avoid: soy

This is a tough one to grasp, I know. In years past, I was led to believe that soy was the better answer to cow's milk. I even consumed some soy-based nutrition bars for a period of time. Only later did I discover that soy mimics estrogen in the body. My body was labeled as estrogen-dominant, therefore soy was a big no-no for me. It did taste really good in my soy chai latte. What I also didn't realize at the time is that soy wasn't just in the form of milk I was drinking, or the bars - soy is found in practically everything. Soy flour and soy lecithin are in many processed foods. Sadly, many babies consume soy-based formula in their first months of life. Soy is high in fluoride, glutamate, and manganese (a mineral only good in trace amounts - otherwise it is toxic) - all not good things to be consuming.

So, what's the big deal with soy for those who might not have issues with estrogen (or don't think they do)? Well, most soy - 80% to 90% - grown in this country is genetically-modified (GM). Testing has revealed kidney, liver, and adrenal problems, in addition to heart failure from GM consumption. Plus, there could be many more problems that we just don't know about yet. Also, unless soy is certified organic it's most certainly GM and even worse, sprayed with heavy doses of pesticides, such as RoundUp. Bugs and weeds are more and more resistant to these pesticides, which results in the crops being sprayed with even heavier doses. These pesticides are being proven to be powerful inducers of leukemias and lymphomas.

Another thing I've learned is that soy in its natural state is very difficult to digest. So, I have been avoiding the edamame I used to love at sushi restaurants. It's simply not worth it to me.

You might be thinking, "Aren't the Japanese large consumers of soy, and aren't they supposed to be really healthy?". Well, the answer lies in the difference between fermented and unfermented soy. The japanese mainly consume fermented soy in the form of natto, miso, tamari, and tempeh. The American diet is loaded with unfermented soy - and this is the problem.

*This information has been sourced over time from Dr. Mercola and Suzanne Somers' new book, Bombshell.