Ever since my husband, who is a “health nut”, told me that soy is not good for you I’ve been avoiding it. I took my husband’s word for it, without studying it myself, knowing that he had done his research on this matter. I am glad we haven’t been eating soy in our household all these years, because recently, in a book called The Hidden Dangers of Soy by Dianne Gregg I discovered how many people have developed health problems eating soy. After having gone through a health crisis due to soy consumption, Dianne Gregg had done her research and wrote a book to help others who are suffering because of consuming soy. In her book she tells her story and stories of other people who had consumed soy and goes into detail about nutritional “value” of soy and health claims. For somebody who had made a choice not to consume soy she gives tips on how to avoid soy when purchasing food and gives soy-free recipes, and also provides allergy info and tips.
Dianne shares how she developed an allergy to soy and nearly died after going into anaphylactic shock. That experience prompted her to take soy completely off her diet. Through her research she discovered that so many people have developed serious health problems after consuming soy. It is hard not to add soy to your diet when it so widely promoted as the “health food”. Another woman in her book tells her story: “All the literature in all the health and fitness magazines said that soy protected you against everything from heart disease to breast cancer”. In addition to all the claims regarding women’s health, to vegetarians soy is promoted as a healthy alternative to meat, to mothers with babies allergic to milk it is promoted as a healthy alternative to milk (in Britain and France they advise parents to avoid exposing children up to three years of age to soy). The author points out what Chinese discovered long time ago -- “that there were bad side effects from what we know today to be anti-nutrients or soy toxins” (in spite of the common belief Chinese don’t eat as much soy as we assume they do).The modern way of processing soy for consumption does not remove these toxins and even adds new ones. Dianne publishes testimonials of adults ending up being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, tumors, heart palpitations, hair loss and numerous other problems; babies are diagnosed with hypospadias, abnormal amounts of estrogen and growth problems. As these babies grow up they start having different health issues. It is a major blow for the parents to realize that the culprit of their child’s problems is soy.
With the consumption of soy rising, the percentage increases in allergies, asthma, ADHD and autism are astonishing. It is hard not to see a correlation. The author also mentions the countries that will soon require warning labels on all soy foods. With her book, Dianne Gregg brings awareness about the dangers of consuming soy and helps people make an educated choice on whether not to consume soy and soy products. After reading this book I know for sure that my husband and I have made the right choice not to eat soy.
