Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Negative Effects of Soy Ice Cream

When soy ice cream first became available in the market, vegetarians and diet-conscious individuals were the first ones to rejoice. After all, there’s this protein-rich treat that is for once not from an animal source and that can satisfy cravings for sweets. But just as with other soy beans-derived products like tofu and soy protein powder, soy ice cream too has undesirable effects to human health.

Read further and discover more about the negative effects of soy ice cream and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid this source of dietary fats.

Soy Ice Cream’s Risks:

Soy ice cream contains the anti-nutrient phytic acid which binds with nutrients like copper, magnesium and zinc, making these nutrients unavailable for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Phytic acid can be deactivated by way of extended cooking in high temperature, a method that is not utilized in the creation of this sweet treat’s main ingredient soy milk. Eating phytic acid-containing food products like soy ice cream for extended periods may not only result in deficiency in particular nutrients, it may bring about gastrointestinal maladies like stomach ache, nausea, and vomiting as well.

Soy, this sweet treat’s raw material, falls under the category of phytoestrogenic plants. This simply means that soy contains hormone-like compounds that when ingested, will function much like the female hormone estrogen. Thought at first to be beneficial, especially to menopausal women, unsupervised intake of plant-based estrogen like the one found in soy ice cream may bring about a host of health problems.

For instance, it may worsen breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers, as it appears the phytoestrogens play a role in the multiplication of malignant tumors in women suffering from these hormone-dependent cancers. The phytoestrogens in soy may increase the risk of dementia in women aged 65 years or older as well, as was found in a study. Though said study was focused on the effects of continued consumption of tofu, bear in mind that both tofu and soy ice cream are both made from soy milk.

Soy’s phytoestrogens aren’t only harmful to women but to men as well, and may bring about enlargement of breast tissues in men, a condition known as gynecomastia. Also, individuals who are going through hormone replacement therapy for hypothyroidism may do well to avoid soy ice cream consumption as, yet again, soy’s phytoestrogens may interfere with the absorption of the synthetic hormones contained in said medicines.

Soy is among the commercially cultivated crops in the United States, too, which means it is one of the most heavily sprayed with petrochemicals. The seeds for planting are, for instance, laden with insecticides so that they don’t end up getting eaten by bugs during storage. During planting, a concoction of various pesticides and herbicides are sprayed to minimize crop loss due to vermin and weeds. And then again, petrochemicals are applied onto the harvested and dried soy beans to inhibit pest infestation as well as prevent these seeds from sprouting so that the harvest can be stored in warehouses for years.

Most soy-based products like soy ice cream sold in the United States right now come from genetically modified soy as well. The debate on the merits and dangers of genetically modified organisms still rages on. But results of animal studies where GM soy was found to cause defects in the reproductive organs of male rats, and bring about low birth weight and sterility in the offspring of female rats fed GM soy, should serve as a warning against GM soy consumption.

In the next post, I’ll tell you the negative effects of regular ice cream and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid this source of dietary fats.

In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the dietary sources of fats on the Superhuman Food Pyramid:

Eat:

• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Meat
• Olive Oil
• Macadamia Nut Oil
• Avocados
• Olives
• Organic Grass-Fed Butter
• Organic Yogurt (Full-Fat)
•  Ghee
• Free Range Eggs (With Yolk)
• Grass-Fed Beef, Bison, or Buffalo or Lamb
• Sardines, Anchovies or Haddock in Water or Olive Oil
• Wild Salmon, Trout, Tilapia, Flounder
• Triglyceride-Based Fish Oil
• Pure Cod Liver Oil

Moderate:

• Raw Nuts (Except Peanuts)
• Raw Seeds
• Almond Butter
• Palm Oil
• Cold Press Flax Oil
• Bacon
• Mayonnaise
• Organic Peanut Butter
• Coconut Ice Cream
• Dark Chocolate

Avoid:

• Roasted Nuts
• Roasted Seeds
• Regular Peanut Butter
• Regular Butter
• Non-Organic Meats
• Margarine
• Any ‘Spreadable’ Condiments
• Farmed Fish
• Commercial Salad Dressings
• Safflower Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Canola Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Commercial Flax Oil
• Soy Ice Cream
• Regular Ice Cream
• Milk Chocolate

If you have questions, comments or feedback about the negative effects of soy ice cream, the Superhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the negative effects of soy ice cream.