In an effort to join the health revolution, many
households have switched over from dairy milk to soy milk. Unlike milk from a
cow,
soy milk contains no lactose, so for
people who avoid dairy, like vegans or those who have a lactose intolerance,
soy milk seems like a good choice. Fortified soy milk is even a good source of
protein, iron, B vitamins and calcium, while being low in saturated fats and
cholesterol. Sounds good on the surface, right? The only problem is that
research has shown that consuming soy milk can put your health in serious
danger.
The ingredients in soy milk are:
- Soy milk (Filtered water, whole soybeans)
- Cane Sugar
- Sea Salt
- Carrageenan
- Natural Flavor
- Calcium Carbonate
- Vitamin A palmitate
- Vitamin D2
- Riboflavin
- Vitamin B12
Most of those ingredients probably
sound familiar, and they don’t seem all that bad, but carrageenan may be one
that you’re unfamiliar with. Carrageenans are a family of linear sulfated
polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. They’re commonly
used int the food industry for their gelling, thickening
and stabilizingproperties.
Not only is the body not able to
digest carageenan, it has no nutritional value whatsoever. Even though it’s
derived from a natural source, it’s destructive to the immune system. It
triggers a negative immune response that causes inflammation. Research
has linkedcarrageenan to a
higher rate of colon cancer, along with gastrointestinal inflammation that can
cause IBS, spastic colon, chronic diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease.
While the type of food you decide to
put into your body is a personal choice, being informed is the best way to make
a decision that benefits your health. Soy milk has been a topic of controversy
for years, but there is a significant amount of evidence that proves it can
have harmful affects on the body.
Top Ten Reasons to Avoid Soy Milk
01. Soybeans contain large quantities of natural toxins that affect
estrogen levels. Drinking just two glasses of soy milk a day can
significantly alter the hormones in a woman’s body, disrupting the menstrual
cycle.
02. Soybeans contain haemagglutinin,
a clot-promoting substance that causes
red blood cells to clump together.
03. About 99% of soy is genetically
modified, so it contains one of the highest
pesticide contamination levels.
04. Soybeans and soy products contain highlevels of phytic acid,
which inhibits the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.
05. Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic
to the body. It negatively
affects the nervous system and the kidneys, and it’s been linked to Alzheimer’s
disease.
06. Fragile soy proteins are exposed to high temperatures
during processing to make soy
protein isolate and textured
vegetable protein. This makes them dangerous for human digestion.
07. Soy contains toxic isoflavones – genistein and daidzein. They can stimulate the growth of existing
breast cancer.
08. Soy contains plant estrogens calledphytoestrogens,
which disrupt endocrine function and can lead
to infertility and breast cancer in women.
