I rarely advise that one single food be eliminated from your diet completely.
Generally speaking, I believe a person’s diet should include a wide variety of foods, particularly foods that are personal favorites.

However, when it comes to soy I’m singing another tune.

I have nothing against soy itself. In the past, it has been a food with health benefits when consumed in small amounts, particularly in its fermented form. In fact, if I’d been in practice 50 years ago, I would have probably said that soy was a great adjunctive food. I would have likely promoted the consumption of small amounts of fermented soy, especially if you were a women with declining estrogen levels.

However, today is a very different environment than 50 years ago, and soy is a very different food, which is why I put almost ALL soy on the C.R.A.P.(Chemically Ridden Altered Products) list.

Here are 4 reasons why soy should be avoided:

1. Hello, Belly Bloat!

Soy is very high in phytic acid. Phytic acid can block the activation of digestive enzymes, which can interfere with your digestive process, leading to bloating, distention, and gas, among other health issues.

2. Can you say guinea pig?

Soy is one of the most widely genetically modified (GMO) crops. Ninety percent of soy crops sold in this country are grown from genetically modified seeds. GMO food is way too new and unstudied to take the risk of being the guinea pigs for big business. And be warned…in today’s food model, highly processed non-fermented forms of soy are in almost everything!

3. The Bean without a Conscience

If a plant could have a personality, the soy of today would definitely be a sketchy figure, lacking in some essential morals. The soybean industry is responsible for many crimes against the earth and against fellow farmers.
The main company that owns the patent on the GMO soy seed approved in this country spends millions of dollars a year suing small farmers out of business. So, when you buy soybeans, you are supporting their unscrupulous practices.

Add to that fact that soy farming is also responsible for massive amounts of deforestation across the globe and you have some pretty compelling reasons to avoid soy. By saying no to soy, you are saying no to these highly questionable and environmentally damaging practices.

4. Soy promotes estrogen production

You may be wondering, “what’s wrong with that?” If you are a perimenopausal or menopausal woman hot flashing all over the place, you might think a little support with estrogen would be good. However, there is one problem that gets in the way of this being true and that is called xenoestrogens. These are chemicals that act like estrogens in the body but aren’t. Exposure to these chemicals is creating what feels like an epidemic of estrogen dominance, a state of having too much estrogen in relation to other hormones. When this relationship is out of balance, we become predisposed to developing all kinds of diseases.

In women, estrogen dominance increases the chances of developing breast cancer, uterine fibroids, and ovarian cancer. In men, it increases the chances of developing breast cancer, infertility, and gynecomastia, the development of breast tissue. If all this isn’t enough, too much estrogen production also promotes the storage of fat!

So I say NO to soy in almost all cases!

If soy is fermented, like with tempeh, then the phytic acid has been neutralized, which means the risk of it impeding digestion (and robbing your body of nutrients) has been minimized.

Be careful you aren’t spending all your time, energy, and money making positive dietary changes only to lose the benefits because edamame is your favorite appetizer. (Yes, although edamame is a trendy food, I recommend you avoid it! It’s super high in phytic acid, which means it hinders digestion.)

Finally, if you really don’t want to give up your soy sauce, choose one that is non-GMO and organic. Try Nama Shoyu, which is a raw, gluten-free soy sauce you can find at any health foods store.

If you would like more information like this, be sure to grab a copy of my book “The Food Solution” by going HERE.