if we are what we eat, Americans are corn & soy

So I’m working on a soy product, which means I come across a lot of interesting (and sometimes not interesting) information about soy, its users and the industry. Generally speaking when you ask an average person whether they are a soy user – more often than not they’ll give you a sour look with a passionate “no!” But what I thought was worth sharing with you is the fact that whether you know it or not you are probably eating soy…everyday… and loads of it! Turns out, soy is in 60% - 70% of all processed foods! I know, at first I didn’t believe it either, but on my next trip to the grocery store I read the ingredient labels and to my surprise I think it was in 90% of the processed foods I picked up! From Oreo cookies and chips, to frozen pizza and plain old bread! The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy in your daily diet …but something tells me we are probably consuming way more than that…and that’s when it becomes questionable whether it’s good or bad for you. According to Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health, if we are what we eat, Americans are corn and soy. He estimates that soybeans, usually hidden in the form of oil, ­ accounts for an astonishing 10% of our total calories in the United States. And while plenty of research can be found to support soy’s health claims, through research you’ll find the science to be painfully inconsistent. Some studies find no special effects of soy on health, while others actually suggest that soy foods might cause the very heath problems they are believed to prevent.

The purpose of passing this information to you is to peak your interest to want to empower yourself to go learn and make conscious food choices.

Recommended book: What to Eat by Marion Nestle