Why I have No Joy for Soy

I have been working way too hard to get good food into me and force good efforts to come from me in the gym to let something steal from me. As I continue down this path to health and fitness, I continue to trip over my best intentions. Recently I danced with edamame. Turns out, it was more like doing the hokey pokey. Soy might be robbing me of a lovely little waltz. So, let’s dance!

1, 2, 3, STOP. Most soy is genetically modified. I am not going to put on my white coat and pocket-protector and go on and on about why genetically modified food is bad. I am hoping that the idea just sounds bad enough that you can accept this one and move on. 1, 2, 3, BAM. Soy has chemicals in it that actually leach other nutrients from your body. 1, 2, 3, WEIRD. Soy contains a high level of estrogen. This is more of a problem for infant boys than it is for CrossFit’rs but still it is weird. 1, 2, 3, Whoa Soy is a Trypsin inhibitor. Ok, here is the skinny on trypsin. Trypsin helps our digestive tract deal with protein. Ironic right, that a ‘protein source’ like soy can inhibit protein digestion. 1, 2, 3, Really? Soy can inhibit thyroid function. Who wants their food choices to mess with their hormones?!?

4, 5, 6, GO! There are some good ‘replacements’ for Soy. Some people are using Soy Milk to allow them their milk fix even though they are lactose intolerant. Try rice milk instead. Some people are eating Soy bars as a snack. Try Lara Bars instead. Some people are eating Tofu. Umm, I had a hard time coming up with a good substitute for this one. I can’t quite get excited about finding another option to add a flavorless and gelatinous goo to my meal. To be clear, there are some relatively safer forms of soy. Organic fermented soy is not so bad for us, and it can be found in Tempe, Miso and Natto. Miso is used to flavor some soups, Natto is a Japanese ‘cheese’, and Tempe is an Indonesian product that is a lot like tofu but has more flavor than the soy tofu some of us have eaten.

An easy read containing intelligent points can be found HERE. Here is a short and non science-y video, and Here is another one that is a little longer but still good. Don't forget that I am looking at the overall big picture Food Plan here. It may be that a bowl of edemame from time to time is a great Treat for you.

When I am trying to do such a good job of eating food that fuels me and makes me feel good, I am not going to choose Soy. It would be like me doing the Rumba on stage during a production of The Nutcracker. It is just wrong.

Posts that are coming up:
Glycemic Index, Food Labels, importance of rest and sleep, Peanuts, and the things about Diet Soda that should scare it out of your hands. What else should I dance around? I have also gotten some requests to keep including recipes and/or meal plans. Will Do!