Should My Child Be Eating Soy?
We all know that Henry Ford is known for producing automobiles, but did you know that he once made a car out of soybeans? Scientists in Ford’s lab created a type of plastic from soybeans, which was then used to make strong durable gear shift knobs, horn buttons, accelerator pedals, window frames, light-switch assemblies, ignition-coil casings, and the exterior of an automobile.
By 1935, each car that was manufactured used one bushel of soybeans. Just like Ford was able to find a means to use soybeans, so have many companies in the food industry. You can now find soy in various products such as baked goods, canned meat, cereals, frozen dinners, ice cream, infant formula, meat substitutes, and much more.
But here at Baked Smart Cookie, we avoid using the product in our cookies. Not only are our cookies soy-free, but they’re also non-GMO, peanut-free, USDA organic and vegan.
Still, you may be asking, “ Is soy good, and should my child be eating it?”
Let's go over some facts you should know about soy, so you will be able to make the decisions that are best for you and your family.
Pros of Eating Soy
1. May Protect Heart Health
Our heart health is very important to take care of, and there are many ways to keep it healthy and strong. Eating soy has been to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is the soy isoflavones that are the main contributors to reducing inflammation in blood vessels and improving their elasticity.
2. May Lower Blood Pressure
Soybeans are rich in arginine, which is an amino acid. It helps to regulate blood pressure levels, which is great for those dealing with high blood pressure.
Even though this is seen as positive, there is no clear answer if only people with high blood pressure would experience this effect or if all others would benefit as well.
3. May Reduce the Risk of Different Types of Cancer
Studies have shown that large intakes of isoflavones may reduce endometrial cancer by about 19 percent. Additionally, the risk of digestive tract cancers has been seen to go down by 7 percent, and an 8-12 percent decrease in colon and colorectal cancers.
For men, soy-rich diets may lower prostate cancer.
Cons of Eating Soy
1. Exposed to Carcinogens
Even though soy has been proven to provide positive benefits for our health, there are some potential negative effects as well. This is mainly due to the production practices used for soybeans.
Due to mass production, there is a need to produce soybeans at a larger and faster rate. This has caused many companies to utilize genetically engineered practices.
According to the Center for Food Safety, in the United States, 94 percent of soybeans are genetically modified, which makes this crop the number one genetically modified product in the world.
The main issue with GMO crops is that they are engineered to withstand heavy doses of herbicides that kill unwanted vegetation without killing the crop. One of the ingredients in Roundup, a commonly used herbicide, is glyphosate, which is known to be carcinogenic to humans.
2. May Cause Chronic Inflammation
One product heavily used in the U.S. is soybean cooking oil. Unfortunately, it has been shown that soybean oil can cause weight gain.
In the last century, our diets have completely shifted to having an overload of omega-6s. In fact, most Americans are getting 20 times the amount of omega-6s than they need. An overload of omega-6s can cause inflammation, causing your body to store and gain more fat easily.
3. May Cause Mineral Deficiencies
One thing to note is that soybeans have a high concentration of phytic acid. In fact, they have a higher phytate content than any other grain or legume.
This anti-nutrient binds to important minerals in our body such as iron, calcium, magnesium and others, limiting our body’s ability to absorb them. This can pose an issue for those with mineral deficiencies.
Healthy Cookies Just in Time for Summer
So what can you do to ensure that your child gets the healthiest and cleanest soybeans and food? For starters, you can aim to buy organically grown soybeans and products. Organic foods do not use harmful pesticides and follow eco-friendly practices that help the foods to stay clean, healthy and delicious.
Additionally, you can try to buy soy-free products.
Of course, Baked Smart Cookie doesn’t use soybeans in our products! If your kids won’t eat vegetables, they’ll surely love this healthy treat
