People are beginning to realize that soy, the popular vegan protein source, can actually do more harm than good.

The good news is, you don’t have to cut out all soy. There is a safe way to consume this protein-rich bean. The fermented versions of soytempeh, miso and natto–are much better for human consumption.

Scary Soy

Did you know soybeans are toxic? You may have heard the news, but perhaps you didn’t realize there are exceptions to the rule.

Soy contains phytates, enzyme inhibitors and goitrogens. These anti-nutrients are meant to protect the plant and keep it safe from sun radiation, bacteria, viruses and fungi. When we eat soy, however, they can wreak havoc in the human body.

Phytate is stored in grains and legumes and binds to minerals in the gastrointestinal tract. These minerals, when bound, cannot be absorbed in the intestine, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The body produces phytase to break down phytate, but unlike other animals that rely on a nut or legume-heavy diet for survival, humans produce a limited amount of phytase. That’s why too much phytate consumption can lead to digestive difficulties.

Nuts, legumes and seeds, including soy, contain enzyme inhibitors, which prevent the enzymes from activating. This is ideal for small animals such as birds who do not want a nut’s enzymes to overwhelm their small tummies. For humans however, the enzymes are where the nutrition and digestibility are. Enzyme inhibitors are what make soy nearly impossible to digest

Goitrogens are any substances that cause the enlargement of the thyroid gland, or goiter. Goitrogens often interfere with iodine metabolism. Genistein is an isoflavone that is also found in soybeans and can affect the thyroid.

Additionally, soy has been linked to cancer. Studies continue to contradict one another, but for some, the way soy can mimic estrogen is alarming enough. And, a study of 8,000 Asian men revealed that those ingesting the highest amounts of tofu had a smaller brain size and about three-times greater incidence of senile dementia compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts.

Fermented Soy

Fermented soy products are another story. The fermentation process makes the nutrients inherent in soy more bio-available and, in moderate amounts, has a positive impact on health.

Fermentation breaks down the oils, proteins, and carbohydrates in soy, making them easier to digest. If unpasteurized, there will also be living, healthy bacteria present in the mix, which does wonders for digestion.

3 Types of Healthy, Fermented Soy

Tempeh (pictured at the top) is produced by cooking soybeans and then fermenting them with the addition of a natural culture. Once it hardens, a solid cake is formed and can be cut and used as a replacement for meat. Miso is another form of fermented soy which contains over 160 healthy bacteria strains and is packed with B vitamins and powerful antioxidants that scavenge free radicals. Natto is another type of fermented soybean that has a unique taste and slimy texture. It is commonly eaten for breakfast in Japan and has been showed to contain an enzyme that dissolves blood clots.

Here is a list of exciting recipes you can try using either tempeh, miso or natto. Enjoy!

• Thai Styled Tempeh Cutlets
• Tempeh Curry
• Miso Peanut Spread
• Miso Soup with Clams and Spinach
• Natto Toast
• Yamaimo, Okra and Natto Bowl

Related on EcoSalon:

20 Common Fermented Food

Kombucha Beer: Catch a Buzz!

Is Soy and Eco-Friendly Fabric

Image: SaucyGlo

The post This Is The Only Safe Way To Eat Soy appeared first on EcoSalon.

FarmVille is the green place to be for city folk reaping the rewards of rural relationships and cooperation through good, clean social gaming.

The hugely popular farming sim has my friends and family bragging on Facebook about a season of planting cash crops, helping neighbors grow lettuce instead of lawns and finding new homes for lost little duckies. It quacks me up!

The strategy of the Zynga grainchild: The user is given the chance to start their own farm, build it out and move up in levels.

After they have plowed the land and their crops are ripe for picking, they harvest the food and sell it for cash to buy new crops. Other ways to get money include helping friends with their farms or sending free gifts to friends, such as trees and farm animals.

“This is a good game because it’s not superficial where you are going out and buying clothes or houses like in other virtual games,” says my 13-year-old daughter, an avid fan who set up a farm for her 10-year-old sister in recent weeks planting eggplants, soybeans and strawberries. “You’re building crops and helping neighbors with their crops and in the coming years, it will really come down to that.”

My teen, now at level 7,  finds FarmVille lets her and her Facebook friends associate a fun game with something not product-based, and that it helps train her generation to think green.

That’s the main reason an employer in Minneapolis, Minn. set up a real organic farm as a playground and work perk for his employees. His concept is a hit as the Haberman public relations team clocks time hoeing and raking after hours.

You don’t get points with your boss for playing FarmVille so my cousin, Alan Finkelstein, plays in his spare time when he’s off work. He’s at the top of the heap with an impressive level 31. He’s a god in his neck of the woods. You don’t get to level 31 without logging some serious computer time.

“Okay, FarmVille police, I was forced to play, they kidnapped me and made me play,” Alan jests, defending his highly-coveted acreage. “I do notice more things in the world that are related to farms than I used to prior to playing.”

Alan says he gave it a go when a friend was playing and really loved it. He finds the game makes him more aware of things associated with farming and holds a “zen quality” for the L.A. journalist, husband and Facebook fanatic.

“I like to strategize, collect, plan, design, steal other folk’s designs, send gifts to friends, receive gifts from friends, and having to be patient in growing my own farm,” he says. “My cousins say to me, ‘Dude, your farm is amazing and thanks for sending me the horses’ and it’s nice to have that interaction.”

Del Monte should only have such interaction. This sim is clearly a brand of socialism Americans can get behind.

According to Virtual Worlds News, FarmVille has gained over 1 million new players per week since its June 19 launch, and currently boasts more than 11 million daily active users.

Apparently, that’s the total achieved by lead designer Mark Skaggs over his entire career with Electronic Arts where he designed other strategy games such as Command & Conquer and The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth. He says FarmVille will probably break records, largely because he’s keeping it fresh.

“One of the really fun and successful features we added is what we call the ‘Lonely Cow’ feature,” Skaggs told VWN. “You can help find it a home, then somebody claims it. You’ll get a brown cow instead of the white cow you had before. Then you milk the brown cow and you get chocolate milk! That’s a ‘moment of delight,’ totally unexpected but cool.”

We once felt that same moment of delight when competitors landed on those high-priced blue properties we monopolized – Park Place and Boardwalk – and had to fork over big bucks for encountering our big, red hotels.

I much prefer a society that works together to land big red barns, sustainable crops and organic chocolate milk. As my wise daughter said, it will really come down to that.

Main Image: Sabrina.dent

The post So Long 4-H, Howdy FarmVille! Fastest Growing Social Game Ever Has Users Thinking Green appeared first on EcoSalon.

Take a look through your cupboards. Read the ingredient labels on your organic and natural food products (and your conventional ones). You’ll likely see soy lecithin on a large proportion of labels. You probably don’t know that the soy lecithin in your organic food is most likely from non-organic genetically modified soybeans.

Doesn’t the National Organic Rule prohibit the use of both non-organic ingredients and GMOs?

It does, but there is one important thing to know about this rule….foods can be labeled organic if they contain at least 95% organic ingredients. The other 5% can be non-organic. Furthermore, if a product is not available in organic form, it might be on a list of exceptions to the rule. Organic soy lecithin was not available when the National Organic Rule was written, so it made the list. Organic soy lecithin is available now, but manufacturers have no incentive to switch as long as it is still allowed under the organic rule (and it’s cheaper). The USDA is currently considering comments on a proposed change to the rule. A decision is expected in the spring.

Why is it in my food?

In industrial applications soy lecithin acts like egg yolks and has similar emulsification properties. In fact, egg yolks also contain lecithin, but now that soy lecithin is available it is rarely used. Soy lecithin is what makes margarine and peanut butter spreadable, chocolate coatings smooth, batters pourable, ice cream creamy. It also facilitates mixing and prevents spattering during cooking, and extends the shelf life of foods.

How is it made?

It’s a byproduct of soybean oil that is extracted during processing. We’ve already talked about the heavy processing soy protein goes through before it ends up in countless foods. Soy lecithin is extracted from soy oil in a similarly industrial manner. First, water is added to the oil and put in a centrifuge to separate the lecithin from the oil, then it is generally bleached with hydrogen peroxide. The product is then dried and sometimes it is further refined with acetone.

Add to this the fact that nearly 90% of the soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified and heavily sprayed with pesticides, and you have to wonder if you should be eating it.

What can I do?

Eat unprocessed, whole foods for the most part, and seek out food manufacturers who are doing the right thing and switching over to organic soy lecithin without being forced by a rule change. This is unconfirmed, but there a few chocolate brands I’ve read about on the internets that use organic soy lecithin, but you still need to read the labels because they may not use it in all of their products. These include Lake Champlain, Dagoba, Endangered Species Sjaaks, Sweet Earth, and Green and Black’s.

Please comment if you know of other food companies/products using organic soy lecithin.

Sources:

United Soybean Board

Treehugger

Weston A Price Foundation

Soy info Center

Image: jessicafm

The post Soy Lecithin and the GMO Secret appeared first on EcoSalon.