Soy became somewhat of a fad starting in the late ’70s. With the alarming rise in the numbers of people manifesting wheat sensitivities, soy was a versatile, prolific, and inexpensive substitute.

It’s also grown in popularity in the health and wellness market as an alternative source of protein and fats. Also, soy is used in processed foods as a filler (adding weight to meat and other products) and emulsifier.

“Unlike in Asia where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities–protein and oil. There’s nothing safe or natural about this,” explains Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of the book The Whole Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favourite Health Food .

“Today’s high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents,” she continues.

The promoters of soy as a staple missed a few important facts about soy, however, that are now becoming apparent in the development of soy sensitivities.

What they missed was that in the countries in which soy is a regular part of the diet, it comes in the form of fermented soy, not the forms of soy that are presented to us in North America. This is especially true when it comes to soy products that are isolated and manufactured, such as soy protein isolate and hydrolyzed plant protein.