Soy Lecithin

Soy lecithin is one of the by-products of soybean processing. To produce lecithin, soybeans are kept and tempered at a consistent temperature and moisture for about a week in order to hydrate them and loosen the hull. The soybeans are then cleaned after a maximum of 10 days, cracked into small pieces and beans are separated from the hull, after which soybean oil is extracted through a careful distillation process. Once soybean oil is produced, Soya lecithin is then separated from the oil through the process of steam precipitation or centrifugation.

One of the most popular uses of lecithin comes from its emulsifying properties. It is thus used for promoting solidity in margarine, as coating for chocolates and other food, to give consistent textures to creams and dressings, and to avoid oil splattering during frying.

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Soy Lecithin has been lingering around our food supply for over a century. It is an ingredient in literally hundreds of proceesed foods, and also sold as an over the counter health food supplement. Scientists claim it benefits our cardiovascular health, metabolism, memory, cognitive function, liver function, and even physical and athletic perfomance.

One of the biggest problems associated with soy lecithin comes from the origin of the soy itself. The majority of soy sources in the world are now genetically modified (GM). Researchers have clearly identified GM foods as a threat to the environment, pollution of soils and a long-term threat to human health with links to of the world with unnatural genetic material that may have unknown long-term consequences with links to decreased fertility, immunological alterations in the gut and the exacerbation and creation of allergies.
Genetically engineered soy contains high concentrations of plant toxicants. The presence of high levels of toxicants in the GM soy represent thousands of plant biochemicals many of which have been shown to have toxic effects on animals.

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