Only OK Occasionally Foods -- part 1 SOY
Welcome to our health & self help blog.
In it we post health commentary & reviews of books, eBooks, & other things that improve or protect your health or which enable you to live longer, to be more prosperous, & to be more effective.
Today's post: Wednesday, 6-7-2006
Only OK Occasionally Foods -- part 1
SOY.
*Here's the good news.:
It's on many Superfoods lists.
It's a bean that is unusually high in protein & much, much higher in fat than other beans. And, like all beans, soybeans are a good source of fiber.
So, in times of famine, it would be a good food to keep you from starving or being incapacitated from hunger. (Presuming you don't have Soy or Peanut allergies that is.)
The fat soybeans contain is relatively low in saturated fat; & they have no cholesterol.
This makes them look like they might be a good choice for people eating a heart-protective diet.
In addition, they are a traditional part of Oriental diets & Japanese diets in particular.
And, overall, Oriental diets & Japanese diets in particular seem to produce good health results.
In addition, as a traditional food of hundreds of years standing, they are available in many forms: Edame, a green, ready to eat, version of soybeans; Miso; & Tofu. And you can also get Soybean oil.
Sounds good if you aren't allergic doesn't it?
It does, so many people eat a lot of soybeans. And, some people who like Superfoods & health-enhancing foods eat a diet centered on soybeans.
This is particularly true of people who are allergic to milk or who have decided to avoid it. And, it's true of many vegetarians who rely on soybeans for their protein.
**Unfortunately, there's more to know about soybeans than that. And some of it is surprisingly negative.
Here's why I put Soy here instead of in my superfoods list.:
Eating soybeans has an effect that can CAUSE heart disease. According to Mike Nichols, MD, Director of the TempusClinic in Los Gatos, & one of the best informed doctors I've ever encountered anywhere in all the reading of & by such doctors I've done.
Eating soybeans has been found to increase the levels of the blood lipoprotein Lp(a).
(It's my understanding that high levels of this lipoprotein causes the insides of your blood vessels to become sticky & attract fatty deposits. And, this tends to cause cardiovascular disease & high blood pressure.) OUCH !!
Dr Nichols said he would have the levels of Lp(a) checked to be quite low before eating soy foods on a regular basis. And, knowing him, he would then re-check the level after a couple of months & then regularly every few months after that. And, he'd stop eating soy if his levels of Lp(a) went above the desirable level.
He explained to me that the reason very, very few doctors know of this effect is that the studies that report it are in the basic science literature rather than the clinical, (or medical), literature.
In addition, he said eating soy foods regularly …." also raises Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) which lowers bioavailable testosterone."
He said that eating soy occasionally, by which I think he means a few times a month or less, probably is OK.
But given these two things alone, he simply avoids it & never eats soy foods.
Since bioavailable testosterone is a key to sexual enjoyment in both men & women; it helps maintain your muscle mass to help you be strong & avoid getting fat; & it helps you be focused & proactive, I certainly will no longer consider eating soy foods regularly or taking soy isoflavone supplements as I was doing.
(I'd read the information that Soy & soy isoflavones might have health benefits also.)
In addition, virtually all the health benefits attributed to soy foods are available or even better gotten with different foods that ARE in the consensus Superfoods category.
The other plant protein Superfoods, like lentils & walnuts; & the health-enhancing animal protein foods like wild caught salmon & nonfat dairy products can provide plenty of protein.
And, a diet that's quite high in the cruciferous green vegetable Superfoods, like broccoli & cabbage, has been shown to protect against the harmful breakdown byproducts of testosterone without the necessity of lowering your testosterone level to do it.
In addition, unlike extra virgin olive oil, soy oil is far too high in Omega 6 oils to be used as a regular food source. (Omega 6 oils need to be balanced with adequate omega 3 oils while most of us don't eat enough omega 3's. And, polyunsaturated omega 6 oils tend to lower your levels of the protective HDLs. Lastly, they tend to produce unhealthy byproducts when heated.)
The good news for soybean growers is that soybean oil for use as a biodiesel fuel will likely soon pay better than selling it as a food anyway.
***The other reason I'm including this section in my blog is that eating health-enhancing foods as a permanent lifestyle is a lot easier & more fun if you have some variety in your food.
So, I might occasionally have a tofu stir fry dish at a Chinese restaurant or eat and enjoy a miso soup at a Japanese restaurant or eat a health bar that provides its protein with soy.
I just don't & won't do it all often. I think I've averaged about two or three times a year.
Next I'll list some foods that I think belong in this category for just that reason.
Some of them, unlike soy, are foods you might otherwise be writing off now while trying to eat a health-enhancing diet.
The key to eating them safely is to eat them very occasionally & NOT more often than that.
Some might be OK 3 times a month, others might be safer once or twice a year.
I'll post more Only OK Occasionally Foods soon.
In it we post health commentary & reviews of books, eBooks, & other things that improve or protect your health or which enable you to live longer, to be more prosperous, & to be more effective.
Today's post: Wednesday, 6-7-2006
Only OK Occasionally Foods -- part 1
SOY.
*Here's the good news.:
It's on many Superfoods lists.
It's a bean that is unusually high in protein & much, much higher in fat than other beans. And, like all beans, soybeans are a good source of fiber.
So, in times of famine, it would be a good food to keep you from starving or being incapacitated from hunger. (Presuming you don't have Soy or Peanut allergies that is.)
The fat soybeans contain is relatively low in saturated fat; & they have no cholesterol.
This makes them look like they might be a good choice for people eating a heart-protective diet.
In addition, they are a traditional part of Oriental diets & Japanese diets in particular.
And, overall, Oriental diets & Japanese diets in particular seem to produce good health results.
In addition, as a traditional food of hundreds of years standing, they are available in many forms: Edame, a green, ready to eat, version of soybeans; Miso; & Tofu. And you can also get Soybean oil.
Sounds good if you aren't allergic doesn't it?
It does, so many people eat a lot of soybeans. And, some people who like Superfoods & health-enhancing foods eat a diet centered on soybeans.
This is particularly true of people who are allergic to milk or who have decided to avoid it. And, it's true of many vegetarians who rely on soybeans for their protein.
**Unfortunately, there's more to know about soybeans than that. And some of it is surprisingly negative.
Here's why I put Soy here instead of in my superfoods list.:
Eating soybeans has an effect that can CAUSE heart disease. According to Mike Nichols, MD, Director of the TempusClinic in Los Gatos, & one of the best informed doctors I've ever encountered anywhere in all the reading of & by such doctors I've done.
Eating soybeans has been found to increase the levels of the blood lipoprotein Lp(a).
(It's my understanding that high levels of this lipoprotein causes the insides of your blood vessels to become sticky & attract fatty deposits. And, this tends to cause cardiovascular disease & high blood pressure.) OUCH !!
Dr Nichols said he would have the levels of Lp(a) checked to be quite low before eating soy foods on a regular basis. And, knowing him, he would then re-check the level after a couple of months & then regularly every few months after that. And, he'd stop eating soy if his levels of Lp(a) went above the desirable level.
He explained to me that the reason very, very few doctors know of this effect is that the studies that report it are in the basic science literature rather than the clinical, (or medical), literature.
In addition, he said eating soy foods regularly …." also raises Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) which lowers bioavailable testosterone."
He said that eating soy occasionally, by which I think he means a few times a month or less, probably is OK.
But given these two things alone, he simply avoids it & never eats soy foods.
Since bioavailable testosterone is a key to sexual enjoyment in both men & women; it helps maintain your muscle mass to help you be strong & avoid getting fat; & it helps you be focused & proactive, I certainly will no longer consider eating soy foods regularly or taking soy isoflavone supplements as I was doing.
(I'd read the information that Soy & soy isoflavones might have health benefits also.)
In addition, virtually all the health benefits attributed to soy foods are available or even better gotten with different foods that ARE in the consensus Superfoods category.
The other plant protein Superfoods, like lentils & walnuts; & the health-enhancing animal protein foods like wild caught salmon & nonfat dairy products can provide plenty of protein.
And, a diet that's quite high in the cruciferous green vegetable Superfoods, like broccoli & cabbage, has been shown to protect against the harmful breakdown byproducts of testosterone without the necessity of lowering your testosterone level to do it.
In addition, unlike extra virgin olive oil, soy oil is far too high in Omega 6 oils to be used as a regular food source. (Omega 6 oils need to be balanced with adequate omega 3 oils while most of us don't eat enough omega 3's. And, polyunsaturated omega 6 oils tend to lower your levels of the protective HDLs. Lastly, they tend to produce unhealthy byproducts when heated.)
The good news for soybean growers is that soybean oil for use as a biodiesel fuel will likely soon pay better than selling it as a food anyway.
***The other reason I'm including this section in my blog is that eating health-enhancing foods as a permanent lifestyle is a lot easier & more fun if you have some variety in your food.
So, I might occasionally have a tofu stir fry dish at a Chinese restaurant or eat and enjoy a miso soup at a Japanese restaurant or eat a health bar that provides its protein with soy.
I just don't & won't do it all often. I think I've averaged about two or three times a year.
Next I'll list some foods that I think belong in this category for just that reason.
Some of them, unlike soy, are foods you might otherwise be writing off now while trying to eat a health-enhancing diet.
The key to eating them safely is to eat them very occasionally & NOT more often than that.
Some might be OK 3 times a month, others might be safer once or twice a year.
I'll post more Only OK Occasionally Foods soon.
posted by David at 4:44 PM
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