Hey Reader!

The basic premise for my work - and how I personally eat - is that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

And as humans, we've been given everything that is necessary to create and sustain life.

So, with that personal philosophy I always say just enjoy nature's food (of course, keep your wits about you and stay away from poisonous mushrooms and similar type things :) ).

And when it comes to real food there's one that I don't demonize: soy.

Soy is the "health food" that many people love to hate.

Because it has phytoestrogens it is blamed for hormonal imbalance, man boobs and what have you.

But with that logic we should also stay away from all beans, apples, berries, plums, cabbage and just about everything out there (because, yes, mother nature put phytoestrogens everywhere...in varying amounts).

Plus, there's the fact that many countries in Asia have a long history of consuming soy.

They seem to be doing just fine.

In fact, back in the 90s when the soy craze really picked up here, we were told that it was because it contributed to the health of so many of those Asian populations.

So, what gives?

Well, here's some food for thought:

• when you digest soy, one of the main byproducts is equol. This compound is an antioxidant and is what really provides the health benefits of soy. However, your ability to produce equol depends on the health of your gut. In Japan, for example, up to 70% of the population can produce equol. In the U.S. that number is 30% max.
• Fermenting soy increases its equol content because the fermentation process basically helps to pre-digest the bean. And coincidentally, Asian countries consume significantly more fermented, while over here we consume mostly unfermented soy (such as the milk or extracts that are added to packaged food).

Food preparation and the health of your gut can affect how helpful - or not - a particular food is.

So, from my perspective, it's not the soy bean that is bad. It's how it's prepared and our ability to actually break it down.

​In this video I shared a few other things to consider when it comes to soy.​

Overall, I think it's easier to learn from the actual humans who have a long history of consuming - and thriving on - this food. Simply follow their example.

It would make our lives easier :)

So, that's my 2 cents on soy...

By the way, if you've looked at the supplement market, you may have noticed a product called Equelle which contains, you guessed it...equol!

That supplement is for women in menopause and is made from fermented soy germ.

I don't know much else about it, but just wanted to mention it in the category of "things that make you go hmmm..."

That's it for today's email.

I hope you're having a good week so far and talk soon!

Germaine Satia - Certified Health Coach, CYT-200

​Work With Me - Blog​

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