There are TONS of seemingly harmless foods out there that has made me become the detective we all need to be. Our health depends on it. When I ask clients about their food diary, some say "a salad" for lunch, BUT when we dive into what is on that salad that is when some real things come up. Even if you consume a salad of organic greens, farm fresh hard boiled eggs, "salad toppers" and homemade olive oil dressing...I'll say "stop!"... check out the ingredients on the "salad toppers!":
Sunflower Seeds, Soybeans, Onion, Rice, Textured Soy Flour, Rice, Carrots, Red Bell Peppers, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Sugar, Spinach, Barley Malt Extract, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Hydrogenated Soy Protein, Corn Gluten and Wheat Protein, Fd&C Red 3, and Autolyzed Yeast.
Those "toppers" have the caramel food coloring (banned in other countries), sugar, TRANS-FAT and soy. Soybeans have a couple of issues (not to mention that non organic varieties are grown by MANSANTO and contain Round Up...I'm not putting that in my body). One problem is phytic acid, also called phytates. This is an organic acid (found in the hulls of all wheat) which block the body's ability to absorb minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and especially zinc (Magnesium deficiency = LOTS of issues like chocolate cravings, sleep issues, restless leg syndrome, headaches...Iron deficiency = lack of energy and the fastest deficiency for weight gain...zinc deficiency = acne/"back"ne and cravings). Soybeans also contain enzyme inhibitors called trypsin which block absorption of enzymes that the body needs for protein digestion and can cause serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and can lead to chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake (causing depression and other mood disorders AND a decrease in muscle tone). Soybeans also contain a clot promoting substance called hemagglutinin, that causes red blood cells to clump together. These blood cells are unable to absorb oxygen for distribution to the cell's mitochondria (this is how we burn fat when we exercise) and is detrimental for cardiac health. The trypsin and hemagglutinin are "growth depressants." Which is why soy formula is so bad for babies. Only after a long period of fermentation (as in the creation of miso or tempeh) are the phytate and "antinutrient" levels of soybeans reduced which is why I use organic Tamari sauce...a truly fermented soy sauce. Try this recipe instead: (inspired by Oh She Glows Blog)
Base recipe:
1 cup raw sunflower kernels
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup almond flour
2 TBS chia seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 egg
Preheat oven to 300°. In a shallow baking pan, toss the nuts, seeds, almond flour and salt with the egg. Now add in your desired spice by selecting one of the options below or by creating your own flavor.
Garlic Herb:
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Italian herbs
Sweet Coconut Cinnamon:
3 TBS erythritol
2 TBS unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
Once you add in your spice, spread the mixture as thin as possible onto your prepared baking sheet (I wet my hands and used my fingers to spread it). If you want a deeper flavor, you can sprinkle on additional spices or sweetener. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Break up the pieces with a spatula, flip and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 3 TBS serving)
McCormick's = 70 calories, 4 carbs, 1.9g fiber
"Healthified" Toppers = 65 calories, 3.8 carbs, 2.3g fiber (AND NO Trans-FAT!)
for starters i read your blog everyday and love it. now my question, you where talking about soybeans. so is it not healthy or safe to eat edamame? cause i love that stuff.
ReplyDeleteKapu, I have the same question. Is soy, in it's natural state ok - like soy beans?
ReplyDeleteHere is a summary of soy’s most glaring problems.
ReplyDelete1. 91 percent of soy grown in the US is genetically modified (GM). The genetic modification is done to impart resistance to the toxic herbicide Roundup. While this is meant to increase farming efficiency and provide you with less expensive soy, the downside is that your soy is loaded with this toxic pesticide. The plants also contain genes from bacteria that produce a protein that has never been part of the human food supply. GM soy has been linked to an increase in allergies. Disturbingly, the only published human feeding study on GM foods ever conducted verified that the gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of our gut bacteria and continues to function. This means that years after you stop eating GM soy, you may still have a potentially allergenic protein continuously being produced in your intestines.
Even more frightening is the potential for GM soy to cause infertility in future generations, which has been evidenced by recent Russian research.
2. Soy contains natural toxins known as “anti-nutrients.”
Soy foods contain anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, soyatoxin, phytates, protease inhibitors, oxalates, goitrogens and estrogens. Some of these factors interfere with the enzymes you need to digest protein. While a small amount of anti-nutrients would not likely cause a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating is extremely high.
3. Soy contains hemagglutinin. Hemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes your red blood cells to clump together. These clumped cells are unable to properly absorb and distribute oxygen to your tissues.
4. Soy contains goitrogens. Goitrogens are substances that block the synthesis of thyroid hormones and interfere with iodine metabolism, thereby interfering with your thyroid function.
5. Soy contains phytates. Phytates (phytic acid) bind to metal ions, preventing the absorption of certain minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc -- all of which are co-factors for optimal biochemistry in your body. This is particularly problematic for vegetarians, because eating meat reduces the mineral-blocking effects of these phytates (so it is helpful—if you do eat soy—to also eat meat).
6. Soy is loaded with the isoflavones genistein and daidzein. Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, which is a plant compound resembling human estrogen. These compounds mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen, and have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues. Soy phytoestrogens are known to disrupt endocrine function, may cause infertility, and may promote breast cancer in women.
Drinking even two glasses of soymilk daily for one month provides enough of these compounds to alter your menstrual cycle. Although the FDA regulates estrogen-containing products, no warnings exist on soy.
7. Soy has toxic levels of aluminum and manganese. Soybeans are processed (by acid washing) in aluminum tanks, which can leach high levels of aluminum into the final soy product. Soy formula has up to 80 times higher manganese than is found in human breast milk.
8. Soy infant formula puts your baby’s health at risk. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. infants are now fed soy formula, but the estrogens in soy can irreversibly harm your baby’s sexual development and reproductive health. Infants fed soy formula take in an estimated five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day.
Infants fed soy formula have up to 20,000 times the amount of estrogen in circulation as those fed other formulas!
Maria, I have sent people to this comment page where you talk about soy.
ReplyDeleteI feel absolutely mortified about babies being fed soy milk. :( So sad. What a lie. It seems it is all about money for these companies.