If you are considering Gardein foods you may find yourself asking, “Are Gardein Products Healthy”
We recently wrote an article about Boca Burgers and if they are healthy for consumers.
Boca Burgers are similar to Gardein’s food products because the main ingredient is processed soy. The processed version of soy is usually soy protein isolate.
Soy protein isolate can be found in a wide variety of food products on today’s grocery store shelves. It is one of the main ingredients in:
- Granola Bars
- Protein Bars
- Granola
- Vegan Food
- Vegetarian Food
- Baked Goods
- Breakfast Cereals
- Soy Milk
- Infant Formulas
Soy protein isolate is highly processed and contains many different chemicals and additives. If we look into the science of soy, we really start to see how unhealthy it is. So, Is Gardein healthy? This answer is mostly up to you, but a deep dive into soy sways us to say no.
Are Gardein Products Healthy: A Deep Dive Into Soy
There are thousands of studies out there that link soy to various diseases and disorders. Some of these include:
- Malnutrition
- Thyroid Dysfunction
- Digestive Distress
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Infertility
- Immune System Breakdown
- Thyroid Dysfunction
- Reproductive Disorders
- Cognitive Decline and
- Much More
Since we have not eaten soy in many years we are able to tell the difference in our digestive system when we eat it. We feel bloated and sluggish for 1–3 days. Many people who eat soy frequently can get used to these feelings and think they are normal.
Soy is Genetically Modified
In order to get the amounts of soy we need for all the various soy food products on the market, we’ve genetically engineered our soybeans to produce for current demand. More than 90% of United States soybeans are genetically modified. Why is this important? Well, since we’ve started to genetically modify our foods in 1996, we’ve seen a huge increase in problems like infertility and food allergies.
Also, when growing soybeans in the U.S., farmers generally spray their crops heavily with glyphosphate. This chemical was found to be carcinogenic by a team of French researchers. Many countries in Europe and around the world have banned glyphosphate and more continue to do so.
So is All Soy Bad for Me?
Soybeans naturally contain what are called “antinutrients”. These include:
- Phytates
- Saponins
- Goitrogens
- Etc.
When you ferment soy, this destroys the antinutrients. No antinutrients means no adverse health effects to your body. However, most soy in the U.S. is not fermented soy. Unfermented soy is what creates these health problems over time. Some examples of fermented soy include:
- Miso
- Natto
- Tempeh
- Soy Sauce (in it’s traditional form)
Wait… Don’t people in Asia consume soy in a lot of dishes they eat? They generally do not consume large amounts of soy. They eat it in small amounts as a condiment and it is typically fermented soy.
Some of Gardein’s food products contain non genetically modified soy, while others do not. Even if the product is a non GMO product, the soy involved is still unfermented, which is not the soy we are looking for.
Here it is: Are Gardein Products Healthy?
Gardein’s food products, and companies similar to it, do not impress us, but we do believe you can consume most foods in moderation. Eating soy once in awhile most likely will not have adverse health effects.
We know certain foods and drinks are not good for us, but we still eat them. An example of this would be alcohol. Doctors say people should drink booze in moderation. Generally, this means 1–2 drinks per day. Some people follow this, while others do not.
Can we tell if people who do not follow these guidelines suffer from health problems? Sometimes we can, and other times we cannot. If someone gets liver disease and drinks large amounts of alcohol, we can probably deduce this was caused by drinking too much alcohol.
If someone eats too much processed soy and they suffer from infertility, or food allergies, can that be attributed to soy? No current research can explicitly support this.
We are exposed to countless harmful foods and experiences every day. Many of these, a few, or only one could lead to certain health problems we have down the road.
High Sodium
Many of Gardein’s food products contain high levels of sodium, but so do most frozen foods. There is a lot of salt in frozen foods because it helps the food’s flavor profile. The lower the salt, the worse your frozen food will probably taste. Many people freak out about high salt levels in their food due to past studies on salt and high blood pressure.
Over the past few years researchers have done more studies on salt and high blood pressure and have found no correlation between the two. Here is an article by Medical News Today to show these findings.
In Conclusion: Are Gardein Products Healthy?
Overall, eating too much soy can be detrimental to anyone’s diet. Soy is highly processed and could be the cause to many health problems we see today. Eating Gardein’s products once in awhile will not be detrimental to your health.Eating foods like this in moderation are great steps to take to live a healthy lifestyle. Making foods like this a “staple” in your diet is not.
