Worst pratices: Soy

[Conservationist]

Let's start with the myth that soy is a health food. Years ago, China and Japan planted soy beans, NOT as food for people, but for the sole reason of returning nitrogen to the soil since growing rice was especially nitrogen-depleting. They knew better than to eat soy, as it was particularly difficult to digest, causing gas and bloating. However, at some point someone figured out that if you buried it for six months and fermented it, it didn't cause those symptoms. And so miso, tempeh, soy sauce, and natto were created.

Soy made its way to the United States in the 1900s, where Dr. John Harvey Kellogg - the breakfast cereal king - championed the health benefits of the legume and railed against the evils of meat. Henry Ford spent $1.2 million in an effort to make soy plastics and a soy car, and Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were busy promoting soybeans in traditional foods (flours, polenta, etc.) Soy products in the West are treated very differently than they are in the East -- soy is a product of the industrial revolution and is an opportunity for science to develop cheap meat substitutes, to put soy in familiar food products, and to produce soy-based pharmaceuticals. Soy wasn't even seriously considered for food until World War II shortages created a demand for cheap protein.

...

Soy increases the requirements for vitamin D, reduces the bioavailability of zinc, iron and the other minerals as mentioned earlier, and lacks cholesterol, which is vital for brain development (breast milk has six times the daily amount of adult requirements). And yet, soy is used in a huge percentage of baby formula -- why? Well, where are you going to put a "health" food that is our second largest crop?

Adults also get detrimental physiological effects of soy. The thyroid is very negatively affected by soy -- this has been known for over 60 years. Hypothyroidism and goiters are directly associated with intake of soy, and its isoflavones. While hypothyroidism can be caused by deficient iodine intake, as well as from adrenal stress, if a patient is ingesting soy, it must definitely be removed from the diet before any improvement can occur.

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32326

Can't say I'm surprised; anything the usual chattering classes suspects embrace is always bad.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

the whole "health food" phenomenon seems like BS.  even that food pyramid they taught us in school is suspect in the sense that it emphasized so much carbohydrates and grain and de-emphasized fats and meat.

[Spectrum]

the whole "health food" phenomenon seems like BS.  even that food pyramid they taught us in school is suspect in the sense that it emphasized so much carbohydrates and grain and de-emphasized fats and meat.

Ah, but it's economically-friendly!

By the way, I have been dropping the grains, starches, and cokes/cakes/sugar-bombs here lately. My doctor was wrong. My stomach problems weren't due to excess acid whose only remedy is a pill. I was simply eating crap. The FDA letter to Kelloggs was fucking great. I wish someone hassled them more often. Without the additives, grain is fucking terrible for you. Even with the additives, it is inefficient, and you do not know what exactly is in it.

[lafindumonde]

Locally produced fresh fruit and vegetables are super healthy - but wheres the money in that? They don't preserve well and hell... people can produce them for free in their own backyard!

[Humanicide]

Yeah, soy is pretty inefficiently farmed as well. Not to mention a lot of soy products (especially soy milk, blech) taste inferior to the real thing.

I definitely enjoy some pasta and bread as much as the next guy, but meat, fruit, veggies, and to a lesser extent dairy are king.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

oh don't get me wrong I eat plenty of bread and pasta too.  I eat plenty of everything!  my food pyramid would look more like a rectangle.  but the difference between a ribeye and a tenderloin is like night and day.  give me that fat goddammit!

but nothing is better than the walleye you just caught deep-fried, or the deer you slayed, processed into breakfast sausage!  fuck soy!

[I disagree]

This is fucking stupid. Do you realize how much soy you have to eat for this to even fucking matter? I call alarmist bullshit propaganda. As someone who is finishing up their graduate degree in nutrition, I've read both sides of this pointless debate in scientific journals for years, and guess what, you have to eat 100's of grams of soy every day for years for any of this shit to matter. And you're a fool to think that any of these properties described in this article are unique to soy.

Yeah, soy is pretty inefficiently farmed as well. Not to mention a lot of soy products (especially soy milk, blech) taste inferior to the real thing.

Real thing? You mean cow's milk? I don't see what's so real about human's drinking another species' milk. I'll eat moderate amounts of meats and dairy products, but you've gotta be out of your fucking mind if you're going to call drinking cow's milk "real". Personally, I prefer the taste of soy milk in my cereal. I've tried drinking cow's milk, and I find the taste and smell to be beyond reproach.

As with any legume such as soy, there's a lot of digestion of sugars in the large intestine. You eat too many legumes you have to break down more in the colon, which will inevitably create some uncomfortable symptoms.  So just don't scarf down 10 servings of legumes a day, and you'll be fine.

NEXT

[Humanicide]

What I mean by real thing - milk that actually comes from the female species of an animal, as opposed to being processed from a plant that ordinarily does not give such a product. It is far more real than soy milk in my view. Same goes for the milk from any mammal. (As an aside, it's a damned shame it's illegal to buy raw milk in the USA, I would love to grab some now and then)

Cow milk is abundant but the only time I drink it is if I can obtain it from a small farm/organically, because mass produced cow milk is pretty low quality. Humans were not meant to drink other species' milk, true. Doesn't stop me from enjoying some goat's milk whenever I can, or eating dairy products. That's fine if you don't enjoy the taste; I think soy milk tastes like rotting eggs.

[Umbrage]

Somewhat related:

Experts have found out a new and healthier way to solve the emerging food shortage crisis. The solution is said to be rich in protein and calcium which will definitely meet the body’s demand for nutrients. Though this newly discovered food source sounds healthy and natural, people may be surprised to have insects on their plates.

After Brussels experts recommended insects as vital sources of nutrition, it is expected to see bugs and other creepy crawlies on menus. Cricket casserole and scorpion soup are just among the few suggestions. And because of this study, the European Commission has offered a £2.65million project in promoting insect eating,

And because of this study, the government requested the UK Food Standards Agency to investigate and to figure out ways on how insect eating or entomophagy can be a popular choice. The government is indeed serious about the program. Eating insects can help in solving the state’s food shortage problem without compromising the nutritional requirements. Scorpions, grasshoppers, and crickets are rich in protein and calcium just like the usual red meat that we have on our plates.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/208922/20110906/encouraging-people-to-eat-insects-cost-2-5m-in-eu.htm

Nothing new here. Governments have been messing with your food since forever.

The early 1790s brought a succession of bad harvests, and the harvest of 1795 was disastrous. The price of wheat almost doubled. Food riots broke out up and down the country. Then both Holland and Spain joined France in the war on England, whilst at home the Prince of Wales married Caroline of Brunswick (and since the Prince’s personal debts then amounted to over half a million pounds, the government felt obliged to grant him an extra £65,000 a year to help pay them off).

The shortage of wheat had become an urgent problem. An angry mob attacked the King’s carriage when he was on his way to open Parliament, and so the gentlemen in the House of Commons suddenly found time to debate the matter again. They decided that in future more lower-quality bread should be produced, and that other grains should be used too. Barley, for example, was 40% cheaper than wheat.

http://www.johnhearfield.com/History/Breadt.htm

Does anybody know where I can buy dungarees made of soy to go with my insectburger and sunglasses made of hemp? I gotta stay ahead of the masses somehow!

[Forza Romana]

As I have stated myself, learning about nutrition and what he means to you is just one of the steps to completing a stronger you. Many of you may argue these points, and I can see where all of you come from, but if we believe in our arguments, we know this to be true because we do the research. I would at this point never direct that to anyone here, but it is worth mentioning.

At any rate, my local health food store owner Rick mentions that soy is not good for men in larger quantities, as this can affect a man's sex drive and even feminize them. Once again, if a man chooses to be vegan or vegetarian, you must find a soy alternative. Almond milk which I enjoy and coconut milk, which has a lot of benefits.   

And I know for sure many people question the idea of health and taking it seriously, especially in the metal world. As for many of you here, I would not know, but for me health is important to succeed in many other realms of emotional, and spiritual aspects. I will tell you from my journey this far, I have never felt more focused, stronger in body and mind!   At 31 years old I am stronger then 21 years old! Let me put it in simple terms: if people carry themselves high and cannot back it up, that is just fucked up! I can carry myself well enough to dodge any threat. Partly because my father was a Navy Seal, and his sword training he taught me as a child. On a side note and to be humble in his stead he is an intelligent man with a lot of energy and understanding of many things in this universe....

[I disagree]

At any rate, my local health food store owner Rick mentions that soy is not good for men in larger quantities, as this can affect a man's sex drive and even feminize them.  

The data out there doesn't support this unless you are eating large amounts, meaning 14 servings a day. Even when I was on a vegan diet I never ate even half that much.

[Forza Romana]

For sure you do have to eat a lot for this to occur or it has to be a special case of how your body reacts.

[Humanicide]

At any rate, my local health food store owner Rick mentions that soy is not good for men in larger quantities, as this can affect a man's sex drive and even feminize them.  

The data out there doesn't support this unless you are eating large amounts, meaning 14 servings a day. Even when I was on a vegan diet I never ate even half that much.

How did you find a vegan diet? I really enjoy some veggies and almost all fruit, but I don't think I could ever give up fish or cheese.

[I disagree]

How did you find a vegan diet? I really enjoy some veggies and almost all fruit, but I don't think I could ever give up fish or cheese.

I thought the diet itself was great. It forced me to be creative when cooking and forced me to try new foods and restaurants that I may have overlooked previously.  Physically, I felt about the same as I do now on an omnivorous diet, which was always good.  I get a lot of dedicated physical activity compared to some, 1-2 hours 5-6 times a week, and still fit in my fresh fruits and vegetables wherever I can. Everybody is different though. There are a lot of factors to consider.

Socially, it was problematic with my friends and family. I prepared my own dishes to bring for family/friend barbecues/dinners because there would normally be nothing that they would make for me that I would eat that I would define as a meal. Friends were rarely open to going to Vegan or Vegetarian restaurants, so I made a lot of compromises making meals out of sides and/or side salads at places that served the typical fanfare. Needless to say, it made social interactions around food less enjoyable. It was tolerable because I was living in Chicago where there are a lot of options for that type of eating, and I had more time to cook. Once I moved to a more rural college town in Michigan, my options were much more limited. Eventually, as my time to cook, and money to buy prepared vegan foods dwindled, doing the Vegan thing just became impractical. So if it's something that you're considering, you might want to consider the social implications (if any), time it takes to cook satisfying meals, or money it takes to buy everything Vegan.

But as an omnivore again, I still prefer certain meals prepared vegan because they taste better than the typical meat/potatoes/cheese/repeat that most Americans eat.  It really depends on why you would eat a Vegan diet that will determine your success with it.

[Dinaric Leather]

And I know for sure many people question the idea of health and taking it seriously, especially in the metal world.

The issue here is that a naive teenager living in most major North American cities will see the fact that health foods are often pushed by pussy hippy dipshits, then have a knee jerk reaction and write it all off as bullshit. We have the same problems with nationalism (Germanophile Neo-Nazis) and environmentalism (more hippies).