HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Jan. 14, 2006 Like many people these days I buy a lot of organic foods; fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, and antibiotic and hormone free meat and dairy products. On occasion I also buy what I loosely call “processed” foods such as a can of tuna. The other day I happened to look at the ingredients listed on the label of that can of tuna that I had placed in my shopping basket. Soybean oil. I looked at another brand of tuna. Soybean oil. In fact, I couldn’t find a single can of tuna that didn’t have soybean oil in it so I put the can back. Hmmm... I headed for the health food section to check out my favorite protein bar, which I had specifically chosen because it was not made with soy. Much to my surprise, one of the ingredients now listed on the label was soy protein isolate—soy in a different form-–but still soy. Before I knew it I was checking the labels of everything in the store. Soy in one form or another was everywhere. My favorite chocolate bar had soy lecithin in it. Even my organic bread had soy flour listed as an ingredient. I was reminded of the classic Sci-Fi movie Soylent Green (1973) starring Charlton Heston. Soylent Green the movie, was based on Harry Harrison's 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! Like most films that are based on novels, it doesn’t follow the book that closely. In this case, there is a twist ending that I’m not going to reveal of course, but which probably accounts for its status as a cult classic. The premise of the movie, which takes place in New York City in the year 2022, is that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket (for lack of a better description) because of overpopulation and the greenhouse effect. Yes, the same issues we are still facing today. Meat, fresh fruits and vegetables and other fresh, natural foods are either extremely expensive or no longer exist. Instead, Soylent crackers—a combination of soybeans and lentils—are the primary source of sustenance for the masses and are distributed by the government free of charge. Most of us are familiar with the health claim on the Quaker Oats box that tells us how oat bran is good for your heart. There is a health claim for soy as well. As of October 1999, foods containing soy protein are allowed to claim on the package label that soy is beneficial in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency responsible for approving the health claim, studies (anti-soy groups allege that many of those studies were funded by-–you guessed it–-the mighty soybean corporations) show that one serving per day, equivalent to 25 grams of soy protein daily in the diet, can lower both total and LDL cholesterol levels. Eligible foods include soy beverages, tofu, tempeh, and soy-based meat alternatives—basically “whole” soy products. Foods carrying the claim also must be low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. OK. Fair enough. Those foods I can easily avoid or not. It’s my choice. We’ve all heard about the benefits of soy, but what concerns me, is the cumulative effects of a little soy here and a little soy there. Let’s say I have a tuna sandwich for lunch with a glass of soymilk and top it off with a chocolate bar. Later in the afternoon I might have a protein bar before I head off to the gym. My tuna salad is made with mayonnaise containing soybean oil. The tuna is packed in soybean oil. The organic whole grain bread is made with soy flour. The chocolate bar contains soy lecithin. The soymilk speaks for itself. Granted, soy lecithin, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, and soy flour are regulated by the federal government, but how is the average consumer supposed to know how much of their dietary intake is related to soy and its variants? How much soy are we really eating, and how much is too much? Surprising, I found very little information with regard to this question. What I did find is that soy is more ubiquitous than I thought. A report published in 2001 by the Soy Protein Council provides numerous details of the ways that soy is used in foods—keep in mind that this was nearly five years ago. It is absolutely mind-boggling. Not only are soy-based additives universally used in foods but increasingly soy proteins are replacing animal proteins, for example in processed meats such as meatballs, pizza toppings, and lunchmeats. If that isn’t enough, it is now possible to increase the protein content of ham, roast beef, and chicken simply by injecting a brine solution containing soy protein isolate or soy protein concentrate into the meat itself resulting in more meat for your buck. No thanks. What is behind the soybean invasion? You guessed it. Money. Soy is big business. Soy is also nearly 100 percent genetically modified. But that’s another story. Originally grown as inexpensive feed for livestock, soybeans have blossomed into a huge cash crop here in the United States and elsewhere (Brazil being one of the most recent countries to jump on soybean gravy train). And, by the way, soy protein is substituted for milk protein for feeding calves. I don’t even want to think about the implications of that for those of us who are meat eaters. Soybean producers and companies can jump on the health food bandwagon, cash in on the purported health benefits of soy, while at the same use a cheap product while eliminating other not so cheap ingredients. Soy protein ingredients are a component in baked goods and pasta as well, often replacing or reducing the amount of dairy products needed or to fortify pasta with soy protein isolate to make it more protein-rich. All in the name of lowering costs (soy is cheap), providing more protein (um…don’t Americans eat too much protein already?), and of course, to respect the relatively small portion of the population that has allergies to dairy and eggs (how kind of them to be so thoughtful). Soy is everywhere. Infant formulas, baby cereal, hot cereal, Salisbury steaks, fish sticks, hamburger patties, frankfurters, ham, chicken nuggets, sausage, bread, cakes, caramel, fudge, and my personal favorite coming soon to a chocolate bar near you: replacing nuts with fried soy chips. Mmm, mmm, good! The year 2022 isn’t that far off. Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it? ------------ About the author: Heleigh Bostwick is a Vermont based writer and publisher of Marigold Lane, www.marigoldlane.com, the premier online resource for simple living with “green” twist. She is also the Editor of Parenting Multiples www.parentingmultiples.allinfoabout.com Email: habostwick@verizon.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
