It has been asked why we use soy in Your Flora Probiotics knowing the concern over its safety. We hope the following statements answer this.
Our background as nutritional therapists, scientists, healers and nutritionists means we care about the ingredients we use for their effects on health and avoid anything that may be unhealthy.
Soy is our chosen ingredient to create our Kefi-Soy™, the Living Culture Symbiotic of the Your Flora Probiotics and for very good purpose. As a rich source of nutrients including an ideal ratio of amino acids and a wide range of phytonutrients, it is the perfect fermented food for creating a balance of beneficial microbes and as a digestive flora support. Fermented soy has the strongest independent research for its many positive effects on the digestive ecosystem, and the studies we have conducted have proven to be the best medium for our 45+ microorganisms.
Traditionally fermented soy was and is an important foundation to the health of Asian culture and the original reason why we imported it for our own health. The health of the Asian population was strongly linked in part to their soy consumption including the prevention of many hormonal related conditions. But hormonal health is all about balance and with either overconsumption or the structure of the food being changed, then an imbalance can occur leading to an unhealthy state.
There is no debate as to the health benefits of traditionally fermented soy foods such as miso, tempeh and natto. But when we take something healthy and process it into unnatural forms it obviously becomes a problem. Look at other examples such as healthy vegetable oils processed into hydrogenated fats, or healthy corn processed into high fructose corn syrup.
Because all foods hold a different potential and need to be prepared and consumed in certain ways, understanding the food type and potential is essential to knowing how to best prepare it. Soy is a rich source of protein and when fermented, it provides key amino acids. If not fermented, it can cause allergic reactions. Fermented soy is rich in phytonutrients that has a balancing effect on hormones, but if not fermented and processed, can cause a hormonal imbalance due to the loss of certain nutrients.
The other important consideration that we are becoming aware of with soy is to only consume in moderate amounts just like in Asian tradition. Unfortunately, we have been led to think more is always better. It is not possible to get ‘super’ healthy with super consumption. The body likes balance and soy being such a rich source of nourishment is only meant to be eaten in relatively small amounts and ideally in a fermented form. Our Your Flora Probiotics provides a suitable amount of fermented soy to encourage balance and develop a natural state to your digestive flora.
So to be clear, although fermented foods are not for everyone, fermented organic non-GMO soy is one of the healthiest foods available with a strong tradition and supporting research. One of the key benefits is that it’s the most effective food source in supporting the digestive microflora.