very recently, how soy affects the thyroid! I think so many of us hopped on the soy bandwagon without ever knowing the facts about what it really IS!

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  33. we disliked soy milk taste so have always used rice milk! However, i didn't realize it was in so many other things!

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  34. Hi I'm new to your blog...thanks for sharing this info, very informative! I just bought some tofu today, oops. But I don't eat it often. I'll certainly consider this info when buying food!

    Marie

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  35. I came over via Powell Power and the Random Picture Challenge. I have to share with you ...

    ... and it ended up an epic novel so I just took it over to my place.

    http://heidisacredandprofane.blogspot.com/2009/03/soy-what.html

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  36. Yikes!!! Thanks so much for this info....my 13 month old is allergic to milk and although she is still breastfed I have been giving her some soy milk and that's all I've been drinking to avoid her getting milk through my breastmilk. I'll be looking into Almond milk as I wean her and stopping soy milk for both of us ASAP. When I've looked at rice and almond milk in the past I haven't got it because of the difference in protein content....

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  37. So timely...I just read an article about this as well and am so disapointed! I'm been a veg for over a year now and love my soy burgers. DANG IT! Thanks for the additional info!

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  38. So I have a couple of questions. When do you start feeding your babies food? Do you use cereal? I read the infant cereal box tonight and it has soy in it to. Make your own?

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  39. Interesting post. I recently read an article that stated that if you are allergic to peanuts to avoid soy as well. Apparently, it can make the allergic reaction worse, especially in people that also have asthma.

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  40. You have my e-mail address, can you please e-mail me some more information?

    This has definitely caught my interest! I may or may not eventually agree with you, but I would like to know where to start with the research =)

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  41. You have my e-mail address, can you please e-mail me some more information?

    This has definitely caught my interest! I may or may not eventually agree with you, but I would like to know where to start with the research =)

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  42. Yes.
    I was a vegetarian who ate a lot of soy... especially during my first pregnancy.
    My first son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes [peas, lentils] and yup - soy. The peanut allergy seems genetic [a few other relatives on DHs side] but I think the massive soy consumption didn't help w/ all the cross over allergies.
    We are NOT soy eaters. But it is in so many foods, people clearly don't realize it.

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  43. Thanks for the info. My son suffers from migraines and we have a list of things he cannot eat. Corn and dairy the big ones. I've been reading labels like crazy and corn and soy are in everything. It's hard to avoid in processed foods. Also, I've been giving him soy alternatives for the milk but definitely will not be doing this now. My girls are both allergic to peanuts and my oldest is allergic to walnuts. I don't think I could try almond milk with them but maybe I could try it with my son.We've tried goat milk and rice milk as alternatives. My oldest loves rice but she is so small the MD recommended soy for more protein. I think I will be switching back. Once again, thanks for this info. I appreciate all your health posts and recipes!

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  44. I lived in China for a year - they don't eat soy!! They eat FRESH vegs and some fish and some poultry and some meat - but most veggies and always fresh - from a garden w/o pesticides!

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  45. Hey thanks, this was really interesting, and prodded me to do more actual research into soy then I ever had before. Appreciate it! :)

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Thank you for blessing me with your words!

Brittany