Food for Thought Thursday - The Scoop on Soy

Depending on what sources you read, soy is either the best food on the planet or the worst. I'm always continuing to read and research on the topic, and today, I stumbled across one of the best articles I've seen about it on Alicia Silverstone's blog, The Kind Life.

A few things to keep in mind about soy . . . First, there are several groups of food manufacturers that stand to benefit financially from discrediting soy. I always consider the source of the research, who it was funded by and if that group has any potential for financial gain.

Also, "soy" encompass a really wide range of foods. As with any type of food, soy in its least processed and/or fermented states - edamame, tempeh, miso, etc. - will have the greatest health benefits. Too often, however, soy loses health benefits and even becomes potentially harmful when it is used as a concentrated protein (such as soy protein isolate) or as an ingredient highly processed in junk foods (which have many other unhealthy ingredients as well). Research conducted on soy isolates or processed soy really aren't really relevant in determining the health value of more natural soy products. Consider how far removed your soy is from the actual bean when making decisions on whether or not to include it in your diet.

Finally, soy is one of the crops most likely to be genetically modified. Be sure to look for products containing organic, non-GMO soy.

I like that Alicia's article includes links to Dr. Neal Barnard's recent research on soy, along with five non-dairy milk alternatives for those avoiding soy milk.

As for us, we generally drink almond milk at home, but since soy milk is typically the only non-dairy milk alternative we find when we're out, I feel fine about having it at a coffee shop or restaurant. We also do eat the more processed soy products on occasion but don't rely on them as part of our daily diet.

Food for Thought Thursday - Reversing Disease with Diet

When I came across this article, entitled What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You Could Save Your Life, I just knew I had to share it. I read stories like this a few times a month, and they never fail to inspire and infuriate me at the same time.

It's wonderful to know that we have this much control over our health (and that of our children) through our dietary choices - but at the same time, it's outrageous that the medical community is (at least somewhat) aware of it but don't bother to offer it as a solution because they assume people will think eating well is "too much work". Ugh! I certainly hope the whole idea of personal accountability makes a comeback during my lifetime, but that's a rant much broader than this blog post . . .

At any rate, when we were beginning our own journey towards health, our pediatrician shared a piece of information that has stuck with me all these years. He told us that most doctors receive, at most, one course in nutrition throughout their entire medical school career. Simply put, unless they have a specific interest in the topic and have researched on their own, your doctor may not know any more than you do about how food can keep us healthy (and probably less if you're a researcher-type like I suspect you are).

Since most of our culture seems content to rely on pills and surgeries to fix the results of their disease-promoting diets, it's always inspiring to see people showing that many conditions that are widely accepted as "normal" in today's society can be prevented and actually reversed with a whole foods, plant-based diet.

In addition to this article, several documentaries have also been made on this topic. Click here to view the trailer for the film Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.

Oprah and 378 Staffers Go Vegan for a Week

Oprah Winfrey and 378 of her staff members will be going vegan for a week in preparation for a show that will air on February 1st. The show will feature Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemna, and Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness. Lisa Ling will also be sharing her investigation of a meat-packing plant, of which Oprah says "whether you eat meat or not, you need to see it".

Click here to see the promotional video for the upcoming show.