Healthy soy? Really?

A new kind of soy is supposed to stop you from worrying about its effects… it even has a new name that’s supposed to sound healthy.

Does it work?

The newly marketed oil from genetically modified soy is called Plenish and is produced by DuPont Pioneer. It is being touted as high in oleic acid (a fatty acid that is supposed to help keep blood sugar down) and lacking in harmful trans fats.

But according to researcher Frances Sladek, who teaches professor of cell biology at the University of California, Riverside, the soy oil has not been adequately tested for its long-term effects: “While genetic modification of crops can introduce new beneficial traits into existing crops, the resulting products need to be tested for long-term health effects before anyone makes assumptions about their impact on human health.”

Sladek notes that soy oil has become the most widely consumed oil in the American diet. Right now, globally, soybean oil is the world’s second biggest source of vegetable oil.

Sladek and his colleagues tested the new soy oil in lab animals, comparing its effects with other diets lower in fat or containing other types of oil

The animals who consumed conventional soybean oil or the new GMO oil suffered more frequently from fatty liver and gained more weight compared to animals being given coconut oil.

The other issue with this kind of soy is that it’s processed.

Did you know that naturally fermented soy is actually healthy? It’s good for healthy cholesterol, gives women healthier arteries, and a soy peptide might even fight cancer.

As Craig Cooper points out, “The fermentation process involves the use of beneficial bacteria and other microbes which produce enzymes that break down the sugars in soy. In addition, soy fermentation transforms various minerals (e.g., calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, selenium, copper, zinc) into more readily-available forms for the body.”

But processed soy — which uses poisonous hexane to separate the components — is another industry-created concoction whose effects can be harmful.

So, how can you tell natural fermented soy from the processed stuff?

Tempeh, miso and soy sauce marked as fermented are healthy and good for you. Pickled tofu, also called tofu cheese, is fermented, and aged much like cheese. You can find it in Asian food specialty stores and large natural foods groceries.

Whole soybeans, or edamame, are terrific and an excellent source of protein. They are unprocessed, fresh, and tasty.

Plus, they are fatty, delivering loads of fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins E, A and D to your body. They do have phytic acid, so they’re not exactly a superfood, but they are healthy.

Nearly every other soy that you see in any baked, bagged, boxed or otherwise processed and packaged food is going to be processed, and decidedly unhealthy.

Other kinds of tofu and other soy sauces are processed and NOT fermented, so you should avoid them.