BeanDiet

So I know I said I wouldn't write any more about soy... but then I saw this amazing article and remembered a few of you had questions about this very topic, so here I go.

An article just published in Fertility and Sterility Journal (who knew there was such a journal?) reviewed over 50 studies in the past year and found that soy foods and supplements do not have any effect on testosterone levels in men. That's right men, the estrogens in soy (called isoflavones) will not make you girly-men. It won't mess with your fertility, and it probably won't make you cry more at movies.

That also means that young boys who drink soy milk will not grow breasts or become androgenous. Good news I say.

Again, I don't think soy foods are more beneficial than other foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, but I do think they've received a ridiculous amount of bad press, and I'd like to bring some science into the popular arena. Whether you choose soy products is up to you, but at least you aren't making a decision based on hype.

Dr. Oz has done it again. On yesterday's Oprah show he shared some really helpful information about how to prevent colon cancer (by eating high fiber foods of course), then followed it up with poor advice: regular aspirin use.

In doing research for this blog post I've found quite a few studies do show aspirin and other NSAIDS (Non Steriodal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) have been demonstrated to modestly lower risk of colon and colorectal cancer, so I see where Dr. Oz is coming from. But remember, aspirin is a drug, and like any other drug, it has very serious side effects when taken regularly.

One of those side effects is folic acid deficiency. This is pretty ironic, since folic acid plays an enormous role in fighting heart disease and other cancers. Sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

And then of course, most of us are familiar with the aspirin-ulcer connection. It's a biggie.

Speaking of bleeding, aspirin interferes with the body's ability to form blood clots (through platelets). This is often hailed as a blessing, as blood clots can lead to heart attack and stroke. Yet this same mechanism can - and often does - prevent the body from forming life-saving blood clots, which is why an ER doctor will not push aspirin the way a heart doctor will. (I think it's time for the two to have a talk. Heart specialists seem to have no clue how many people end up in the ER from taking aspirin.)

Maybe the worst side effect of taking aspirin regularly is Leaky Gut Syndrome. You really don't want that. Leaky Gut gives us auto-immune disorders like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Type I diabetes, cystic fibrosis, irritable bowel, colitis, Crohn's disease, frequent migranes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, lupus, candida and fibromyalgia - to name a few. It also gives us food allergies, especially to gluten (wheat protein).

The American College of Gastroenterology has this to say about aspirin:
"Aspirin and other NSAIDS have been found to cause damage to the lining (or mucosa) of the digestive tract primarily in the stomach and upper intestine. This damage can result in an ulcer or intestinal bleeding. Although this can happen to an individual who is an infrequent user of aspirin or NSAIDs, it is of a much greater concern in frequent users, and those consuming higher dosages of these medications."

Messing with your gut mucosa is a good way to develop Leaky Gut Syndrome, and thus, one or more auto-immune diseases.

So if you want to prevent colon cancer without jeopardizing the rest of your body, stick to the high fiber diet. It works, and if you increase the amount of fiber you eat slowly over time, there are no side effects.

I promise this will be the last blog post on soy foods for a long time. Even though I am a strong advocate of a plant-based diet (vegetarian or vegan), I don't believe soy foods are any more essential to such a diet than garbanzo beans. I'm not saying soy foods aren't great - garbanzo beans are great too - they're just not the focus of this blog. A healthy plant-based diet is possible with or without soy foods.

However, there is some confusion regarding soy foods and fertility. Because soy is loaded with isoflavones (plant-estrogens that can mimic estrogen), it is believed to affect the likelihood of pregnancy. Some studies have shown soy estrogens have no impact whatsoever on a woman trying to conceive, as soy foods do not interfere with menstrual cycles or ovarian function.

This makes sense because soy estrogens (along with other plant-estrogens) only raise estrogen levels when they are low. This also makes sense when we look at Asian women, who consume more soy foods than any other people group and yet have an extremely low prevalence of infertility. So low in fact, certain Asian countries have to put limits on population growth. (Obviously, soy is not hindering fertility in China).

There is a recent study (July 2008) that has linked soy foods with a decreased sperm count in men (published in the Journal of Human Reproduction). However, they found that men who were overweight or obese experienced a significantly lower sperm count than men who had healthy weights. One of the reasons for this is because fat cells, even in men, produce estrogen, which can hinder sperm production in men. Considering that 72% percent of the men with decreased sperm counts were overweight or obese, I would say this seems to be more of an impediment to fertility than soy consumption.

On a personal note, my husband and I both consumed tofu pretty regularly before we had our daughter, and we had no problem getting pregnant. (That was also when my husband was in the best shape of his life!)

So I would conclude that a healthy weight in men is more important than soy intake. And a plant-based diet - with or without soy - is the best fertility diet.

Ladies, if you haven't been convinced that soy and phytoestrogens from soy products are beneficial yet, here's more news: the estrogens found in soy and soy protein prevent breast cancer.

A major study published in June's edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr 89: 1920-1926, 2009) studied the diets of 73,223 Chinese women over a period of 7.4 years. They found that women who consumed the most soy estrogens, or isoflavones, from food were 59% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who consumed the least. Also, adolescent girls who consumed the most isoflavones from soy foods were 43% less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than girls who consumed fewer soy protein.

In the words of the study authors, "This large, population-based, prospective cohort study provides strong evidence of a protective effect of soy food intake against premenopausal breast cancer."

The reason soy estrogens work to prevent breast cancer is because isoflavones have anti-estrogenic - as well as anticarcinogenic - properties. Soy estrogens don't mimic estrogen in the body as many people think they do (unless estrogen levels are dangerously low), but actually lower estrogen levels by keeping estrogen from entering the cells. By blocking cell receptors, soy estrogens keep estrogen levels from climbing high enough to encourage the growth of cancer cells. Also, isoflavones have cancer-fighting properties to boot.

Soy is a huge area of confusion in popular culture (in the U.S.) but not in scientific circles - now you can see why. If you need more encouragement, see past posts citing studies on soy and reproductive cancer. There are tons!

So whether it's tempeh, tofu, soy milk, or edamame - enjoy worry free.

Dear Dr. Oz,

I rarely watch Oprah, but today I scheduled it in, knowing that you would be talking about how to lose weight without counting calories. I was hoping the solution would be a high-fiber diet, which it was. You shared that the average American only consumes 7 grams of fiber in his/her food a day, and should be getting between 25-35 grams to lose weight, prevent diabetes and bowel disorders, as well as lower the risk of cancer.

You even showed some people who were put on a raw food diet of fruits, vegetables and nuts for a week, and how they lowered their cholesterol by 25%, their blood pressure by 10%, and lost an average of 10 pounds - in a week!

So that was good. I couldn't have been more excited to hear a renowned and popular expert such as yourself convey the same information I have spent the past 10 years trying to get "out there".

Unfortunately, after the first 5 minutes of the Oprah show focused on fiber, things got confusing. In the second piece you shared was how consuming a megaload (1200 mg/day) of calcium will help you lose weight. You showed footage of a study where a young man ate a ridiculously high amount of dairy foods to lose weight. The study revealed the calcium from the foods did help in weight loss, but you applied the results to calcium supplements as well - which have not been found to abet weight loss (not to mention other studies on dairy foods and weight loss have had mixed results). Also, you didn't mention that dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt have no fiber, which you had just emphasized as vital for weight loss. Nor did you add that dairy foods in the United States are loaded with hormones and hormone-mimicking substances, such as antibiotics - which cause fat and cancer cells to replicate at faster-than-normal levels.

To add to the confusion, you talked about how important it is to consume fish regularly in order to combat stress (or cortisol) levels. The real compounds that fight stress found in fish are Omega-3 fatty acids, and you did say there are other ways to consume these fats, like eggs with added Omega-3.

Actually Dr. Oz, I find the best way to avoid stress is by not listening to your advice, because it is SO confusing. Fish and eggs have no fiber, and good luck trying to consume 25-35 grams of fiber in your food if you're regularly consuming either. Not to mention that fish (and eggs) are loaded with mercury, PCB's and pesticides. Or that eggs couldn't be higher in cholesterol. I found this ironic, since you are such a proponent of antioxidants in foods, and yet compounds like mercury and cholesterol cause the free radical oxidation (leading to plaque and cancer, among other things) that antioxidants are necessary to fight.

Dr. Oz, you seem like a smart man. Can you not see the advice you are giving is completely contradictory? Consuming large amounts of dairy, fish and/or eggs is mutually exclusive with consuming a high-fiber diet rich in antioxidants, since fiber and antioxidants come only from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. It seems strange that you don't realize that calcium supplements would deplete the body's store of other minerals, such as zinc, copper and manganese, since all these minerals compete for absorption and carriers in the body.

I know you are tired of Americans suffering unnecessarily from chronic disease, but I don't think you are bringing much clarity to the question of what constitutes "good nutrition".

Sincerely,

A concerned nutritionist

P.S. Did you notice that even Oprah looked baffled?

I had an amazing experience today that I want to share with you. One of my former nutrition students who took my 12-week class 2 years ago shared her story with my current students, and of course, yours truly.

Pat has lost 54 pounds since she first began my class (and read my book) 2 years ago, and she's kept it off for the duration. In fact, she brought a "before" picture to show us what she looked like, and no wonder I hardly recognized her. Apparently I wasn't the only one - someone even accused her of having gastric bypass surgery!

So I thought I'd pass along her secrets of how to lose over 50 pounds and keep it off:

1) Pat slowly weaned herself off mochas and all calorie containing beverages. Today she only drinks water and tea. She shared that the slow weaning process was important, because it took a while for her to acquire a taste for water again. Now she finds it refreshing.

2) Today Pat eats only when she's hungry and stops when she's no longer hungry. She said this was the hardest part to learn, and I don't doubt it. She realized she ate according to the clock, not her body's hunger. She also noticed she often ate alone, in front of the TV or at her desk.

3) Because she now eats only when she's hungry, Pat usually eats 5 small meals a day. She shared that this requires preparation: to always have healthy snacks on hand, but it's so worth it. She said as strange as it seems, the more often she eats, the more weight she loses.

4) Pat now eats between 35-40 grams of fiber a day from her food. If you recall from this blog or my book, fiber is an indigestible carb that causes weight loss in multiple ways - and it's much easier to consume than Metamucil commercials would have you think:

Fruit and dried fruit
Vegetables (including potatoes with the skin)
Whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat products and popcorn
Legumes, including all nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and peas

Some of my favorite high fiber foods include avocados, pistachios, almonds, black beans, hummus, falafel, peanut butter and artichoke hearts.

Today I felt so affirmed in my role as a nutritionist. I hope if you know anyone struggling to lose weight, you'll pass this along to them. Oh - and if you've already experienced a major health benefit from this blog (or my book or seminars), please do share!

I've recently had a revelation that has helped me understand why Americans eat the way they do: instead of Americans being more ignorant than the rest of the world (or compared to previous generations), I'd like to suggest that there are plenty of brilliant people in the U.S.

However, I think many of them work in marketing and media.

Which means that some of the best American minds are behind the advertising campaigns that promote ridiculous products such as vitamin water, supplements, and processed foods. I also think some of these smarty-folks work at the FDA, ensuring that animal products containing hormones and antibiotics are completely legal, and never regarded as a possible source of cancer and fat cells in those who consume them.

Unfortunately, smart doesn't mean wise, and seldom I find the two together.

So if any of you are still wasting your money on supplements and/or vitamin water (a fantastic marketing idea, but zippo nutritional value), I advise you to give your money instead to a charity that feeds needy people - those who are truly malnourished.

Now for the latest study finding:

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 89, No. 5, 1343-1349, May 2009), has found that eating a high-fiber breakfast cereal lowered blood sugar levels both before and after lunch. Those who ate the high-fiber cereal also consumed fewer total calories when in the breakfast/lunch period.

These findings are further evidence that high fiber foods protect against diabetes (and reverse Type II diabetes) and promote weight loss.

Speaking of which, I have had the privilege of receiving feedback from someone who attended my seminar on diabetes last fall. John told me that at age 48, he has now lost 31 pounds and been taken off his diabetes medication due to a high fiber diet. What an inspiration. A high fiber diet works miracles.