An interesting look at soy

A lot of people are relying on soy protein for their diet. Here is an look at why this might not be such a good idea
From Natural Foods:

Fermented Soy is Only Soy Food Fit for Human Consumption
Writings about the soybean date back to 3000 B.C., when the Emperor of China listed the virtues of soybean plants for regenerating the soil for future crops. His praises centered on the root of the plant, not the bean. These ancient writing suggested that the Chinese recognized the unfitness of soybeans for human consumption in their natural form. Now 5000 years later, we are once again catching on to the anti-nutritive qualities of the soybean, and realizing that the only soybean worth eating is one that has been fermented.

About 1000 B.C. some smart person in China discovered that a mold, when allowed to grow on soybeans, destroyed the toxins present and made the nutrients in the beans available to the body. This process became known as fermentation and led to the creation of the still popular foods tempeh, miso, and natto.

A few centuries later, a simpler process was developed to prepare soybeans for consumption. After lengthy soaking and cooking, the beans were treated with nigari, a substance found in seawater. The end product was tofu. During the Ming dynasty, fermented soy appeared in the Chinese Materia Medica as a nutritionally important food and an effective remedy for diseases.

A bit more - some symptoms:

Unfermented soy has been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss of libido.

Groups most at risk of experiencing negative effects from the anti-nutrient properties of soy are infants taking soy baby formula, vegetarians eating a high soy diet, and mid-life women going heavy on the soy foods thinking they will help with symptoms of menopause.

I wonder if this is in part the cause of the ills of modern civilization. Everyone is so triggered all the time, people needing anti-depressants, panic attacks, etc... Our soy intake has certainly spiked over the last 20 years. I use it myself but use it as tofu and do a minimal use as TVP.

As for a simple vegetarian diet, there are these two headlines:

• • Plant-based diets `risk insufficient intake of brain-critical nutrient´
  • Vegetarians have a 20% higher risk of suffering a stroke than meat eaters 'because they miss out on key vitamins'

I could go on but you get the idea...