Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter - May 6, 2009
Published: Wed, 05/06/09
Dear ,
-Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter
ARTICLE: The School of Natural Healing's Official Stance on Soy
RECIPE: Soymilk, Raw Soymilk
NEWS/FEATURED PRODUCT: Dr. Christopher Centennial Celebration
The problem with most of these foods is that they are highly processed and use genetically modified soybeans. The majority of soybeans in the United States are genetically modified, which is not good for your health. For more information on the problems associated with genetically modified foods read the article here: http://articles.herballegacy.com/nightmare-on-elm-streets-dinner-table-genetically-modified-food-morgellons-disease/
. If you are going to buy these foods check the package and try to find one that says "Non-GMO" for a better alternative.
PCRM (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine) says, "It is useful to remember that the more we mimic a meat and dairy diet by using soy products that are altered in various ways for flavor and mouth-feel, the further away we get from healthier foods." For the most part we encourage you to avoid these foods - you don't need them, and if eaten often can be very detrimental to your health.
However, in their organic state soy can be a healthy addition to a healthy diet. Organic soybeans that have been fermented are also healthy - this includes miso, tempeh and some soy sauces.
What about soymilk? The School has always taught that soymilk is not a beverage to drink on a regular basis - distilled water and fresh juices should be the main beverages you drink. However, using some organically made soymilk (preferably made at home - see recipe below) in your fruit shake or in other recipes is fine. It is better than using cow's milk! You can also make delicious nut milks - see our recipe section for some nut and rice milk recipes - http://www.herballegacy.com/Beverages.html
. You will find some recipes, including soups, on our site that use soymilk. You will continue to see these recipes on occasion - but we will always link the recipes to our recipe for organic soy milk.
What about tofu? Many Asian people include tofu in their diets - Dr. Ben Kim, who is of Korean descent, says, "Sometimes tofu, once it's made, is fermented to produce fermented tofu dishes in East Asian cooking - mostly Chinese. The bottom line for me is that I know enough healthy Korean and Chinese folks in their 80's and even their 90's who have long enjoyed den jang (miso) and tofu to believe that including some soy in one's diet is fine for most people."
Please note that we aren't encouraging you to eat soy - if you don't like it or you have allergic or other negative reactions to it then don't eat it. If you like it and use it in its organic and/or organic fermented state then it is fine (as part of an overall healthy diet).
PCRM concludes a great article about soy with this: "Soy has many attributes that make it useful for those transitioning to healthful diets, although it is quite easy to follow a healthy, low-fat, vegan diet without using soy. For those who prefer to add soy products to their diets, it is prudent to emphasize the least processed sources of soy, such as edamame, tempeh, tofu, and soymilk, as part of a diet that includes other legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Other soy products, including vegetarian meat and dairy substitutes, may be helpful for people who are making healthful changes from meat- and dairy-based diets."
For more detailed information about soy, including a discussion of the studies done about soy and its effect on Alzheimer's, thyroid function, breast cancer and reproductive health, please check out the links below.
Sources and Additional Information
· A Healthier You Radio March 28, 2009 (during the caller portion of the show)
· Dr. Ben Kim: The Place of Soy in the Health Food Arena http://drbenkim.com/soy-health.htm
· Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine: Soy and Your Health http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/soy_health.html Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Soy.pdf
Raw Soy Milk
From Ann Wigmore's "Recipes for Longer life"
Ingredients:
· ½ pound organic soybeans
· 2-3 T honey or grated coconut
· 1 quart distilled water
· 1 t. kelp or 1 t. tamari
Directions:
1. Soak and sprout the beans. Start by soaking them for 48 hours, changing the water every 12 hours, and then sprout them as you would any sprout. Soybeans need to have a "tail" before you go to the next step.
2. Grind the beans to a very fine meal, and put the meal into a cheesecloth bag.
3. Place the bag in a large bowl containing 1 quart lukewarm distilled water.
4. Work the ground beans thoroughly with your hands for about 10 minutes, as if you were kneading bread. Then wring the bag of pulp until it is dry.
5. Season the milk left in the bowl to taste with the kelp tamari, honey or coconut.
6. Makes approximately 1 quart.
Printable Version http://www.herballegacy.com/Raw_Soy_Milk.pdf
Soybean Milk
from "Every Woman's Herbal" by Dr. John R. Christopher and Cathy Gileadi
Sort through 1 quart dry, organic soybeans and discard bad ones. Cover beans with distilled water at least overnight, and then sprout them until they have a "tail."
You will need to make the soymilk in a few batches. For each cup of soaked beans you will need 2 cups of boiling water.
For each batch of soymilk add 2 cups of boiling water to your blender. Blend for 1 minute to warm up your blender.
Then add 1 cup of beans to the 2 cups of boiling water. Grind for 2 to 3 minutes.
Strain in a muslin bag to remove the pulp, and squeeze well to get out as much of the milk as you can. If you don't have a muslin bag you can strain through a mesh strainer - be sure to press the mixture to get as much milk out as possible. You will need to do this for each batch until you have used all the soaked soybeans.
Gently heat all the milk at least 30 minutes in a double boiler. Stir occasionally.
Add 2 tablespoons oil, and a little honey, if desired. Refrigerate.
The flavor of this milk is mild and pleasant. You should be careful not to crack a plastic or glass blender container with the boiling water.
Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Soy_Milk.pdf
Do you have a healthy, tasty recipe that you would be willing to share with other health conscious readers, ? Please share your recipes at http://www.herballegacy.com/Recipes.html (this page also has our database of recipes!).
Dr. Christopher Centennial Celebration: Registration for the Dr. Christopher Centennial Celebration is happening now - to learn more and get registered visit http://www.snh.cc/Centennial.html.
A HEALTHIER YOU
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