Why Is Soy Milk Bad?

My relationship with soy started when I was a toddler when moms were told by health authorities to use soy milk formula. The reason for this is because soy was considered to be less allergenic and easier to digest for the lactose intolerant, so after 6 months of breast feeding I was switched to soy milk formula. 

It is wild, but these marketing campaigns were so good that they convinced millions of parents to stop breastfeeding and use a soy formula instead.

Unfortunately, my relationship with soy didn’t end there. 

At the beginning of my journey to accumulate health in the late 1990’s, soy milk beverages were becoming all the rage and so I started making smoothies and protein shakes using soy milk and adding it to my cereal instead of cow’s milk.

Why was soy promoted so heavily?

Shockingly, it wasn’t for health reasons, it was for money. The 1990’s saw a rise in the production of genetically modified (GMO) soybeans, which were cheaper to grow since they were resistant to herbicides.

In the USA, 94% of soybeans grown are genetically modified. 

The reason for this is so that glyphosate can be sprayed on the field and kill everything, but the soybean plants. As soybean production surged, the soy industry looked for new markets to absorb the oversupply.

Soy milk turned out to be a great way to create demand for soy byproducts, making it a lucrative business opportunity for soy producers.

After enough lobbying by the soy industry, the FDA even approved a heart health claim for soy protein giving licenses to manufacturers of all things soy, to put heart health images on their products.

A non-GMO soybean as eaten heavily throughout Japan does have loads of potential health benefits.

However, a soybean is not the same thing as ultra processed soy milk consumed in the United States.

Why is soy milk bad?

  • Soy milk contains a high level of phytoestrogens. A phytoestrogen is a plant compound that mimics estrogen. There are a lot of mixed studies suggesting a potential link with high soy intake and reduced fertility especially in men.
  • Soy milk is now a common allergen. It is hard to say if this is from putting soy into everything or if this is the genetic modification or the fact that it is loaded with pesticide residues. Decreasing soy intake in the USA may just be the simplest way to decrease your input of pesticides in your food routine.
  • Thyroid health. Soy is loaded with goitrogens which interfere with thyroid function, promoting a low thyroid function state.  This occurs most prominently in people who are iodine deficient.  Given that most health-conscious Americans are choosing non-iodized sea salts in place of standard table salt these days we have a health seeking population that is generally iodine deficient. I was deficient when I checked my levels.
  • Soy milk is an ultra processed food. It is sterilized, homogenized, and devoid of any life, to ensure it can sit on the shelf for years. Thickeners, gums and artificial vitamins are added.  What is worse is the herbicide glyphosate that doesn’t make it on the label. Organic varieties are not supposed to have pesticide residues, but with 94% of soy being genetically modified to withstand glyphosate and the mass production of soy, it is hard to imagine organic soy milk not ending up contaminated as well.

Do you use soy products? Let me know in the comments below.

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