Tuesday, February 22, 2011

A discussion about soy compare to other protein sources

In response to: http://searchwarp.com/swa20340.htm#245139 (“Dark Side Of Soy Bean”)

Google, "Amazon deforestation surging due to oil, soy prices" (a news article) saying that Amazon deforestation is because of illegal farming of soy, and the soy is fed to the cattle. Cattle farming is the cause of illegal farming of soy and thus result in deforestation in Amazon.

Soy is NOT infant formula. Soy does not lower testosterone levels, quantity and quality of sperm and sex drive. Phytoestrogens level is not enough to affect males fertility. (Mitchell JH, Cawood E, Kinniburgh D, Provan A, Collins AR, Irvine DS (June 2001). "Effect of a phytoestrogen food supplement on reproductive health in normal males".)

Also, personally, I have been regularly visiting a Buddhist temple who have men eating soy on daily basis for decades. They have no problem as they have kids.

I agree with that American food in general are over-processed. And in fact, if you object GM soy alone, you should object GM food in general. GM corps are hard to avoid: Soybeans, corn, cotton, Alfalfa, Hawaiian papaya, tomatoes, rapeseed, sugar cane, squash, later in 2012 there will be GM rice. Beef are often fed with GM soy, injected growth hormone for milk.

In the UK, most pork, milk and dairy products are produced from animals that have been fed on genetically modified (GM) crops. These products are not labelled. indicates that small amounts of GM DNA end up in the animal tissues and milk of GM-fed pigs and other animals. Also, GM pork will eventually arrive.

In 2003, scientists at the University of Illinois were conducting an experiment that involved inserting cow genes into female pigs in order to increase their milk production. They also inserted a synthetic gene to make milk digestion easier for the piglets. The experimental pigs were supposed to be destroyed, as instructed by the FDA. However, 386 offspring of the experimental pigs were sold to livestock brokers, who sold them to slaughterhouses. They were processed and sent to grocery stores as pork chops, sausage, and bacon

Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health? Arpad Pusztai (An ActionBioscience original article) shows that some chicken are GM-fed.

Beef, pork, and chicken are GM fed. Soy is mostly GM in US 93% and worldwide 77%[1]. Then, you have to wager which protein source is less harmful. Since consuming beef, pork, and chicken will put you up higher on the food chain than just consuming soy (they are fed GM crops anyway), soy would be a better choice.

[1] USA:Cultivation of GM Plants in 2009, Maize, soybean, cotton: 88 percent genetically modified GMO Compass. Retrieved July 25, 2010. http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/gmo_planting/506.usa_cultivation_gm_plants_2009.html

A downside to eating high on the food chain By DP OPINION

"A recent United Nations report revealed that meat production contributes greatly to global warming – 18 percent of the total effects, more than from all cars everywhere. Eating high on the food chain takes five, 10, or 20 times the land, water and energy resources that plant foods take. The toll from soil erosion and groundwater depletion has stretched the environment to the breaking point.

There’s no way the entire world could eat the standard American meat-centered diet. We would do much better if we ate a more vegetarian diet, lower on the food chain."

So what is wrong by eating higher up on the food chain? Pyramid of poison.

Gale's Science of Everyday Things:Food Webs

""pyramid of poison" and the ecological pyramid, whereby energy, which is beneficial, passes between trophic levels. The higher the trophic level, the smaller the amounts of energy that the organism extracts from its food—but the higher the amount of toxic content. By the time the toxins have passed on to a few more levels in the food web, they might be appearing in concentrations as great as 10,000 times their original amount."

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