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Say 'Soya'
and visions of vegetarians, health food shops and alternative
life styles comes to most people's minds. Long crowned THE
century's favourite child as far as (western) health is concerned, soy is
considered the ideal low-fat, zero cholesterol protein for those wishing to avoid
meats.
It has also been the ideal choice for those
who suffer lactose intolerance. Even those who have no
serious problems digesting milk note that after drinking soy
milk, the stomach feels 'lighter' compared to the 'full'
sensation of drinking milk.
Most milk drinkers are so used to this 'full'
sensation that they do not notice the body's signals that the
stomach is having difficulty digesting the lactose.
However, this is a subject covered in the last issue.
For women from pre-menopausal to post, the phytoestrogens in soy (plant based estrogen) are believed to help women
suffering from various complaints of menopause. It is also
linked to lower breast cancer incidences in Japan where Soya in
some form is
an important ingredient in the Japanese diet.
In the western world, the demand for ever more
soy based products, soy powders, and soy isoflavines turned a
heretofore struggling industry into
another highly profitable industry giant.
But
is there a dark side to soy? There is, apparently.
Soy consumption has been linked to numerous disorders such as
increased cancer, infantile leukaemia, Type1 diabetes, thyroid
problems, goitre, behavioural
disorders and it can be an allergen in some consumers causing
diarrhoea,
rashes and on the extreme side - shock. The dangers of
excessive soy use is well documented. If you live on
commercial foods, then you are exposed to excess.
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Swedish
studies, Canadian and American sources as well all point to
issues of very great concern; that of infertility and of 'premature
puberty' in children who have been fed soy
formula. Not an isolated occurrence, there are also alarming reports of young
girls of 6 having already experienced early breast development and menstruation.
According
to Dr. Mercola, soy formula for infants has 1000% more aluminium
than milk based formula.
According
to combined medical studies conducted by Cornell
University Medical College and Long Island Community Hospital
in America, researchers have found children diagnosed with Type1 diabetes
is twice as high if they were fed soy formula.
I
won't bother to go into scientific research results found in
rats injected with mega-doses or fed amounts humans could never
consume in a lifetime. Those 'results' are predictable,
aren't they?
The
point of this article is not to frighten the reader away from soy products, but
to remind you to be acutely aware of what excesses of anything will/may do to you -
especially those delicate young bodies of infants and children.
The
Western world has always had an 'excess' approach to most things
new and found remotely healthy introduced to it from other
cultures - of which soy falls neatly into this category. Where a
pinch of something far suffices, the Western mind thinks in
terms of diving in - 'if a little is good, then shovelfuls are
surely better'.
This is not how the body functions - or at
least under normal conditions. The homeopathic approach
would be well remembered: a little is better.
The alarm about soya is, in most cases not the
use of it, but the rampant excess of it. The 'hysterical'
approach to it. (cont.)
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Epicurean Table
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Soy
consumption is linked to numerous disorders...
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Trivia
Corner |
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Mother Nature's
revenge? Gene manipulated Soya crops have
developed far greater pest problems than ever
before.
The
existence of vitamins was discovered by US
biochemist Casimer Funk
in
the early 1900`s.
'vita'=
life
'amin'=
amine
who
originally believed the substances to be amines.
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