Is Soy Healthy? Pugsy.

"In recent years, one crop that has shown growth in number of acres harvested in Kentucky is soybeans.

The soybean, an annual legume, was first introduced in the U.S. in the mid-18th century. The plant produces trifoliate leaves, small purple or white flowers, and seed pods generally containing one to four seeds, or beans.

The two main products derived from soybeans -- protein meal and oil, are used in a wide variety of ways. The oil is an ingredient in margarine, mayonnaise, shortening, and many other processed foods.

Soy meal is the major source of the protein supplement used in animal feeds.
Soymilk, made from soybean flour and water, is used in some infant formulas and in making tofu.

Soybeans are also used in cosmetics, clothing, crayons, inks, plastics and solvents, among other products.
Currently, the U.S. is the top soybean producer in the world; followed by Brazil, Australia, and Argentina."

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Soy is not the health food that you think it is.

"From tofu and tacos to baby formula and burgers, soy products have swept the nation as a healthy source of protein, with a reputation for being all natural and good for you. New studies have however raised questions over whether the ingredients in soy might increase the risk of breast cancer in some women, affect brain function in men and lead to hidden developmental abnormalities in infants.

The core of their concerns rests with the chemical makeup of soy: in addition to all the nutrients and protein, soy contains a natural chemical that mimics estrogen, the female hormone. Some studies in animals show that this chemical can alter sexual development. And in fact, 2 glasses of soy milk/day, over the course of one month, contain enough of the chemical to change the timing of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

"What is the truth when it comes to soy?

So how does one get to the truth when it comes to soy? Usually, the first question I ask is… "Where is the money? Who has something to be gained from one side or the other?" With the soy issue, there does not seem to be an easy answer here either… and that's because there appear to be strong financial incentives on both sides of the argument.

Who has something to gain from the consumption of soy? Perhaps companies like Monsanto which produce the genetically modified soybean seeds. Perhaps companies like Cargill Foods or SoyLife which produce countless soy-based foods. Or soybean councils in several states which represent farmers who grow this new, emerging bumper crop. And, of course, all of the companies which are constructing factories all over the world to do the processing which is necessary to make soybeans edible."
More at: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm
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"But the cautions of the naysayers raise an important point. Soy ingredients have spread rapidly in the American diet. We know that soy in some amounts and some forms can be beneficial to our health. We also know that some soy ingredients (partially hydrogenated soybean oils - as with any partially hydrogenated or trans fat) are not healthy. But there are many new soy compounds for which we don't yet have enough experience or data."
 
Read more: http://www.drgreene.com/blog/2006/07/10/bottom-line-soy#ixzz0yPoHU900
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"What about soy offering protection against cancer?

Some sources claim that "soy has demonstrated powerful anticancer benefits...the Japanese, who eat 30 times as much soy as North Americans, have a lower incidence of cancers of the breast, uterus and prostate."
 
Indeed they do. But the Japanese, and Asians in general, have much higher rates of other types of cancer, particularly cancer of the esophagus, stomach, liver and pancreas.

Asians throughout the world also have high rates of thyroid cancer. The logic which links low rates of reproductive cancers to soy consumption requires attribution of high rates of thyroid and digestive cancers to the same foods, particularly as soy causes these types of cancers in laboratory rats.

It is child abuse to feed a baby soy formula. A baby fed soy will receive, through the phytoestrogens, the equivalent of approximately 5 birth control pills per day! The damage is incalculable.

There are other reasons to stay away from soy.

A very large percentage of soy - over 90% - is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of the foods we eat. "
URL: http://able2know.org/topic/144200-1
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Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Soy Diet for Illinois Prisoners

Suffering of Inmates

"Early in 2007, the Weston A. Price Foundation began hearing from inmates who were suffering from a myriad of serious health problems due to the large amounts of soy in the diet.

These prisoners had found us through the Soy Alert! section of our website. Complaints include chronic and painful constipation alternating with debilitating diarrhea, vomiting after eating, sharp pains in the digestive tract, especially after consuming soy, passing out, heart palpitations, rashes, acne, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as low body temperature (feeling cold all the time), brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, frequent infections and enlarged thyroid gland.

Since soy contains anti-fertility compounds, many young prisoners may be unable to father children after their release."
More at: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/1624.html
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"Surely, the Japanese eat huge quantities of soy, and as a result have low rates of breast, uterus, colon and prostate cancers?

That's the big myth on which the idea of 'healthy' soy is built. In fact, the Japanese don't eat that much soy: a 1998 study showed that a Japanese man typically eats about 8g (2 tsp) a day, nothing like the 220g (8oz) that a Westerner could put away by eating a big chunk of tofu and two glasses of soy milk.

Secondly, although Japanese people may have lower rates of reproductive cancers, this is thought to be due to other dietary and lifestyle factors: they eat less fatty meat, more fish and vegetables and fewer tinned or processed foods than in a typical Western diet.

Thirdly, Asians have much higher rates of thyroid and digestive cancers, including cancer of the stomach, pancreas, liver and esophagus."
From:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/10/08/soy-crisis.aspx
and: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx
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Be careful where, and what, you eat:

Food sources of soy protein

"Many fast-food restaurants commonly use soy protein in hamburger buns (soy flour) hamburger meat (soy protein) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) in sauces. On their respective websites, McDonald's and Burger King list soy flour as an ingredient in their hamburger buns.

U.S. Nutrition Information Multi-grain breads, doughnuts, doughnut mix and pancake mix commonly contain soy flour.

Nearly all bread products available in the US now contain soy. Soy can now be found in nearly all types of foods, from meat to ice cream, to cheese, to French fries.

Many foods are contaminated with soy due to being cooked in soy oil. At the Jack in the Box fast food chain for example, everything fried is cooked in a soy oil. At Baskin Robbins, over half of all ice creams offered contain soy. Canned tuna may contain vegetable broth which contains soy protein.

Some products [for reasons having to do with national regulation of soy products] don't list soy protein or soy flour on their ingredients labels, yet they still contain soy. There are still many latent issues resolving how soy should be regulated, as well as its long term effects on human health."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_allergy
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I know this is more than you wanted to know about Soy, but I got carried away.
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Today:

Ray and I went back to a job we started a couple of years ago.  We had removed one side of the luggage rack on Pugsy, my vintage motor home, as one of the anchors was leaking.  Even though this Class A MH is 42 years old, it shouldn't leak as it is one piece molded fiberglass.  We had plugged up the leak, but never painted the patches or replaced that side of the luggage rack.

When Ray got up there on the extension ladder, he found out that the motor home's ladder was not safe and the patches had deteriorated from not being protected by paint.   We got out the wrenches, removed the ladder, patched those holes and the old holes again.

As it was so humid today, and even sprinkled a little rain, he taped coffee can lids over each patch.  The MH ladder had swivel feet on the top end, and as we have one step ladder that lost it's feet, we nut and bolted those on it.  The MH ladder is in the "scrap metal man" pile.  He comes around about every month.

When I called Price Pfister about the kitchen faucet with the defective handle, they don't return money, they are sending parts to fix it.  But I am quite happy with the almond one we installed the other day.  So Ray and I went up to my "RV Parts Dept." in the attic over the store room, to see what RV sinks I have that take an 8" span faucet.   We found one, plus a water tank, black tank, an extra roof vent, and a MaxxAir, so I am getting things together to go in the cargo/stealth trailer.

Then we fixed the deadbolt on the side door of the workshop.  It just wasn't going into the strike plate like it should.  As the workshop, previously a garage, is attached to the house, it was a safety thing, as it is my back door.  We installed a jimmy proof strike plate that I had.  Now I feel safer.

So until the patches dry, we can't install the luggage rack on Pugsy today.