Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

Eat to Live 239

Stead. Lots of my patients like no-salt tomato sauce on bread, or a

lomato-salsa blend, avocado, or stewed mushrooms. Of course, the

best way to get out of the habit of eating those greasy toppings is not

10 eat bread at all.

Are soy products and soybeans a healthy food to eat?

Soy products such as soy burgers, soymilk. and soy cheeses are much

more popular and available today. Recently, the FDA approved soy-

containing products as heart-healthy and allowed health claims for

soy protein.

Studies have shown soy's beneficial effects on cholesterol and

other cardiovascular risk factors. However, there is no reason not to

expect the same results from beans of any type — it's merely that

more studies have been done on soy than on other beans. There are

numerous studies indicating that soybeans are rich in various anti-

cancer compounds such as isoflavones. However, soy is not the only

bean to contain isoflavones. Most beans are rich in these beneficial

anti-cancer compounds, and many different flavonoids with anti-

cancer effects are found in beans of various color. I always recom-

mend the consumption of a broad variety of phytochemical-rich

foods to maximize one's health. Beans are no exception — try to eat

different types of beans, not just soy.

You should be aware that soy nuts, soymilk, and other processed

soy products do not retain much of the beneficial compounds and

omega-3 fats that are in the natural bean. The more the food is

processed, the more the beneficial compounds are destroyed. Re-

member, though, tofu and frozen or canned soybeans are a good

source of omega-3 fat and calcium.

Recently, a few studies appeared showing potentially negative

effects of consuming too much soy. One particularly troublesome

study done in Hawaii suggested that men with higher tofu intake

had more cognitive decline and brain atrophy with aging than men

who ate little tofu.^15 This data contradicts evidence that Japanese

men, who consume tofu regularly, have better cognitive function

and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease than American men.^16 Obvi-

ously, more studies are needed to clarify these suggestive findings

and to determine if there is something in tofu or related to tofu con-

sumption that may be harmful. After reviewing these findings. Dr.

Harris had soy products from Hawaii tested for aluminum levels and

found a significantly higher level of aluminum in tofu from Hawaii