Fwd: [thechat] Silk?

Judah McAuley judah at wiredotter.com
Wed Jan 9 11:38:53 CST 2002


At 09:21 AM 1/9/2002 -0800, Erika Meyer expounded...
>>Between the lecithin, the ability of soy compounds to mimic sex
>>hormones,  the indigestibility of soy proteins, and the triglyceride
>>problems (including cancer from trans acids), I tend to avoid soy these
>>days.
>
>Soy-eating Asian women have far less breast cancer than us milk-sucking 
>meat-chomping westerners.  I believe their heart disease rate is a lot 
>lower, also.

Soy is only a small part of the risk profile for cancer and heart 
disease.  You could pin the decrease on Omega-3 fatty acids from higher 
fish consumption just as easily.  Then there is exercise, fiber, mental 
attitude, etc.

>My 6 year old daughter (half Indigenous-American, half Euro-American) 
>refuses to drink cows milk, but loves tofu & miso & edamame & soy sauce so 
>much, she's earned herself the nickname "soy girl" from the owner of our 
>local sushi joint.
>
>Commercial dairy and meat products are probably contaminated with 
>pesticides (which are also estrogen-imitators) -- many pesticides & 
>contaminants tend to concentrate in the fatty tissues of animals.... not 
>to mention there are the antibiotics, the growth hormones.
>
>I always look for organic or at the very least non-GMO foods... even in meats.

I definitely agree with looking for organic options wherever possible.  It 
makes sense for our bodies and the environments.  I'm hesitant about 
blanket non-GMO statements though.  There isn't nothing inherently wrong 
with genetically modified organisms.  I do, however, agree that they are 
being put out on the market with too little discussion and study.  This is 
a very new field of study, and prudence and caution should be the habit.

>>I normally grill 100% beef and use canola oil.
>
>canoloa oil: also a trans-fatty acid.   & wtf is a rapeseed?

Canoloa and soybean oils only have trans-fatty acids if they are partially 
hydrogenated. And people have given trans-fatty acids a bad rap.  There 
isn't any good science out there showing that trans-fatty acids are bad and 
they've been on the market forever.  One of my local organic markets took 
Ben and Jerry's off the shelves a few years ago because they used partially 
hydrogenated soybean oil in their product.  This in spite of the fact that 
B&J uses non-GMO, locally produced milk and was one of the most socially 
responsible companies out there with a national reach!  This was before 
they were bought out, btw.  Cutting of your nose to spite your face.

And rapeseed is a member of the mustard family.  It's modern use (along 
with flax seed) for producing oil was pioneered just south of you at Oregon 
State University.

Judah





More information about the thechat mailing list