(made this section smaller because it's the boring info stuff and not so much the helpful opinion stuff)
To clarify, the soy industry is monopolized by monsanto, the creator of roundup (pesticide). they actively pursue farmers who try to use non gmo soy and put their farms out of business. The specific genetic modification for soy is to make it resistant to roundup (pesticides) which it is dowsed heavily in. studies conducted on the Asian market (where soy is a small part of the diet and almost always fermented) show health benefits including possibly preventing some cancers. There have been very few studies on the American market, but some of those conducted have shown the phytoestrogens significant enough to throw off the timing of a woman's menstrual cycle, and women recovering from estrogen-related cancers are instructed to eliminate it from their diet. For myself a basic breakdown: soybean oil, in all its forms (hydrogenated, processed, refined, non-allergenic ha!), and soymilk will cause a reaction. Fermented soy (as in soy sauce) will not. The soy consumed in asia is almost always fermented. The soy consumed in the US is almost never fermented. I understand that most legumes (not just soy) have hemoglobulins (cluster your blood cells and lower their efficiency), protease inhibitors (block absorption of protein0 and phytates (bind minerals and reduce absorption) and even phytoestrogens (mimic natural estrogen at a much weaker impact), and that some of them respond to cooking processes (losing negative qualities) better than others. soy does not respond to cooking processes well. The oil is extracted with hexanes (derived from crude oil) often in aluminum tanks (aluminum has been linked to neurological issues) and then processed with heat. Fully functioning lectins and saponins always survive heat processing though the number of lectins is reduced by solvent processing (acid washing).
This is a pretty good article on soy, though not on all gmos: http://americannutritionassociation.org ... -soy-story which includes a short history of soy and it's path to human consumption beginning in china
Personally, I'm all for everything in moderation, and don't see changing your entire lifestyle based on something that is a non-issue for you, but I don't agree with putting soy in 65% of our prepackaged goods, or HFCS in EVERYTHING (applesauce is good without sugar, stop conditioning youth to want extra sugars, however digestible they may be) or food coloring in EVERYTHING (I am ok with the natural color of salmon, it doesn't need to be extra pink. I only expect my cured deli meats to be red because we've been using sodium nitrate to keep them red for decades- I can adapt) WHY does butter need "natural flavors" (which btw are often derived from soy). Butter is good the way it is. WHY does whipping cream need carrageenan? (I'm not saying there is anything wrong with carrageenan, just that cream whips up fine without it) Margarine (block o soy) was created to fatten turkeys but the turkeys died so they gave it to people instead. Butter substitute should not sell more than butter, we have butter. EVERYTHING these days has 'flavors' 'sugars' 'colors' and worse it's frequently substitutes for flavors, colors, and sugars- instead of strawberry puree it's sugar substitute and soy with 'strawberry' scent added. As any child could tell you, "Red" and "Blue" are not just colors, they're flavors too. Red is a flavor. you actually have to look for 100% juice labels and usually the "cranberry juice" is a mixture of cranberry and 4 other juices If you haven't, I challenge you to open your pantry, open your fridge, and read the labels Read the labels on what you normally buy. How much soy is on your shelf? (more than you think) Is there sugar in things you didn't think there would be? your fruit products? your salty snack? your milk? (for a lot of people, yes) Is there color added to your meat? (often) what about sodium nitrate? (a lot) Seeing may not make you change how you eat, but it will probably make you think.
In general, I eat very little that comes prepackaged these days (mostly because I can't, and largely because I've learned a healthier way to eat). I have an extensive garden (planted primarily with non-gmo seed) and small orchard. I buy cruelty free organic eggs, grass fed beef, and local hormone free milk from free-range cows and have farmers markets available to me year round. Still trying to talk DH into a honey hive and backyard chickens (which my area allows) but not everyone has that luxury and not everyone can afford it when they do.
I do have some guilty pleasures
