The paradoxical reasons why sprouted soy contains more antinutrients than unsprouted versions and should be avoided in the diet to preserve gastrointestinal and hormonal health.
Great news abounds with regard to the public’s perception of soy.
There’s no doubt that more people than ever are getting the message that soy is not the “health food” that it is portrayed to be by conventional dietary authorities.
Soybeans in the diet pose a danger to health even in menopausal women.
This includes the innocuous green bean known as edamame.
The bad news is that a little information can sometimes be dangerous!
Sprouted Soy Myths
In this case, it appears that many who recognize that soy is an unhealthy food are under the mistaken impression that sprouted soy is fine to consume.
Or, just as bad, some believe that organic soy or soy that is certified GMO-free poses no problem to health.
Perhaps the healthy traditional practice of sprouting grains, legumes, and other seeds resulted in confusion about soy because it is a legume.
Or maybe it’s the GMO issue that is triggering confusion. Some seem to assume that the reason soy is bad is because nearly all of it is genetically modified.
Sprouting Soybeans Does Not Make Them Safe
Even food manufacturers are on the bandwagon of misinformation about this issue.
Some supposedly wholesome sprouted bread and pasta brands (like Ezekiel) include sprouted soy and actually market this as “healthy” on the label!
Some vegetarian and vegan websites are promoting recipes for sprouted soy milk as nutritious alternatives to (undigestible) regular soya milk and dairy.
Let’s set the record straight on this important issue.
Any form of soy with the exception of fermented nonGMO soy in small condimental amounts should be avoided in the diet.
Soy was an unhealthy food to consume long before the issue of GMO soy came into play.
The fact that most of the soy on the market these days is GMO just makes what was already an unhealthy food even worse!
With regard to sprouted soy, be on guard to avoid being fooled! It’s actually more harmful than unsprouted soy!
Traditional Uses of Soy Sprouts
Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story reveals why soy sprouts must be avoided in the diet:
Soy sprouts, by the way, are not healthy. Short-term germination increases the strength of soy‘s antinutrient fractions.[emphasis mine] In contrast, long-term sprouting plus fermentation will decrease and nearly eliminate them. (1)
She goes on to describe the historical usage of sprouted soy, which did not include regular consumption!
Soy sprouts are mentioned in historical accounts as useful, sometime pharmaceuticals, not as a daily food. (2)
Antinutrients Block Minerals
The Weston A. Price Foundation concurs, warning that high levels of phytic acid even in sprouted soy reduce the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc.
Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children. (3)
Phytic acid also blocks mineral absorption, causes digestive distress, and can contribute to tooth decay. The late Rami Nagel details this important information in his bestselling book Cure Tooth Decay.
In short, soy that is organic, nonGMO, and sprouted is not safe to eat. This is the case despite some food philosophies that embrace it as such.
The Only Safe Way to Consume Soy
NonGMO, fermented soy in small, condimental amounts as practiced in traditional Asian cultures is the only safe way to consume this legume. Those who have thyroid conditions should still avoid it, however, due to the goitrogens.
One of the most popular examples of cultured soybeans is miso. Sushi restaurants in Western countries seem to always feature miso soup on the menu (though it is usually GMO).
Tempeh, natto, and traditionally brewed soy sauce also fall under the healthy soy category. The nutritional benefits of natto, in particular, are unequaled by any other soy food.
Everything else soy? Just pass!
(1-2) The Whole Soy Story
(3) Soy Alert!
Articles like these are hurtful. Everybody’s bodies react to food differently. There are articles out there on any food group and the harm that they can cause to a person and then other articles that claim the complete opposite and claim that that same food is a miracle food.everything should be eaten in moderation. If you are eating soy as your main food group three times a day, then yes it isn’t healthy but the same goes for eating steak. As someone that has lived in both China and Japan I will say that this article is extremely misleading because tofu is consumed by nearly everyone and you never hear about the negative side effects like you do in this hypochondriac ridden country. Unfortunately the majority of people believe everything they read and take it as gospel and then go on to spread misinformation. As for the doctor angle of this article…does no one remember that doctors use to recommend smoking cigarettes.
Soy is perfectly fine!
A 2010 meta-analysis of fifteen placebo-controlled studies said that “neither soy foods nor isoflavone supplements alter measures of bioavailable testosterone concentrations in men.”[28] Furthermore, isoflavone supplementation has no effect on sperm concentration, count or motility, and leads to no observable changes in testicular or ejaculate volume.[29][30]
Wikipedia
Good read, but how can you make claims like this without more extensive sourcing? I mean, you don’t have to go as hard as the FDA do when it comes to determining food safety, but a few peer-reviewed sources wouldn’t hurt.
Hi, I actually came across this post while looking up how to sprout my own soy beans into sprouts. I am Korean American and the sprouted soy bean is a regular staple in our diet. We have side dishes, mixed rice dishes where the sprout is the main star and it is in lots of soups. Even the fermented version (dwen jang) is eaten very frequently and consumed as a stew, soup or mixed in side dishes as seasoning. We even have a stew that has feemented soy paste as the base and sprouts are added as the vegetable (shock!). The picture above are indeed mung bean sprouts because soy bean sprouts have a yellow bean at the end of it. Cultures and diets should be studied extensively because of all the misleading information. In the Korean culture, we are raised with sprouts in our diet, are told how healthy they are for you and I would have to agree with Jason that the men are just the same as any testosterone filled American man. Perhaps you have not been to Korea because you would have a sprout as a side dish at any restaurant guaranteed!
That is why they use fermented. because they knew that unfermented soy is harmful. Soy must be fermented
in order to be consumed safely.
And a little common sense says: People in Asia have been eating a lot of soy for thousands of years, and have been generally healthier than westerners are today. This is a very good long term test on the safety of consuming soy.
Sprouted Tofu is actually easier to digest, has more protein, iron, and omega 3’s.
It’s a healthy food. All of the rumors floating around about soy causing cancer and making men more feminine has been proven wrong by science. But we already knew this wasn’t true just by looking at the asian populations. And no the men don’t have breasts.
GMO’s on the other hand, there just isn’t enough long term data in yet to say if it’s safe or not to consume. Either way… it’s bad for the ecosystem, because the GMO seeds find their way into non GMO fields and this causes problems.
And organic… people seem to fuss a lot over organic foods, whether they’re better for you or not. I think the main thing is that organic farming is much better for the environment, and is a much more sustainable practice. This alone warrants buying organic.
There are always going to be scary rumors going around about foods. Sometimes you just have to use some common sense and sort through it.
No…the little bean isn’t so evil after all.
Having traveled extensively in Asia, NO ONE eats sprouted soy .. it is all traditionally fermented. Soy is ALWAYS consumed in very small condimental amounts in Asia traditionally as well. Not the huge, put soy in everything way misinformed westerners consume it.
Uniformed viewpoint you have.
Koreans eat soybean sprouts almost daily as a side dish called kongnamul muchim, or a soup called kongnumul guk. Please research before you say no Asians eat soybean sprouts 🙂
Sarah, where in Asia have your traveled.. Perhaps you were just on the tourist track which could explain your experiences. As part of my job, I lived in China for eight years, and I have had a total opposite experience from you. In my experience, if anything could be sprouted it was sprouted including soybeans. This is especially true in the provinces near Korea. According to many of my Chinese friends, tofu is considered a health food which was especially wonderful for a woman’s complexion. Perhaps when you travel as a tourist, tofu and soybeans are not considered “best quality” food to be serving someone with the funds to travel.
You haven’t traveled to Korea apparently. Koreans eat sprouted soy almost every day. I own a Korean store in Florida and sell at least 10 cases a week to the local Koreans and Japanese.
Hi, Sarah. I dunno whether to believe or not believe that soy and tofu is bad for you. But I do know that tofu and bean sprouts, particularly in the South of China (was born there and raised with its traditions) are plentiful and are eaten at least two times a week. My entire family is Chinese and there is no shortage of the non fermented tofu eating, bean sprout boiling, soy milk drinking and yes, fermented tofu pairing. I’m not gonna say you’re wrong or right on the not healthy part (discounting the GMO part as I highly dislike them) but I am going to say that your article is beginning to sound extremely misleading just based off of the assertions you’re making about a culture I was born into, raised from and continue to live with everyday.
I am chinese, I tell you now we eat LARGE AMOUNTS of sprouted soy 2-3 times a week in all kinds of dishes, you can state your point of view for sure but please get your facts straight!!!!
Gosh Sarah, you could not be more wrong. I lived in Misawa Japan for 6 years. EVERYONE eats tofu, and lots of it. Japan is where I developed a taste for tofu as it was difficult to find a meal in rural Japan that did not have tofu/sprouts in it. I grew to love the stuff and I am perfectly healthy just like my Japanese friends. I understand it may be hard for you to acknowledge you are in error here, but sweetie, you are. Accept it and move on.
Tofu is not sprouted soy!!!!
sorry one link missing for the last post http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378106
Right on Bruno!
A 2010 meta-analysis of fifteen placebo-controlled studies said that “neither soy foods nor isoflavone supplements alter measures of bioavailable testosterone concentrations in men.”[28] Furthermore, isoflavone supplementation has no effect on sperm concentration, count or motility, and leads to no observable changes in testicular or ejaculate volume.[29][30]
How’s your BB going? Do you have a website?
I think that the information of this article can be very important, but wont have value util you post the fonts. I said that becouse i did a lot of reasearh about isoflavones vs man i what i found is:
“Soybean isoflavone exposure does not have feminizing effects on men: a critical examination of the clinical evidence.”
“serve to provide plausible mechanisms for the potential health benefits of diets rich in phytoestrogen”
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/129/3/758S.short
another article show the contrary
http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/soy-and-your-testosterone/
From my experience as vegan and bodybuilder never never felt problems with soy and my testosterone levels are high, so i will continue to eat it a lot.
i will stop here, please responde me with article proving your point.
Thanks.
You won’t get one Bruno, because isoflavones are proven to be healthy.
The scare is just a big misunderstanding of what phytoestrogen is.
When I eat meat, eggs or dairy I have crippling menstrual pain. It gets so bad that I can barely move for 5 days.
When I cut out meat and up my soy intake, this horrible pain goes away. I’ve tried everything else! When I was on the paleo diet for a few months, this pain was tenfold.
Surely soy can’t be bad for every single person? I don’t consume GMO soy. It’s always organic.
I feel like a normal person now!
I want to know about soy proteins in shampoo. Any problems there?
I have a question – how does the (sprouted soy) Ezekiel pasta stack up against plain pasta with no sprouted anything? I’ve switched from plain to Ezekiel, and will be switching to Essential Eating, but I have about 3 boxes of the Ezekiel left and I would rather not throw them away unless I need to. (I also have homemade chicken noodle soup in the fridge made with Ezekiel noodles.)
What are your thoughts?