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From “Misled” - A book that tells the truth about the fitness industry.

Many people have become worried of the health scares connected with the meat and dairy indusrty. As a result, they have turned to soy products as a replacement. Soy purveyors tell us that it is protein rich, low in cholesterol with a lower fat content. But consider that a lot of soy products are created from unfermented, over-processed soy and that a plethora of authorities believe that over-doing it with these type of products may create negative health problems.

First let’s understand the difference between soy products. Soy can be broken down into two different classifications, UNFERMENTED and FERMENTED. Unfermented soy products include fresh soybeans, soy nuts, soymilk, tofu, and is also contained in about three hundred other products on our grocery store shelves. Fermented soy products are found in products like tempeh, miso, natta, and shoya tamari products. Fermentation is a process in which a food’s own living enzymes are used to pre-digest the food before you eat it.

The detractors of unfermented soy products will inform us that if you look at the history of how soy was used you will find that soybeans were initially used in agriculture for crop rotation because they replenished lost nitrogen from the ground. However, there is no historical indication that soybeans were routinely eaten for food until the fermentation process was realized, which was around 440 BC. Now adays most soy products are unfermented, and have raised concerns about creating health issues that negatively affect the thyroid and even may cause cancer when taken in mass quantities from a day to day consumption.

The biggest problem with these accusations with soybeans is that they contain phytates, an organic acid that inhibits the uptake of valuable minerals, which include calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc. In reality, soybeans contain more phytates than any other grain, bean, or plant. A vegetarian diet that consists heavily of unfermented soy products (as many health conscious individuals do) may be pre-disposing them selves to zinc deficiency. For our brains to function normally,as well as our nervous system, and immune system, zinc is necessary for hundreds of enzymatic activities to take place, which include the production of white blood cells, insulin secretion, the production of sperm, fetal development, and the protection of the body from heavy metal poisoning.

According to many nutritional experts, fermenting soybeans is the only way to substantially reduce their phytate concentration and avoid these mineral depletions. The fermentation process also enhances protein absorption and generates 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.

Comparing Asians to Americans, Asians actually eat a lesser amount of soy products (unfermented and-or fermented) then their American counterparts. With that being said, we really need ask more questions and get more answers before we decide that these products can be eaten on consistent basis.

Many research studies lead ust to believe that fermented soy products that I’ve mentioned in this article are of nutritional value to our bodies. However, there are studies that show the opposite. With that being said, I do believe that we should use these products in moderation until we have more questions answered about the true nutritional values of these products.