Yesterday I rambled about how evil soy is and why. Today we need to figure out how to avoid it. I told you I was going to turn you into a diligent label reader didn’t I?
Some sources of soy will be easy to spot like:
- Tofu
- Bean Curd
- Soybean oil
- Soy Lecithin
- Tamari
- Edamame
- Soy flour
- Soya
- Soy Sauce
Others are a little more tricky:
- Non-dairy creamer
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- Hydrolized vegetable protein (HVP)
- Some sausage, hot dogs and deli meats
- Canned meats
- Bacon bits
- Salad Dressings
- Worcstershire, Steak and BBQ Sauces
- Canned tuna and salmon
- Canned soup
- Frozen entrees
- Margarine
- Cereal
- Granola bars
- Potato chips
- ANY PRODUCT FROM AN ANIMAL THAT WAS FED SOY
Yes that’s right, the meat you buy from the grocery store is not even beef/chicken/lamb anymore. If you leave a cow to go completely wild and just eat whatever it wants, what will it eat? I know for a fact that it will not stand in a GMO soybean field and eat nothing but soy beans for it’s entire life. It will wander around eating many different varieties of grasses and green growing plants.
Dude this resort sucks. They told us there would be fresh, growing grass to our hearts content. So far all they're feeding us is some really bitter crunchy stuff that makes me bloated and cranky.
My point is, livestock producers like to use corn and soy as a base for their animal feed, because these protein-rich grains fatten up their animals, and because they’re incredibly cheap as a result of the government subsidies. Livestock consumes 47% of the soy and 60% of the corn produced in the US. These meat products contain lower Omega 3 fatty acids than pasture-raised meat. The also have 5 times less Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA-the cancer fighter) than pasture-raised meat.
An organic cage-free egg from the store versus our free-range soy-free eggs.
And because 85% of soybeans are Genetically Modified, the meat you’re buying at the grocery store most likely contains GMO ingredients. GMO soy and corn are bred in a lab with built in pesticides and herbicides, which bio-accumulate in the fatty tissues of the animal. This chemical nightmare is then passed on to you, the consumer, when you eat that meat. Along with all of the arsenic, antibiotics, diseased animal tissue, plastic filler, chicken waste, dead animals, bones, pus, hides and scrap tissue that they are feeding factory farmed animals these days.
OMG you guys, I'm so excited! After we get our ears scratched the farmer promised a nice walk down by the pond and then as much grass as we can possibly eat. Race you!
My suggestion? Buy whole, raw one-ingredient foods. Grow your own. Go to www.eatwild.com or www.localharvest.org and find a farmer near your home. Ask questions, farmers love to tell you how they are raising their animals and what they are feeding them. They really won’t be offended by the question, in fact I have never met a farmer that won’t try to talk your ear off about that very subject. It is their lifes passion you know!
Rob's chickens eat whatever they find in the fields. He has a big chicken feeder full of organic soy-free food that they can eat at will. They much prefer to go find food on their own.
Make your opinions known. Every local grocery store in my area has heard from me. I make it a point to track down the managers and let them know the reason my cart is full of organic produce and non-GMO foods. I let them know the reason I refuse to buy ‘meat’ from their business. I write letters to the corporations or franchises that own those stores, I talk to my congressman and I regularly annoy the governor’s office. And you should too! Be a pest, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And I for one would love to see this fake, poison junk they are trying to pass off as meat, milk, cheese and eggs disappear. Wouldn’t you?
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Whole grains: Are they healthy?
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Your Journey to Health (and where to start first)
Magnesium Deficiency (and why there is an 80% chance that you have it!)
Caffeine Addiction: What is it really doing to you?
A Real Food Lover 