Soy
The Dark Side of
America's Favorite Health Food
By Dr. Kaayla Daniel
February 22, 2009
Dr. Kaayla Daniel tells the truth about soy that scientists know, that
you need to know, and that the soy industry has tried to suppress
Hundreds of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies link soy
to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive
decline, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown, even heart
disease and cancer. Most at risk are children given soy formula,
vegetarians who eat soy as their main source of protein and adults
self-medicating with soy food supplements.
In this shocking exposé interview with CRUSADOR editor Greg
Ciola, Dr. Kaayla Daniel sheds light on the dark side of
America’s favorite health food.
Dr. Daniel provides readers with all fact and no fiction. Her book, The
Whole Soy Story, and this interview expose the misleading propaganda
used by the soy industry to promote the supposed benefits of this
inferior and potentially deadly food.
Crusador: Kaayla, how did you get interested in researching soy and why
did you doubt the health benefits?
About fifteen years ago I started wondering about all those wonderful
claims for soy. The possibility that a simple, inexpensive food could
prevent heart disease, fight cancer, fan away hot flashes, and build
strong bodies in far more than 12 ways was seductive. The hype,
however, did not match the reality of the many sick, soy-eaters that I
saw in my life. At ashrams, I talked to vegetarians who waxed
enthusiastically about their “enlightened” diets
but who complained about loss of energy, “brain
fog,” thinning hair, gray skin, weight gain and gas.
When I taught classes, I met health-conscious professionals who came to
me confused and frustrated because they had been advised to eat soy but
felt worse than they had ever felt in their lives. As a nutritionist, I
worked with clients who told me that their health had deteriorated
after they began to consciously add soy to their diets. These
observations led me to question everything I’d ever heard or
read about soy and to research the subject for myself. I wrote this
book because I wanted to help more people than just my own clients and
friends.
Crusador: Tell us a little bit about your background.
I received my PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Anti-Aging Therapies from
the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. My dissertation was
on the health risks from soyfoods with every statement backed by hard
science. The Whole Soy Story is an expanded version of that
dissertation. I’m also a Certified Clinical Nutritionist
(CCN), which means I’m board certified by the International
and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists (IAACN) in Dallas.
To earn this credential, I completed a rigorous course of study and
passed a challenging exam.
Crusador: While the majority of scientists were touting the health
benefits of soy, you took the opposite view.
Actually, the majority of scientists have never touted the health
benefits of soy. I attended both the Fourth and the Fifth International
Symposia on the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease
and met dozens of the top scientists who are receiving soy industry
funding. Even though many of them are deeply indebted to the industry,
few were comfortable with calling soy a “miracle
food” and most were quite frank in saying that the marketing
is way ahead of the science. The problem is that what these people say
in public to the media can be very different from the reservations they
express privately to each other at these conferences.
As for scientists who are not being funded by the soy industry, they
have reported adverse effects from soy foods for many years. We have
thousands of epidemiological, laboratory and clinical studies showing
adverse effects. Leading scientists from the FDA’s own
Laboratory of Toxicological Research spoke out strongly against the
heart disease and soy protein health claim approved by the FDA in 1999.
The British Committee on Toxicity has expressed serious reservations
about health claims made for the plant estrogens in soy protein. The
British Dietetic Association has strongly warned parents and
pediatricians of the dangers of soy formula. So have many other
independent organizations, scientists and other researchers.
Crusador: Tell us a little bit about the history of soy - how did this
product go from relative obscurity fifty years ago to the leading
health supplement/meat alternative today and how has the soy industry
been able to spread such blatant propaganda?
In China, Japan and other countries in Asia soy foods are whole food
products made from the whole soybean. In the west, the soybean is
typically split into two golden commodities -- soy oil and soy protein.
For years, the soy protein left over from soy oil extraction went
exclusively to animals, poultry, and, more recently, fish farms. The
problem is that they can put only so much soy in the feeds before the
animals start developing serious reproductive and other health
problems. So the soy industry still had a lot left over and decided to
market it as a “people feed.” The problem was that
most Americans not only loathed the beany taste and gas-producing
effects of soy but thought of soy foods as “hippie
foods,” “poverty foods” or specialty
foods for vegetarians.
The industry had to dramatically improve soy’s image and make
people want to eat it and pay well for the privilege. They decided to
turn it into an upscale “health food” and have
spent millions influencing food manufacturers, chefs, dietitians,
editors, writers etc. They’ve invested in
“checkbook” research, symposia to announce and
publicize favorable findings, plus aggressive lobbying in Washington.
They probably spent more than a million dollars on establishing the
FDA’s spurious cholesterol lowering heart claim alone. But
that claim has doubled the sales of soy protein in this country. So
they have enjoyed a fantastic return on their investment.
Crusador: Do you believe that some big multi-national corporations and
government agencies had an agenda in pushing soy on the public?
The little soybean is big business. Soy foods are one of the fastest
growing sectors in the food industry with retail sales growing from
$0.852 billion to $3.2 billion during the decade from 1992 to 2002. In
order to accomplish this, the soy industry had to convince a lot of
people that soy is good for them and to cover up and suppress a lot of
evidence to the contrary. However, sales of soy products grew just six
percent from 2003-2004. That’s way down from 18 percent
growth from 2001-2002. The industry isn’t happy and is
pushing for a “soy breakthrough product” that will
put back the double-digit growth.
Crusador: How are soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate
produced?
First they have to split the bean, and soybeans don’t
willingly or easily give up their oil. The only economical way to
obtain it is to use a complicated high-tech process that includes
grinding, crushing and extracting using high temperature, intense
pressure and chemical solvents such as hexane. The oil most often goes
to vegetable oil, margarine and shortening manufacture.
The protein ought to go to fertilizer, for it’s a very good
fertilizer. Instead, it most often goes into making animal or people
feed.
To make soy protein isolate (SPI), which consists of 90 to 92 percent
protein, processors begin with the defatted soybean protein, which is
mixed with a caustic alkaline solution to remove the fiber, then washed
in an acid solution to precipitate out the protein. The protein curds
are then dipped into yet another alkaline solution and spray dried at
extremely high temperatures.
The goal is to remove “off flavors,”
“beany” tastes and flatulence producers.
Soy protein isolates are what’s mixed into nearly every food
product sold in today’s stores – energy bars,
muscle-man powders, breakfast shakes, burgers and hot dogs as well as
most of today’s soy infant formulas.
To make soy protein concentrate (SPC), which consists of about 70
percent protein, processors start with the defatted soy protein but
retain most of the soybean’s fiber. The concentrate is made
by precipitating the solids with aqueous acid, aqueous alcohol, moist
heat and/or organic solvents. These “immobilize”
the protein, which is then removed along with some of the soy
carbohydrates and salt residues. Different processing methods favored
by different manufactures affect the quality of the protein, the levels
of the antinutrients, and toxic residues, solubility, emulsifying
ability and texture.
Soy protein concentrates are used by food processors churning out fake
meat and dairy products. Two types of SPC are in general use. The first
goes through an extruder at extremely high temperature and pressure and
comes out in the form of the familiar flakes, chunks and granules of
ersatz meat. “Functional” soy concentrate is used
in the binding phase of production to guarantee firmness, cohesion and
juiciness. By combining both of these two very different forms of SPC,
food processors have concocted many moist and
“meaty” new products.
Crusador: Why do you feel these forms of soy are most dangerous?
These products can only be made in chemical factories, not kitchens.
There’s nothing natural about them. The complicated, high
tech procedures leave many toxic and carcinogenic residues such as
lysinoalanines and nitrosamines. Vitamin, mineral and protein quality
are all sacrificed. Soy protein isolates may even increase the
requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12. Animal studies show that
phosphorous is poorly utilized and that deficiencies of calcium,
magnesium, molybdenum, copper, iron and especially zinc are common. SPI
is also more deficient in the sulfur-containing amino acids than other
soy protein products and this dramatically affects skin and hair
health.
Crusador: Is Asia it true that soy is eaten in great quantity in or is
this a myth?
Asia is a huge continent. It includes people of many cultures with
widely varying dietary customs and health records. But, in all of these
countries soy is eaten as a “condiment” and not as
a dietary staple. Soyatech Inc, a soy-industry information center based
in Bar Harbor, Maine, reports that the average daily consumption of dry
soybeans in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Taiwan ranges from 9.3
grams to 36 grams. Others, too, have reported that Asians eat very
little soy.
When T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University traveled around China to
survey the dietary habits of 6,500 adults in 130 rural villages, he
reported that they ate an average of 12 grams of legumes per day.
Probably only about one third of this amount is soy. For some
inexplicable reason, he never got the figures on soy alone. Also, keep
in mind that the type of food Asians eat is very different from the soy
that is appearing on the American table. Think small amounts of
old-fashioned whole soy products like miso, natto tempeh and tofu, not
soy sausages, soy burgers, chicken-like soy patties, TVP chili, tofu
cheesecake, packaged soymilk or other of the ingenious new soy products
that have infiltrated the American marketplace.
Crusador: Do you feel that all forms of soy are bad for you or are
there benefits when you eat the whole soybean or use tofu, tempeh or
other fermented versions of soy?
I regularly enjoy small quantities of old-fashioned fermented soy
products such as miso and tempeh. I recommend high quality brands such
as South River Miso. Fermentation is a process in which bacteria, fungi
and other beneficial microorganisms help break down the soybeans
complex proteins, starches and fats into highly digestible amino acids,
simple sugars and fatty acids.
These wee beasties deactivate the antinutrients that cause digestive
stress, flatulence, poor mineral absorption and other hazards
associated with modern soy products. I think that miso, tempeh, natto
and tamari or shoyu soy sauces – if made in the old-fashioned
way -- are healthy foods in the context of a varied, omnivorous diet.
Tofu, as you know it, is not fermented but a precipitated product.
Although it doesn’t contain the toxic and carcinogenic
residues of modern western soy protein products, it does contain many
antinutrients that can cause digestive distress, mineral malabsorption
and other problems. I’ll enjoy it once in awhile at a
vegetarian potluck, but don’t eat it regularly.
Crusador: What’s all the hype about soy isoflavones; do they
really help regulate hormones in the body, especially for women?
Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen or plant estrogen. They exist
in more than 70 plants with the highest concentrations by far found in
soybeans.
They exert estrogenic effects directly and indirectly -- directly by
binding with estrogen receptors and indirectly by interfering with
estrogen production.
The only way to safely and intelligently use soy isoflavones for
hormone regulation is with careful monitoring and dosing, which cannot
be done by the average consumer just eating soyfoods or taking
isoflavone pills. Like steroidal estrogens, these plant estrogens have
the potential to exert adverse as well as beneficial actions. To use
them properly for hormone regulation, there needs to be a physician in
charge and he or she would need to have a sure knowledge of windows of
vulnerability – or opportunity – as found in utero,
during infancy, before puberty, during puberty, during pregnancy, the
reproductive years or beyond.
The idea that they are “natural” hence is safe, is
wishful thinking. Soy isoflavones are routinely recommended to
premenopausal and postmenopausal women, but few people seem to
recognize that these powerful “hormone regulators”
can seriously interfere with the development of infants, children and
teenagers and the fertility of childbearing women.
For men, these estrogens are feminizing and can decrease testosterone
production.
Crusador: But don’t we hear that soy isoflavones are safe
because they are weak estrogens?
Soy industry spokespeople routinely claim that isoflavones are 10,000
to 1,000,000 times less potent than the human estrogen, estradiol. The
correct figure is 1,200 times less potent. Although the figure of
1/1,200 might seem “weak,” isoflavones are potent
endocrine disrupters that can harm the thyroid, brain and reproductive
systems when consumed in sufficient quantities. The populations at
greatest risk would be infants on soy formula, vegetarians using soy as
their primary protein source, and middle aged men and women self
medicating in the belief that soy could help prevent heart disease,
cancer, menopausal symptoms or other conditions.
Crusador: Do you see any positive value in using soy isoflavones?
It is certainly possible that soy isoflavones could be successfully
developed into useful pharmaceutical drugs, but it is inappropriate for
the soy industry to recommend that the entire population of men, women
and children self medicate by eating massive amounts of soyfoods. The
public has not been properly warned that soy can have many side
effects, that is a substance that could be helpful in one stage of the
life cycle but harmful in another and that dietary estrogens can
interact cumulatively or exponentially with environmental estrogens.
Crusador: Do the soy isoflavones prevent cancer or is this just a scam?
While a few studies suggest that soy isoflavones might help prevent
cancer, far more studies show it to be ineffective or inconsistent.
Some studies even show that soy can contribute to, promote or even
cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Yet the soy industry persists
in touting soy as the natural cancer answer.
In February 2004, the Solae Company – a manufacturer of soy
protein – submitted a petition to the FDA requesting
permission to use a health claim saying that soy protein can prevent
cancer despite the fact that numerous scientists have warned us against
soy protein because of its carcinogenic potential. The idea that
scientists could even consider soy for a cancer health claim is
ludicrous. Soy isoflavones are even listed as
“carcinogens” in many toxicology textbooks,
including the American Chemical Society’s 1976 Chemical
Carcinogens.
Despite this, Solae boldly stated that there is a “consensus
among experts qualified by scientific training and
experience” that “soy protein products reduce the
risk of certain cancers.” This is so shockingly untrue that I
joined Sally Fallon and Bill Sanda of the Weston A. Price Foundation to
file two protest documents with the FDA. We will soon file a petition
requesting that the FDA require warning labels on soy protein products.
Crusador: In your new book you make the statement that “soy
is not a health food, soy is not the answer to world hunger, soy is not
a panacea, soy has never been proven safe.” Can you expound
on this for us?
Well, I had to write a 457-page book to do that! I’ll be
brief. Soy is not a health food because thousands of studies link it to
malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive
decline, reproductive disorders, infertility, loss of libido, premature
aging, immune system breakdown, even heart disease and cancer. It is
not the answer to world hunger because it’s not a high
quality food. It is also not a solution because soybean farming has
caused grave environmental and economic crises wherever the growing of
soybeans for export has replaced local crops grown to feed the people
and wherever giant soybean processing plants have replaced cottage
industries.
Although it has been widely publicized that much of the Amazon
rainforest has been lost from ranchers raising cattle for fast-food
franchises, few people know that soybean farming has wrought even
greater devastation. In only one year, new soybean farms caused the
deforestation of areas of the rainforest larger than the state of New
Jersey! Yet the soybean is promoted as the salvation to world hunger
and a “green,” environmentally sound alternative to
meat production.
Soy has never been proven safe because it has been linked to numerous
health problems and diseases. Over the years, scientists have heavily
researched the antinutrients, toxins and carcinogens in soy, including
the protease inhibitors, lectins, saponins, phytates and isoflavones
and tried to find ways to eliminate or deactivate them. They have not
succeeded. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, there are toxins and
carcinogens created during modern food processing methods such as the
nitrosamines, lysinoalanines, chloropropanols, heterocyclic amines and
furanones.
Crusador: What kind of health problems are you finding associated with
soy and how serious do you think they are?
It’s a very serious problem, Greg. I see so many thyroid
problems in adult women who drink a lot of soy milk or shakes, snack on
energy bars or take soy supplements. Most develop hypothyroidism
– that’s low thyroid – and they
experience weight gain, energy loss, depression, brain fog, loss of
libido, thinning hair and poor skin. Occasionally, soy stimulates the
thyroid causing hyperthyroidism, followed by a slow decline into
hypothyroidism.
Some of these women first feel better, but the results don’t
last. A few react so strongly to soy that they experience heart
palpitations and what are called “thyroid storms.”
I often see a lot of reproductive problems, altered menstrual cycles
and infertility among those who consume a lot of soyfoods.
Crusador: Is the damage from soy irreversible?
I don’t like to use words like
“irreversible” or “incurable”
but fear that some of the damage from soy formula is permanent. A
crucial time for the programming of the human reproductive system is
right after birth – the very time when many non-breastfed
babies get bottle after bottle of soy formula.
Normally during this period, the baby’s body surges with
natural estrogens, testosterone and other hormones needed to program
the newborn’s reproductive system to mature from infancy
through puberty and into adulthood. For infants on soy formula, the
programming may be disturbed or interrupted. The phytoestrogens in soy
formula – the isoflavones – bear a strong
resemblance to the natural estrogens produced by the human body as well
as to the synthetic estrogens found in birth control pills.
Strictly speaking, soy estrogens are not hormones but
“estrogen mimickers,” but the bottom line is that
the human body mistakes them for hormones.
Little boys who are estrogenized in this way may experience delayed or
arrested puberty. Little girls who are overly estrogenized may go
through premature puberty. We have many tragic stories.
Crusador: Haven’t environmental estrogens also been
implicated in premature puberty?
Yes, the environmental estrogens from plastics, pesticides and
factory-farmed meats are also to blame. But it’s high time
that soy formula also be recognized as one of the factors contributing
to the epidemic of premature puberty.
Crusador: Soy formula sounds very dangerous. Who ever decided to allow
this poison to be used as a replacement for breast milk?
The inventors of the first soy formulas were westerners with big hearts
and good intentions – to save babies that would not otherwise
have survived.
Contrary to popular belief, soy formula was never used traditionally in
Asia.
Babies who could not be breastfed by their mothers received homemade
dairy formulas made with mare, water buffalo, cow or goat’s
milk, were breast fed by a wet nurse . . . or died.
The first soy infant formula was invented by John Ruhrah, a Baltimore
pediatrician, in 1909. In China, Ernest Tso announced the first soy
infant formula in 1928. The first manufacturer of soy formula in China
was Dr. Harry W. Miller, a Seventh Day Adventist missionary from Ohio.
Many researchers have tried to improve the crude early formulas.
Although the quality has improved markedly over the years, some of the
worst problems remain because infant formula manufacturers have refused
to remove the dangerous hormonal isoflavones as well as the
antinutrients known as phytates. Their refusal to recognize the problem
is clearly linked to the desire to maximize profits.
Crusador: What kind of research is available to support the toxic
effects of soy on the body?
There are thousands of epidemiological, laboratory and clinical studies
carried out over many decades. Of course, the soy industry likes to
claim that these are either out of date (if more than a few years old)
or poorly designed (whenever the conclusion doesn’t suit
them). Age is not a marker of a study’s quality. Many of the
older studies were done by honest, independent scientists who were not
dependent upon industry funding for their salaries and laboratories. In
any case, we have plenty of current studies that confirm the findings
of the earlier researchers.
Crusador: Soy is supposedly a very high quality protein alternative to
animal protein. Is this true?
Compared to other plant foods, soybeans earn a high rating in terms of
both quantity and quality of protein. Between 35 and 38 percent of the
soybean is protein compared to 20 to 30 percent in other beans. Soy
also enjoys status as the highest quality plant protein because it
contains all of the essential amino acids. Although “contains
all” is not the same as “contains a complete and
balanced ratio” of essential amino acids, the World Health
Organization (WHO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
many governments now accept a rating system that promotes soy as a high
quality protein that is essentially equivalent to egg, meat or dairy
proteins.
This came about thanks to a new protein rating system designed by the
food industry and tested only in short-term studies, none of which
provide sound, scientific evidence that people can safely adopt soy as
their main protein source for life. Vegetarians and others who choose
soy year after year as their principal source of protein are
unwittingly volunteering themselves and their children to serve as
guinea pigs in a truly long-term unmonitored epidemiological study. The
results are already coming in, at least anecdotally, in the form of
protein deficient people complaining of dry skin, lusterless hair,
balding, poor muscle tone, weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, digestive
distress, allergies, immune breakdown, thyroid dysfunction,
reproductive disorders and so forth.
Crusador: What are your thoughts on health supplements such as lecithin
and vitamin E that come from soy?
The main risk is for people with soy allergies. Although neither soy
oil or lecithin should include any soy protein, there may be residues
from the manufacturing process. People who eat plenty of eggs,
preferably from free range hens, will get all the lecithin they need
from the egg yolks. People who strongly need to supplement with Vitamin
E are most likely on low fat diets or eating an excessive amount of
polyunsaturated oils, both of which create a greater need for Vitamin E
supplements.
Crusador: What do you think about soy oil and margarine that are found
in thousands of packaged foods?
Avoid them at all costs! Most so-called “vegetable
oils” are soy oils and those sold in supermarkets are highly
refined products made using industrial processes that involve high
temperatures, intense pressures and chemical solvents. During these
processes, the oil is exposed to damaging heat, light and oxygen.
Rancidity is inevitable so companies remove or cover up the
“off” tastes and odors with refining, deodorizing
and “light” hydrogenation.
Virtually none of the soy oil sold to the public escapes this fate. The
few “natural” unrefined soy oils sold in health
food stores have a strong flavor that does not appeal to many and are
very prone to rancidity. In China, crude soy oil was more appropriately
used – as the fuel for kerosene type lamps.
By now most of your readers have surely heard of the dangers of the
hydrogenated fats and trans fats found in most packaged and fast foods.
Most of these also come from soy oil, and they’ve been linked
to heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, immune disorders, birth
defects, infertility, vision problems, allergies, attention deficit and
hyperactivity disorders and senility. Trans fats pose such damage that
the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine
concluded recently that the only safe level of trans fat is zero and
that people should consume as little trans fat as possible.
Crusador: Is there a difference between organic soy, conventional soy
and genetically engineered soy and if so, what?
If you are going to eat soy, it’s certainly preferable to eat
products made from organically grown soybeans. They have less pesticide
residues than conventional or Genetically Modified (GM) soybeans. GM
beans are the worst because they have higher levels of antinutrients
such as trypsin inhibitors and lectins as well as higher allergenic
potential. How Monsanto rigged tests to show that they are
“substantially equivalent” to conventional soybeans
is quite a story. However, the bottom line is that all soybeans,
including organic soybeans carry a load of antinutrients, toxins and
plant hormones. No soybeans are good for our health if eaten in
quantity.
Crusador: Tell us about the phytates in soy and why they are dangerous
to human biological function?
Phytates are natural compounds found in soybeans as well as in other
beans, grains and seeds. They serve two primary functions: they prevent
premature germination and they store the phosphorous that a plant needs
to grow when the seed begins to sprout. Phytates are valuable in that
they allow us to store seeds safely over the winter but they can be a
problem if you want to eat those seeds, grains and beans. Phytates
incapacitate the life force by binding tightly with minerals such as
iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium. In the human body, this means good
news and bad.
Phytates tie up toxic metals such as cadmium, but also needed ones like
calcium and zinc. Iron is a special case, essential for health and
growth but toxic in excess. Phytates are a leading cause of poor
growth, anemia, immune system incompetence and other health woes in
Third World countries where plant-based diets are the norm and mineral
deficiencies are common. We’re also seeing this in the United
States where plant based diets are now chic. However, phytates have
potential health benefits for well-fed omnivores when used for
short-term detoxification.
Crusador: In your book you talk about soy being a cause of manganese,
fluoride and aluminum toxicity. Tell us more about this?
The manganese in soy is a serious problem for babies on soy infant
formula. Infants fed soy formula take in as much as 75 to 80 times more
manganese per day than those on dairy formula or breast milk. Although
healthy toddlers, children and adults who ingest excess manganese can
usually eliminate most of it, infants cannot because their immature
livers are not fully functional. At the same time, their growing brains
and other organs are more susceptible to manganese damage. Last Fall I
testified with leading scientists before the California Public Safety
Committee about the links with soy infant formula, manganese toxicity,
ADD/ADHD, violent tendencies and crime. The State of California is
considering making soy infant formula illegal except by prescription.
The fluoride levels of many soyfoods are high because soybeans go to
the food processing factory where tap water – which almost
always has been fluoridated -- is used both in processing treatments
and as an ingredient in many soy products. And most parents who use
powdered soy formulas reconstitute them with tap water. The fluoride
content of both soy and dairy formulas is substantially higher than
that of breast milk, but only soy formulas exceed safe limits when
reconstituted with non-fluoridated distilled water.
The levels increase considerably when formulas are reconstituted with
fluoridated tap water.
Making matters worse, soy formula is not only high in fluoride, but
also in aluminum. Aluminum in soy products comes from food additives,
(such as baking powder), additives that increase aluminum absorption
(such as iron, fluoride, calcium citrate or potassium citrate), tap
water used as part of the manufacturing process, aluminum vats and
storage containers at the factory and leaching from foil, cartons and
cans used in consumer packaging.
Crusador: What do you feel is the biggest known health problem
associated with soy?
Allergies. Soy is now one of the top eight allergies. And because
it’s hidden in more than 60 percent of processed foods, soy
poses a real danger for allergic people. The best – and maybe
the only -- way to completely avoid soy in the food supply is to buy
whole foods and prepare them ourselves.
For those who prefer to buy readymade and packaged products, I offer a
free Special Report “Where the Soys Are” on my
website www.wholesoystory.com. It lists the many
“aliases” that soy might be hiding under in
ingredient lists – words like “boullion,”
“natural flavor” and “textured plant
protein.”
In addition, I’d like to share some good news. Help for the
American consumer comes in January 2006 when the Food Allergen and
Labeling and Consumer Protection Act goes into effect. The law requires
food manufacturers to clearly state whether a product contains any of
the top eight allergens -- milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish,
shellfish, wheat or soy, and it requires the FDA to conduct inspections
to ensure that manufacturers comply with practices to reduce or
eliminate cross contamination with any major food allergens that are
not intentional ingredients of a food. We have this new law thanks to
the Food Allergy Initiative, a New York-based non-profit organization.
Crusador: What kind of attacks have been made against you by vegan and
vegetarian organizations for going against their #1 animal alternative
product and what kind of pressure have you been under for exposing soy?
There have been a lot of attacks, but no pressure. My news really
upsets some vegans, and at one point a vegan was circulating a rumor on
the internet that I’d been paid off by the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
In fact, neither I nor my publisher received any funding from the beef
or dairy industries. Similarly, vegans have claimed that my views are
“hopelessly compromised” because I’m on
the Board of Directors of the Weston A. Price Foundation. In fact, the
foundation accepts no funding from the beef or dairy industries and my
work as a board member is as a volunteer. Interestingly enough, this
criticism most often comes from well-paid spokespersons working for the
soy industry who are brought in to provide
“balance” to the debate.
For most angry vegans it’s a case of “shoot the
messenger.” So many vegans are upset with me because they
don’t know what to eat if soy isn’t on the menu. So
much of their core identity is tied up in being a vegan, with all they
think that implies in terms of an “enlightened,”
“healthy” and “green” diet.
They are also, quite understandably, distressed to hear that
they’ve been so completely duped by food manufacturers who
are profiting mightily from the myth that soy is a health food. The
good news is that some of the top vegan websites are already wise to
soy. Finally, many ex vegans who’ve suffered major health
problems are speaking out and asking “Why didn’t
anyone tell us before?”
Crusador: In your book, you reprint some testimonials about people who
have been adversely affected by soy and when they eliminated it from
their diet their health problems disappeared. Tell us a little more
about this.
Some people see their health return quickly upon elimination of all soy
from their diets. Unfortunately, it can be a long and challenging
healing journey for many, especially those who have been eating
soyfoods for years. I most often see thyroid damage, infertility,
menstrual problems, hair loss and digestive problems. When I work with
clients I generally recommend that they switch to a varied, organic
omnivorous diet and take appropriate supplements based on their lab
tests, condition and history.
Crusador: Are you aware of any lawsuits against the soy industry?
Yes, the Weston A. Price Foundation is investigating instances where
soy infant formula or soy foods have caused serious physical or medical
consequences to adults or children and may arrange possible legal
assistance for such individuals. People who believe they have been so
damaged should write us at: westonapricesoy@verizon.net.
Crusador: What do you recommend as an alternative to soy for people who
want to remain vegetarians and still obtain high protein?
I recommend clean, raw dairy products from pastured cows or goats and
free-range eggs. Those who rely on nuts, seeds and beans for protein
should be sure to soak them to deactivate phytates and other
antinutrients and to make them more digestible and assimilable. I would
caution these people to avoid high protein/low fats diets and to be
sure to include healthy fats, including lots of coconut oil and butter.
Finally, I recommend that vegetarians bend their principles enough to
include cod liver oil as a supplement. Theoretically, we can all
convert flax oil and other omega 3 oils to EPA and DHA, but in practice
few people are able to do so.
Crusador: What do you recommend for people to detoxify the damaging
effects of soy from their bodies?
I hesitate to give one-size-fits-all recommendations as I prefer to
work with people individually, take detailed case histories, run
laboratory tests and design custom programs. Rather than high dose
supplements, I prefer high quality enzyme and herbal supplements that
will nourish the body so it can heal itself. However, I almost always
recommend a varied, organic and omnivorous diet such as found in
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. And I have noticed that people
who have suffered thyroid damage from soy foods often benefit
dramatically from including coconut oil and cream in their diets.
Coconut is very nourishing to the thyroid. The best book on this
subject is Eat Fat/Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon and includes
excellent information plus delicious recipes.
To better help the many people who are recovering from soy, I am asking
physicians and other health practitioners as well as patients to share
their findings with me at my website www.wholesoystory.com. I am
working on Whole Soy Stories, a sequel that will include true soy
stories and the steps taken by men, women and children who have
successfully recovered from the health problems caused by soy. I
especially want to hear from doctors and other health practitioners who
are developing – or have developed – protocols for
clients suffering from soy-induced thyroid disease, infertility,
cognitive decline, cancer or other health problems.
Crusador: Well Kaayla, I really appreciate the time you’ve
given me and the excellent information you’ve provided our
readers. After reading your well written, articulate book, I would
highly recommend it to anyone that uses soy on a regular basis or to
anyone who believes soy is a safe alternative to meat and dairy.
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to get this valuable
information out to your readers. Please let people know about my website
www.wholesoystory.com. It’s got free excerpts and Special
Reports and offers a free newsletter with a book purchase. If people
wish consultations, I can be reached at 1-505-984-2093.
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