SOY

We've had a breakthrough in soy.  For the umpteenth time, a patron asked whether or not we use soy.  

If you've been reading these blogs, you know I dealt at length with PUFAS (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids) in September, but I did not have the definitive data I now have. Thanks to this patron, my hunch has been confirmed.

The anti-soy/PUFA  (Omega 6) mentality permeates the wellness community for good reason. Many farmers like us, trying to meet the demands of patrons, immediately do all they can to eliminate any vestige of questionable material.  However, as I explained in September, wellness fads can whipsaw back and forth as easily as pharmaceutical fads.

Studies linking soy to any number of issues abound, but I've always questioned if it's processed, or broken apart, soybeans versus soybean meal.  

Most feedstocks for animals use only the meal, which has all the oils pressed out.  The oil is too valuable to feed to animals; it's more valuable to sell to humans.  Besides, animal rations are after the protein, not the oils.

To my knowledge, none of the "soy studies" use whole soybeans; they only use the oil-less soybean meal.  We all know that breaking apart whole foods, especially in ultra-processing, changes their nutritional and metabolic capacity dramatically.  Think about the difference between high fructose corn syrup and corn on the cob.

One of the reasons I've come to this conclusion is because for many years we've had soy-allergic patrons eat our chickens without any problems.  

We've had our chickens checked by energy fields, pendulums, crystals, chromatography --yes, we have all sorts of fringe patrons.  But we love the various ideas seekers bring to the table-- literally.

Here is the linoleic acid percentage (omega 6) difference between whole soybeans and soybean meal:  

That's an off-the-charts difference.  What about substitutes people often use to satisfy the anti-soy folks?  The most common is either peas or fish.  Here is the linoleic acid percentage in those:

In other words, the low end of whole soybeans is statistically identical to the upper end of the peas and fish.  And as a practical matter, in farm feedstuffs, nobody checks.  What about some other substitutes?  

Here you go:

Every single one of these is far higher than whole soybeans.  

Why is this important?  

Because at Polyface, we use whole soybeans, non-Genetically Modified, from local farmers in our omnivore feed rations (poultry and pigs).  

None of the substitutes grows around here and our oceans are already being overfished.  

Our use of whole soybeans patronizes local farmers in an enterprise they know how to grow and have the infrastructure to plant and harvest.  Neighborly mutual interdependence.

Is it perfect?  Nothing this side of paradise is perfect.  If you're looking for perfection, you could argue that eggs and chickens shouldn't even be grown commercially but should be a byproduct of kitchen scrap recycling like they've historically been.  But we're far away from that, so let's use our information and techno-infrastructure to grow them the best and most efficient way we can, with a view to the whole planet's ecology.

Due to the tests and anecdotal patron stories surrounding Polyface pastured poultry and pork, I've felt fairly confident that my hunch about the difference between soybean meal and whole soybeans was accurate. Now I'm thrilled to have definitive proof.  

Both you as patrons and us as purveyors, can hold our heads high knowing that the poultry and pork from Polyface adhere to high standards both nutritionally and ecologically.

And to make sure it's not missed, thank you for getting unprocessed meat and poultry.  

The breading and additives on ultra-processed meat and poultry are toxic, even if the raw protein isn't.  Never have domestic culinary arts been easier.  Great-grandma would swoon if she saw our techno-gadgetized kitchens. 

Thank you for scratch cooking, for eating together as a family, for enjoying left-overs (the benchmark of those who "get it"), and for voting for health with your food dollars.

We're all in this together, and we're delighted to be sharing the wellness journey with you.  Now go eat some Polyface pork and chicken.  

Thank you.

-Joel