The vast majority of soy at your local market is not a health food. 91% of soy grown in the US is genetically modified (GM) soy that is contaminated with large pesticide residues. The genetic modification is done to impart resistance to the toxic herbicide Roundup, so they can spray it over the soy plants to improve crop production by killing the weeds. This is solely meant to increase farming efficiency and provide you with less expensive soy. In other words, cheap as opposed to healthy.

For centuries, contrary of what Americans have been told, Asian people have been consuming non-GM fermented soy products such as natto, tempeh, and soy sauce in SMALL amounts. Western food processors separate the soybean into two commodities?protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products that many Americans consume.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, points out thousands of studies linking soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility?even cancer and heart disease.

Here is just a sampling of the health effects that have been linked to soy consumption:

* Breast cancer
* Brain damage
* Infant abnormalities
* Thyroid disorders
* Kidney stones
* Immune system impairment
* Severe, potentially fatal food allergies
* Impaired fertility
* Danger during pregnancy and nursing

Soy proponents will argue that soy-based foods (they lump the fermented ones with the unfermented) will protect you from everything from colon, prostate and breast cancer to strokes, osteoporosis, and asthma. However, proponents never mention the studies that illuminate soy?s downside and all of the dangers posed to your health, which are based on sound research.

Another unfortunate fact is that 80 percent of the world?s soy is used in farm animal feed, which is why soy production is contributing to deforestation. Some soy propagandists have suggested that the solution to this is for all of us to become vegetarians?a reckless recommendation rooted in total ignorance about nutrition?whereas a far better solution is a major overhaul in how farm animals are fed and raised.

I know, I know — who makes an article with 11 tips and not 10? Well, I had a hard enough time getting down to the top 11. I felt there was absolutely nothing else to cut.

Anyway, summer is around the corner, and chances are you aren?t looking or feeling your best. You want to get in shape, but like most you?ve put it off again and again since January. The following are some changes you can make that will not only improve your look in a hurry, but your health as well. Everything on this list is designed to optimize your metabolism and turn you into a fat burning machine.

Top 11 tips Here

Does being overweight increase your risk of certain types of cancers? Does a wider grip work your lats better than a narrow grip? Get the answers to these and other questions more in my Did you know… column.

…there is evidence that raw milk prevents the development of allergic disorders? A study published in ?The Lancet? (Riedler et al, 2001), indicates that children who drank raw milk, independent of other types of exposure to farming environments, had: a 52 percent lower risk of asthma, a 57 percent lower risk of having a least one wheeze attack in a year, a 76 percent lower risk of hay fever, and a 58 percent lower risk of allergies to cows, dust mites, cat dander and pollen. Wise Traditions, 8(4):71-72,2007

…the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin, Germany, is warning parents and pediatricians that babies should not be give soy formula without strict medical supervision? Germany joins the Israeli Ministry of Health, the French Food Agency and United Kingdom health officials in warning against the dangers of infant soy formula.

Salmon Professor Dr. Andreas Hensel stated that the main concern for infants is the high levels of estrogenic isoflavones in the formula, which act like hormones in the body. Milk allergies are not an acceptable reason for pediatricians to recommend soy formula.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also issued a second warning, this one to adult consumers, stating that isoflavones offer no proven health benefits and pose a health risk. Wise Traditions, 8(4):64,2007