Wow, if you’ve got about five spare minutes this could change your whole world and the way you think about soy and the products that contain it. I ran across this short video from Dr. Mercola and he certainly sums up most of the major points of interest that I’ve been reading recently about soy and all the myths surrounding it. We, as the general public, love our advertising and boy oh boy do we swallow it ‘hook, line and sinker!’ How many times have you been bombarded with the “natural soy” products that are advertised as being so good for you and your health? Have you been to the “health food store” in your neighborhood recently? Man, you would think that soy is Manna from the Heavens. Holy smokes, the more I read the more I wonder!

But more importantly, I would like for you to start your own journey and discover for yourself where you are on this scale of mis-information. I will be here and continue to add my thoughts on not only soy but also the many other Doctors Remedies that might twist your panties in another direction.

Please take a moment to post a comment and let me hear from you.

Cheers,
Jeff

I found this article in EzineArticles (a font of amazing information) that I wanted to give my opinion on. It’s short and sweet and, without going into too much depth, will set you on the right path. We as a nation tend to believe whatever the media is selling us and too many of us literally just “eat it up!” That’s what’s happening with Soy in our diets and our daily feedings by popular advertising. You’ll find, as this article points out, that there really is no good reason to seek out soy products. I have to agree with the author and if you click here, there’s even more information on the effects of soy (and a whole lot more) to send your mind in a completely different direction.

Happy reading and remember, the choice is yours in EVERYTHING you do.

Cheers,
Jeff

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There is no good reason to consume soy products – with one exception: soy products that have been fermented, like real Chinese tofu, tamari soy sauce, and Japanese natto, don’t have any of these problems. Several other common foods have similar health effects, but there are experts out there who have put the warnings together for you.

If you’re surprised to learn that such a popular health food has such dark secrets, you’ve been talking to the wrong health professionals. Find the right ones today — your health may depend on it!

Soybeans and soy-derived products have become insanely popular in the USA today, despite known dangerous side effects of soy products. Well, maybe not known, at least to most of us. But the industry knows, and they’re doing their best to conceal soy’s dangerous side effects.

How can you tell? Well, look at advertising for soy products. Unless it’s soy protein powder specifically marketed to bodybuilders, you never see men in soy advertisements. That’s because soy is much more dangerous to men than it is to women, though it’s bad for both.

Here are the three big nasties about soy that no one will tell you:

· Soy has an extraordinary amount of estrogen in it – every 100 grams of soy protein you consume has as much estrogen as a high-dose birth control pill! This is especially damaging to infants, making soy formula particularly vital to avoid, but it’s dangerous to men – I believe it’s responsible for the recent rash of “man-boobs” hitting America – and women (in whom it can cause early menses, PMS, and other hormone-related issues).

· Soybeans contain phytic acid (as do normal beans and grains if you don’t soak them well before you cook them). Phytic acid has all kinds of negative effects on your body, but chief among them is that it eats away vitamins and nutrients that your body has stored in it’s muscle and bone tissue, making soybeans actually negatively nutritionally valuable.

· Finally, soybeans contain chemicals called trypsin inhibitors that prevent your stomach from breaking down proteins – so the big benefit of soybeans (the high protein content) is negated by another chemical that occurs naturally in soybeans themselves.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Danielson

For an eye opener on Soy products and their true effects, click here.

Jeffery Morrall

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Here’s the Original Article I found on Ezine:

Inevitably there’s a myth that soy protein is horrible for bodybuilding and that if you are any where near serious about working out or building muscle you will stay away from it. In fact, some sites show ‘studies’ that soy protein and soy products can be detrimental to your health. And while it’s true that early claims of soy wonders might not be entirely true, there’s also myth that soy protein is bad.

First off, there’s a concept called the Biological Value Scale that was developed to measure the quality of specific proteins. It basically rates how efficiently your body will use a given protein source. The higher the BV (biological value), the more amino acids and nitrogen your body is retaining from the foods you eat. In sum, it becomes a way to measure the potential for quality muscle growth and strength.

There was a time when egg whites were at the top of the BV with a score of around 100. Since then, whey proteins have toped out the scales around 106-159 BV. This means that whey protein is better used for quality muscle growth.

But first a warning!

This doesn’t mean that all you would utilize is whey protein for all your needs. Many times bodybuilders will use a variety of proteins depending on the BV and the times of day and if they just finished a workout.

Let me explain… Your protein needs in the morning are different then the middle of the day and are different again AFTER a workout and again different before bed.

All this means is that no one protein is the best for any given time. But before I get lost… let me show you the biological value scale in a simple form.

Type of Protein :: Biological Value Rating

Whey: 106-159 Egg: 100 Cow’s Milk: 91 Fish: 83 Casein: 80 Beef: 80 Chicken: 79 Soy: 74 Wheat Gluten: 54 Kidney Beans: 49

For all these reasons, you can and should see that soy protein is listed lower. That just means it’s not the most anabolic of proteins for optimal muscle growth.

But don’t get me wrong…

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat soy protein if you enjoy it. It simply means that barring any religious beliefs or personal preferences, soy would not be the ideal protein source for enhanced muscle gains. This doesn’t mean you cannot have it or that it’s bad for you.

In fact, let’s continue on with a little example.

John Q. Public 13% body fat 184 lbs 160 lbs of LBM (lean body mass)

For simplification we’ll just say that for every LB of LBM (pound of lean body mass) John wants to get 1 g of protein.

John should be consuming 160 g of protein a day.

Here’s where the myth and some problems come into play! Read carefully.

If you get a vast amount of your protein from less BV sources then optimal (beans, soy) you will not prime your muscles for optimal anabolic growth. John shouldn’t be getting 150+ grams of soy protein a day IF he wants to create the most muscle mass and he has no personal reasons not to use better quality sources.

John also won’t be in jeopardy of losing muscle or wasting his efforts if he ingests small quantities of soy proteins because he likes them. Having soy in his cereal is not going to make a difference.

The myth that soy will cause men to produce estrogen is when VAST quantities are ingested. Far beyond what any rational person would want to do on a prolonged basis.

A bodybuilder that has soy will not feel any differences, be any less anabolic then another person who does not consume soy at all.

Fact: A long-term metabolic balance study in young men to assess the nutritional quality of an isolated soy protein and beef proteins (VR Young, A Wayler, C Garza, FH Steinke, E Murray, WM Rand, and NS Scrimshaw) was published in 1984 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Jan 1984; 39: 8 – 15.

After 84 days of two groups, one totally isolated soy protein and the other on beef proteins, found a conclusion that:

“Body cell mass measurements did not reveal any deterioration in protein nutritional status. These observations confirm the prediction, derived from previous short-term nitrogen balance studies, that the nutritional quality of isolated soy protein is high and that this plant protein can serve as the sole source of essential amino acids and nitrogen for protein maintenance in adults.”

So let me summarize and review…

Soy is not the most biological available source for optimal anabolic muscle growth. If you were to finish a workout, you would want to ingest some high quality whey protein vs. soy proteins. However, simply having soy doesn’t mean it’s bad for bodybuilding unless you are getting a majority of your protein from soy products. Then it’s not optimal. You’d also need to ingest quite a bit on a daily basis for any negative effects of soy to manifest (specifically aimed at males in this sentence).

Copyright 2006 Marc David

Stop wasting your time with myths and half-truths. Discover the real secrets to building muscle and burning fat from somebody who’s tried it all. The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding is jam-packed with 250 pages of factual information you can use today to make the best gains of your life. Check it out now at: http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_David

To get a taste of what I’m talking about, visit What Your Doctor May Not Be Telling You!

Let me know what you think.

Jeff