Another Reason to Avoid Juices

As we discuss in class, juices pose a number of problems and our bodies actually do better without them. First, we typically strain the fiber out of most our juices, fiber we need to grow the right intestinal flora. Second, even if we drink juices that retain the fruits’ fiber, juicing typically changes how much fruit we end up eating. When we have to chew and swallow, we fill up more quickly because we have the opportunity to provide our brain with some feedback via grehlin on how satiated we are. We might eat an orange or a few carrots for a snack. But, if we were juicing, we might well instead use 2-4 oranges or up to 10 carrots to make a glass of juice. In our culture, we usually think that if something is good for us, more is better. Actually, more of anything than our body really wants is seldom a good thing. In the case of juice, we are ingesting much more fructose as a result of increasing our fruit and sweet vegetable intake by juicing. And fructose is difficult for the body. Any excess fructose grows the simple sugar loving microbes, that are not beneficial 

Soy, friend or foe in breast cancer?

There is still some confusion about the estrogenic effect of soy. Oncologists still advise women with estrogen-positive breast cancer to avoid soy. Some women are told that soy foods may have a negative effect on their tamoxifen treatment. Women with risk factors for breast cancer often believe they should avoid soy foods as part of preventing cancer.

However, these recommendations and fears are not supported by clinical studies. In fact, soy’s image as a healthy food in the West was largely triggered by the much lower incidence of breast cancer in Asian women, where soy usually is eaten daily.

Instead, soy is avoided because of data from animal studies, and flawed animal studies at that. In these studies, scientists implanted breast cancers into mice without thymus glands and ovaries.  

Strong Bones Without Dairy??

At present, I am seeing a growing trend toward anti-veganism. I’ve heard reasonably well-educated practitioners declare that a diet without animal products cannot be healthy. Without relying on human research, they proclaim that a vegan diet is only suitable for Buddhist monks trying to reign in their sexual urges. All other vegans, we are warned, will end up asexual, infertile, weak, ill, brittle-boned, and riddled with acne.

My studies instead have taught me that humans are omnivores who can maintain their health on a wide variety of diets provided they understand their body’s needs and adapt their diet to satisfy those needs. This includes taking into account the fact that environmental toxins abound and have a dramatic, negative effect on our health. We

Whole Foods vs. Supplements

In class, we discuss a Finnish study that showed that male smokers eating a lot of fruits and vegetables developed less cancer than men who did not. We also consider that antioxidant supplements produce negative results in a variety of health studies, in some actually increasing the incidence of cancer. One meta-analysis of all of the supplement studies reports that “supplementation was dose-dependently associated with an increased risk of death.” In other words, supplements of one or a few antioxidants at best have no effect and frequently have harmful effects.

A recent Norwegian study decided to see if getting the same dose of antioxidants that proved harmful in supplement form also was harmful if eaten as food. They recruited a group of male smokers and divided them into three groups. One eating a typical Norwegian diet, one eating a regular diet plus three kiwis a day, and one eating an antioxidant-rich diet. They made the interesting observation that Norwegians get most of their antioxidants from coffee (as opposed to fruits and vegetables) so, in order to control the daily dose of antioxidants in these three diets, they limited all to 3 cups of coffee a day.

Potential Soy Toxins Continued…

Sally Fallon is one of the most outspoken anti-soy personalities. One of her recent articles begins:  “The propaganda that has created the soy sales miracle is all the more remarkable because, only a few decades ago [sic], the soybean was considered unfit to eat – even in Asia.” I assume “decades” should be replaced with centuries or millennia because it is an ancient plant. And, as befits an ancient plant, there are many, many different stories about its history. One says that Samuel Bowen brought the soybean to the US in 1765 and exported soy sauce and soy noodles to England. Large-scale production of soy in this country began around 1850.

The history of soy in China and its spread through Asia date much further back in time. According to the James Beard website, soybeans have been cultivated in China since 1000 B.C. and soy sauce as we know it did not come about until the 6th century. Prior to that time,

Soy and mineral absorption (1)

Groups opposed to soy suggest that “vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies.”  This allegedly is due to phytates in soy preventing the body from absorbing minerals.  As part of evaluating these anti-soy claims, I have been looking at studies on foods that inhibit mineral absorption.

Nuts actually contain two inhibitors of iron absorption: Phytates and tannins (polyphenols). One study compared the effect of “nut meals” made from walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts to “bread meal.” (Peanuts, of course, are not nuts, they are legumes, as are soybeans.) The study volunteers variously had a glass of “full-cream milk” for breakfast with either two slices of white bread and margarine or a nut butter made from one of the nuts and honey. Next, the breakfasts were repeated, this time with vitamin C added to the glass of milk. Finally, one breakfast used sprouted peanuts in the nut butter.

Soy and the Thyroid

There are widely differing opinions on the wisdom of eating soy. Some are vehemently opposed and talk of soy as if it were the food of the devil. Others are carried off in the opposite direction, recommending soy foods (often in chemicalized form) and soy supplements many times a day. Most of us just want to know if eating a reasonable amount of soy foods is good or bad for us. I am in the process of reviewing research on soy with an eye toward answering those questions