Soybeans: The Ultimate Asian Superfood?

The story behind this controversial bean.

Soy latte. Soy cheese. Soy protein. Soy infant formula. Soy turkey. Soy healthy, soy overwhelming.

We’re living in a world where our food choices are heavily influenced by what we see on television, what we read on labels and what we hear our friends talking about. The lessons our parents taught us, if any, have largely fallen by the wayside, with food marketing stepping in to take their place. 

So we read the labels and we hope for the best. When soy products came to the Western world, they were touted as the next great healthy product. Just look at all those trim Chinese, so healthy! Most of us fell for it.

It wasn’t completely our fault. In the 70s and 80s, researchers began noticing that Asians didn’t seem to have the same problems with cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis we were experiencing in the West. They hypothesized that this had to do with the large amount of soy consumed in the east, a hypothesis which after several decades of research proved to be true.

The first health claims were approved by the FDA in the 90s and soy production skyrocketed from a $300 million to a $4 billion industry in just a decade and a half. Today soy continues to be credited with all kinds of health benefits, from cancer prevention to bone strengthening to cholesterol regulating. 

Huffington Post recently published an article touting soy as one of China’s great superfoods.

Is it really so super?

Yes and no. Soybeans contain all essential amino acids and they’re full of dietary fibre, helping you feel fuller faster on fewer calories. They’re chock full of iron, phosphorus and magnesium, contain lots of lovely unsaturated fats, including the all important omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, which accounts for 7 percent of the fat in soybeans. They’re great for growth and development in the brain and lower your risk of heart attack. A no-brainer, seemingly.

But there’s a dark side. Soy infant formula has the equivalent of about five months worth of birth control hormones in a single daily dose. Soy lecithin is an emulsifier hidden in hundreds of thousands of processed foods in the U.S., even though it’s known to cause thyroid dysfunction, kidney stones and increased risk of breast cancer, among other nasty side-effects. 

Problems with soy began to appear in the West almost directly after its widespread propagation, most significantly with digestive and reproductive disorders. Why doesn’t soy seem to be working for the west?

The soy we eat today is vastly different from the soy that led to all those wonderful scientific results a few decades ago, for two reasons. For a start, most of the soy we eat in the West is unfermented. For another, about 91 percent of soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified.

Though the long term effects of genetic modification have yet to be determined, preliminary results don’t look good. Adding fuel to the fire is that we eat so much of it. Soy is so predominant in the U.S. that we have to look for ways to use it up. Mostly it turns up in processed foods. By eating so many of these processed foods, we’re overdosing on soy. 

Soy is now among the top eight food allergens in the United States. It’s especially common in children. When plant compounds such as soy isoflavones and phytoestrogens get into the body, they act like estrogen; confusing the body about what hormones are actually present. Overdosing on soy can cause early puberty in young girls, reduced fertility in men, breast cancer and thyroid dysfunction. 

So why does it seem to be different in Asia?

China’s annual consumption of soybeans is over 60 million tons, over 52 million of which are imported. Though China does not officially permit the growing of genetically engineered foods, at least 80 percent of those imported soybeans are genetically modified. Even so, people in China seem to be getting along just fine.

The key difference is in the fermentation. Most of the soy consumed in Asia is fermented: tofu, miso, natto and tempeh. The fermentation process neutralizes toxins and creates more healthy probiotics, which aid in digestion. On the other hand, unfermented soy has a high phytate content, which blocks absorption of minerals, making many of soy’s inherent benefits irrelevant.

For the greater part of history, those beans were not genetically modified. The effect of all those GMO beans, fermented or not, remains to be seen. But rest assured, Asia has no shortage of superfoods. Because of China’s ban on GMO seeds, one can feel pretty confident at the farmer’s market, where there are plenty of nutritious goodies ripe for consumption.

A few legitimate Asian superfoods:

(with a few less GMOs)

Shiitake Mushrooms: These tasty fungi are one of the best possible sources of vitamin D, and are known to lower cholesterol and improve immune function.

Ginger: As a home remedy, ginger is excellent for relieving nausea and digestive upset. It makes a lovely tea, and goes great with just about any Asian noodle dish.

Chili Pepper: It may be difficult to get good quality chilli peppers, but the benefits make it worthwhile. Chili offers great cardiovascular support, clears congestion, boosts the immune system and helps prevent the spread of prostate cancer, among other health benefits. 

Bok Choy: Just one cup of this leafy vegetable has enough vitamin A for the day. It also contains lots of vitamin C and is chock full of antioxidants, especially the antioxidant kaempferol, making bok choy a natural cancer fighter.