Jack sold the family cow. He should have been awarded the
Nobel Prize. He next planted a bean, climbed up the stalk,
killed a dangerous Goliath, and then came back to earth with
a goose who laid golden eggs.
Today we find many people attempting to warn Jack not to
plant that magic bean. Their advice: Don't climb the
beanstalk! It's dangerous up there in the clouds.
As more and more soymilk is consumed, replacing America's
love affair with cow's milk, more and more soy detractors
appear, cursing the miracle bean that will one day destroy
the dairy industry.
Nations consuming the largest amounts of soy enjoy the
lowest rates of the big five: cancer, heart disease,
osteoporosis, asthma, and diabetes. Nations consuming the
greatest amounts of milk and dairy products, conversely,
have the highest rates of those five horrible diseases.
Soy detractors are turning over rocks, looking for something
creepy, crawly, and slimey to blame on soy products.
Their latest claim is that soymilk contains phytates. Oh,
perish the thought, phytates? Quick, induce vomiting. Call
Poison Control. Where's my stomach pump?
Even some vegetarians are knocking phytates. Beware of
soymilk, they warn. It's got phytates. Aaaaaagh.
In order to fully understand the horrible dangers presented
by phytates, I began a scientific investigation of the
issues. That led me to purchase a book containing the very
latest in phytate information, appropriately named Food
Phytates (edited by Rukma Reddy and Shridhar Sathe, CRC
Press, ISBN # 1-56676-867-5). I purchased my copy from Chips
Books: 979-263-5683.
I've learned quite a bit about phytates, and while I do not
claim to be America's phytate expert, I now recognize that
phytates may be the 21st century's miracle cure-all.
Critics of soymilk claim that phytates inhibit calcium
absorption, and should be avoided. Pages 30-34 of Food
Phytates contain charts revealing phytate contents in
various foods.
Since soymilk is the bone of contention, I chose its phytate
content to serve as a baseline for comparison to other
foods.
The percentage of phytates in soymilk is listed as 0.11%.
I've selected twelve other commonly eaten foods for
comparisons. Durham wheat, brown rice, corn, oats, white
rice, whole wheat bread, corn chips, peanuts, kidney beans,
cashews, almonds, and America's "Breakfast of Champions,"
Wheaties.
Let's use common logic here. If any of these foods contain
more phytates than soymilk, they should not be eaten,
according to soy/phytate detractors, right?
Well, each food listed contains greater amounts of phytates
than soymilk. Here are the factors:
Durham wheat contains 8 times more phytates than soymilk
(0.88%).
Brown rice contains more than 8 times the amount of phytates
as does soymilk (0.89%).
Corn contains nearly 7 times more phytates than soymilk
(0.75%).
Oats contain nearly 4 times as many phytates as does soymilk
(0.42).
White rice contains double the amount of phytates as does
soymilk (0.23%).
Whole wheat bread contains almost 4 times more phytates than
soymilk (0.43%).
Corn chips contain double the amount of phytates when
compared to soymilk (0.24%).
Peanuts contain almost 10 times more phytates than soymilk
(1.05%).
Kidney beans contain 8 times more phytates than soymilk
(0.89%).
Cashews contain almost 6 times as many phytates as soymilk
(0.63%).
Almonds contain 12 times more phytates than soymilk (1.35%).
Wheaties, contain nearly fourteen times more phytates than
soymilk (1.52%).
Now, let's get to the point of this. In their introduction
and summary of the scientific substantiation to follow, the
authors of Food Phytates write:
"Recent investigations have focused on the beneficial effect
of food phytates, based upon their strong mineral-chelating
property...The beneficial effects include lowering of serum
cholesterol and triglycerides and protection against certain
diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, renal stone
formation, and certain types of cancers."
Jack's beanstalk may produce the miracle beans to cure
mankind of illness. These beans contain plant stearols and
protease inhibitors, lignans, saponins, and phytates. The
goose laying golden eggs is the soybean. Plant your dietary
foundation today by making soy a major part of your diet.
If you do not already have a SoyToy, call 888-NOT-MILK (668-
6455) or visit the SoyToy website:
http://www.SoyToy.com
Make soymilk for just 4 cents per quart. Convert soy beans
into soups and burgers for your family. Stretch your food
budget while improving your health. Sell the cow as Jack
did.
