The problems associated with soy, especially soy milk. Including unexplained digestive & thyroid issues. 🍃 If you've been exploring alternatives to dairy and wheat, soy milk and soy flour may have crossed your mind as healthier options. But it’s important to understand the potential health implications. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation , a leader in natural health information, soy may not be the best choice for everyone. Also bare in mind soy is considered a top 10 allergen. 🍃 Soy and Hormonal Disruption Soy contains phytoestrogens , plant-based compounds that mimic estrogen in the body. These compounds can interfere with hormonal balance, potentially leading to thyroid problems and other health concerns. The Weston A. Price Foundation highlights that even small amounts of soy can affect thyroid function, particularly for individuals already dealing with thyroid issues. In fact, soy can sometimes contribute to a condition known as goitrogenesis , where it can interfere with thyroid hormone production and lead to goiter (enlarged thyroid). 🍃 Soy and Nutrient Absorption Soy also contains anti-nutrients  such as phytates and lectins, which can block the absorption of key minerals like calcium, magnesium, and zinc. This interference with mineral absorption can contribute to deficiencies over time, which may affect your overall health. Weston A. Price research emphasizes how these compounds, especially in processed soy, can be problematic for digestion and mineral balance. 🍃 The Goitrogenic Effect of Soy As mentioned before soy is considered a goitrogenic  food, meaning it can interfere with iodine uptake in the thyroid, potentially leading to thyroid dysfunction. Goitrogens, found in foods like soy, can inhibit the body's ability to produce thyroid hormones by blocking the action of iodine, a critical component for thyroid health. Many experts cautions that regular consumption of soy, especially in large quantities, can exacerbate thyroid issues for those who are already vulnerable or have pre-existing conditions. 🍃 Fermentation: This is why many can tolerate soy sauce! Fermentation can make soy easier to digest. Fermented products like tempeh and miso are often better tolerated because fermentation breaks down the problematic anti-nutrients and makes soy more digestible. However, some people still can't tolerate good quality soy sauce, though this is less common. 🍃 The Soy-Gluten Connection For those on gluten-free diets, it’s important to be aware that many processed gluten-free products contain soy flour. In fact, over 60% of packaged foods, including many gluten-free products, contain soy. So if you're not improving as well as you expected to when changing your diet - check how much soy flour you are consuming. 🍃 How Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) Can Help If you’re unsure whether soy is affecting your body, Nutrition Response Testing (NRT)  can help identify food sensitivities and determines how soy and other foods impact your body. This non-invasive method can help pinpoint whether soy is contributing to your digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, or other symptoms, allowing you to make better dietary choices.

Food sensitivity Testing Choose this option if all you want to find out is what foods or personal care products (like moisturiser, shampoo, laundry products etc), may be affecting you. It is not the best choice if you have chronic health issues, behavioural issues, or you want to know if you have an overgrowth of yeast, parasites, toxins, nutritional deficiencies contributing to your health problems. There are 2 Food Sensitivity Tests to choose from; 1. The Most Common Foods Panel $120 – has the most common allergens such as wheat, gluten, dairy products, sugars, corn, soy. (click on the link to see the exact foods included). For those who are curious if they react to gluten, dairy eggs etc but not interested in testing for fruits, vegetables or nuts. 2. The Extended Food Panel $160– has the same foods as the above but includes more fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds. This is suited to those who just want to know if they are ‘ok’ with lots of foods & those who have more chronic health issues like chronic fatigue, MS, fibromyalgia or eczema or psoriasis. Nutrition Response Testing I use muscle testing to identify the 5 most common blocks to health & then find the exact nutritional supplements & dietary changes you need to re-establish your health. This is for the client who wants to deal with the physical blocks to health only. (if you want to work on the emotional/psychological aspects as well as the physical ones then go to the health Kinesiology description below) These 5 blocks are; 1. Food sensitivities – the common food panel is included 2. Hidden infections eg candida, parasites, viruses, bacteria 3. Heavy metal toxins eg mercury, lead, aluminium, copper etc 4. Chemical toxins eg chlorine, pesticides, plastics, formaldehyde etc 5. Interference fields - such as scars, piercings, tattoos, moles. Clients generally have monthly check ups to ensure your body is healing smoothly & on schedule. Cost Initial Consultation- $160 Repeat consults -$80 ·Nutritional Supplements are an additional cost Health Kinesiology This is for the client who wants it all! Again, I use muscle testing to work with you identifying not only the physical aspects that are blocking your health such as allergies, infections etc but also identifying & resolving blocks from limiting beliefs, negative thought patterns, fears & emotional traumas to truly break free from repeating the same old patterns that created ill health in the first place. Usually clients have a series of sessions to deal with whatever health issues they have. An average number would be 5 sessions, but it could be more or less depending on the individual. The body will indicate via muscle testing what works need to be done in a session which could include allergy & tolerance corrections, pain reduction, essences, psychological corrections or other work. If emotional/psychological work is not your thing then Nutrition Response Testing would be better suited to you. I enjoy bringing my knowledge of nutrition & kinesiology together to help you achieve your health goals. During a series of HK sessions we will cover food sensitivities, infections etc & nutritional protocols to deal with them if they are relevant for you health issues. Cost - $100 for all sessions. When you work with me you will benefit from my experience as a Medical Scientist, my kinesiology training & my experience in dealing with all sorts of health problems to identify what is blocking you from achieving the health you desire & deserve. If you are ready to improve your health, then please get in touch. Call - Alison Singleton – 0277 267 324 Email - alsingleton@xtra.co.nz

A man in his 50's came to see me for some prostate troubles he was having after a few nudging's from his wife! He had the typical symptoms of frequent small volume urination, no pain when urinating but occasional episodes of severe abdominal pain/cramp that required anti inflammatory medication and a loss of energy & vitality. IMPORTANT NOTE: This man had already seen his doctor & everything had checked out ok, so we were able to proceed with peace of mind that nothing serious was going on such as cancer. Now we could move ahead to see if there was anything I was able to do to help. I used Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) to evaluate what areas of his body were weak (ie not performing optimally) on muscle testing. The main areas were his liver, both small & large intestines & prostate. The prostate tested as the priority area to deal with at this visit. As per a NRT evaluation the weak area, ie the prostate, is checked to see if there is anything that could prevent it from healing & repairing when given the right nutritional supplements. Some toxic chemicals showed up as affecting the prostate so the correct nutritional supplements were muscle tested to eliminate these. We then tested if there were any other nutritional needs to help the prostate heal & also what dose was correct in this particular case. In this case it was a specific prostate formula at a dose of 2 per day. Also all other areas that tested 'weak' were now testing 'strong' with his specific nutritional protocol. One month later there was significant improvement in the prostate symptoms & the dosing schedule was adjusted to adapt to this. It is important that he continues to provide the nutrients needed to strengthen & heal the prostate for a while & then at a maintenance dose otherwise eventually the symptoms will return. Prostate are like thyroid glands for women - they are often neglected & require the correct nutritional support to keep you feeling good & youthful! However, after another few weeks there was a concern about his heart health, he was feeling an obvious skipping or irregular beat & loss of strength & was naturally quite worried, so I advised he see his doctor again to investigate. Again he was given the all clear & it was diagnosed as a common but not serious irregular heart beat they they would monitor but were not worried about. Sure enough after I tested him using NRT again his heart did test weak on muscle testing. I checked that nothing was preventing the heart from repairing as it should & none of the usual 5 barriers to healing showed up. These are; Food Sensitivities Hidden infections such as yeast, parasites, viruses or bacteria Toxic Chemicals - chlorine's, fluorides, formaldehyde's, pesticides, plastics etc Toxic Metals - mercury, aluminium, copper, lead etc Scars & other interference fields So, I tested what nutritional products his heart needed to strengthen it & it was a specific heart formula at 4/day for 6 weeks & then 2/ day for another 4 weeks. This significantly improved the heart rhythm so much so that he hadn't noticed his 'missed beats' for some time. At a 1 month follow up appointment I tweaked the heart nutritional program slightly & added in a few key B vitamins. It is important to remember that the nutritional program for this man was exactly what his body needed to heal & repair. It will usually be completely different for another man with the exact same symptoms. Often the symptoms are similar but the protocols needed by each person are very different.

Electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) are an often-overlooked factor preventing you from overcoming your health issues. Did you know that; All metabolic processes in the body are electrical Nerve impulses are transmitted electro chemically, Transportation of substances through the cell walls is electrical in nature & all body fluids & tissues are excellent conductors of electricity as they contain electrolytes (which have negative or positively charged components). Our acupuncture points & meridian system (pathways of energy) are also electromagnetic. We are electromagnetic beings & therefore we are all influenced by electromagnetic frequencies. Some sources of external emfs are microwaves, appliances, Wi-Fi devices including Fitbit, mobile phones, computers, cell towers. These EMFs can disturb the normal electric currents in our body causing a wide range of symptoms including; Poor metabolism Multiple chemical & food sensitivities Foggy brain Poor healing Pain Poor sleep Chakra disturbances Headaches Fatigue Digestive issues Poor detoxification So, you can see that almost all symptoms could be associated with EMF disturbances. Of course not everyone is affected by EMFs to the same degree, some people are more resilient whilst others are more severely affected & this can often be the underlying factor preventing them from healing. Those that are more severely affected seem to be those with chronic health issues, children in general & especially children with learning disorders, hyperactivity issues, autism, dyslexia. As a Health Kinesiologist I see people affected by this all the time & it is something that is often dealt with early on in their sessions otherwise the energy work doesn’t seem to ‘hold’ or seems to come undone. For example, I had done some Health kinesiology work with a client to deal with food sensitivities & testing indicated their tolerance to a food went up to 10 slices of a certain bread/day. Now this person was unlikely to eat 10 slices/day, but it shows just how much her system had improved. However, after a period of time the bread seemed to be causing trouble again with digestive symptoms returning. Now I know that when I have tested someone & established a tolerance level, the energy work we have done is fairly strong & permanent unless there is extreme stress or ‘stress’ from EMFs or geopathic stress. When I tested this client, I found her energy system was blocked due to her wearing a Fitbit device. Overtime this constant Wi-Fi radiation had undone the energy work we had previously done for several foods’ sensitivities. Mobile phones are another common devices I see doing this, but we use these devices daily & they have become part of our lives, so we need to find ways to deal with them. I tested an EMF protection device for her Fitbit & her arm muscle tested strong again. I also tested a necklace pendant that is a lovely rose quartz crystal permanently imprinted with frequencies that protect the body from EMFs & will give her whole body better ability to handle the EMFs from all sources. I expect overtime her body will respond & her tolerances will increase again. Other examples include babies, children with sleep disturbances due to EMFs disturbances from smart meters or other devices. When the bed/cots were moved or specific devices used to neutralise the EMFs they returned to sleeping well again. Addressing these electromagnetic disturbances along with other Health Kinesiology work often helps people overcome numerous food & environmental sensitivities, headaches, pain, digestive issues & improves emotional & mental capacity.

A lady in her 40s came to see me concerned that her symptoms seemed to be increasing overtime instead of improving. Initially she started out with some digestive issues such as gas, bloating & occasional loose bowels but she thought it was probably just something she ate & it would settle down. After several weeks & then months things had not settled down & she was now experiencing these symptoms everyday. She dreaded eating because she always felt such discomfort afterwards & often need to go to the toilet fairly quickly afterwards & she couldn't figure out what foods were the culprit. As if this wasn't bad enough she now was experiencing headaches most days & needed ibuprofen so they did not turn into migraines. This seemed to further aggravate her digestive system but without it the headaches stopped her functioning & she had a family & job to attend to. She noticed that when she ate quiches she felt sick & developed a headache whereas previously she had no problem. Chicken also gave her trouble along with too much bread, & dairy. Fatigue was becoming an issue so she tried energy boosting supplements but didn't notice any major improvement. She was also tried some B vitamins, magnesium & hormone support supplements to deal with her irritability & PMT. Nothing really made a huge difference & feeling fed up she came to see me on the recommendation of one of her friends. We identified the foods that she was sensitive to right now & found her appropriate alternatives so she could eat without experiencing so much discomfort. Fortunately she was able to eat eggs so long as they were in baking (this destroys the protein in the egg white that most people react to) & not poached, fried, scrambled. She could also tolerate a few slices of sourdough bread per day. We identified a parasite in her intestinal tract & also gallbladder which was testing weak along with her thyroid. Parasites are often associated with gallbladder & liver congestion as they love to hide out in there & cause all sorts of problems! We muscle tested for the correct supplements to deal with the parasite, liver/gallbladder congestion & also some iodine & other minerals to support her thyroid function which should help improve her energy & PMT symptoms. Within the first week she noticed less bloating, gas & digestive pain & tolerated her cup of tea with milk in it again - something that previously had her doubled over in pain. The headaches also dropped back & only reappeared when she ate chicken before her body could tolerate it again. Now we are working on improving her digestive system further, increasing her tolerances to several foods such as chicken & eggs & her ability to absorb & metabolise a few nutrients using Health Kinesiology techniques & improve her ability to handle stress. Apart from being very grateful in helping her overcome these symptoms she also commented that she wished she had come to seem me months ago as it would have saved her so much discomfort & money from all the supplements she had bought trying to sort it out.

Food sensitivity Testing Choose this option if all you want to find out is what foods or personal care products (like moisturiser, shampoo, laundry products etc), may be affecting you. It is not the best choice if you have chronic health issues, behavioural issues, or you want to know if you have an overgrowth of yeast, parasites, toxins, nutritional deficiencies contributing to your health problems. There are 2 Food Sensitivity Tests to choose from; 1. The Most Common Foods Panel $120 – has the most common allergens such as wheat, gluten, dairy products, sugars, corn, soy. (click on the link to see the exact foods included). For those who are curious if they react to gluten, dairy eggs etc but not interested in testing for fruits, vegetables or nuts. 2. The Extended Food Panel $160– has the same foods as the above but includes more fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds. This is suited to those who just want to know if they are ‘ok’ with lots of foods & those who have more chronic health issues like chronic fatigue, MS, fibromyalgia or eczema or psoriasis. Nutrition Response Testing I use muscle testing to identify the 5 most common blocks to health & then find the exact nutritional supplements & dietary changes you need to re-establish your health. This is for the client who wants to deal with the physical blocks to health only. (if you want to work on the emotional/psychological aspects as well as the physical ones then go to the health Kinesiology description below) These 5 blocks are; 1. Food sensitivities – the common food panel is included 2. Hidden infections eg candida, parasites, viruses, bacteria 3. Heavy metal toxins eg mercury, lead, aluminium, copper etc 4. Chemical toxins eg chlorine, pesticides, plastics, formaldehyde etc 5. Interference fields - such as scars, piercings, tattoos, moles. Clients generally have monthly check ups to ensure your body is healing smoothly & on schedule. Cost · Adults Initial Consultation- $160 Repeat consults -$80 · Children (under 13 years) - $120 Repeat consults - $70 Health Kinesiology This is for the client who wants it all! Again, I use muscle testing to work with you identifying not only the physical aspects that are blocking your health such as allergies, infections etc but also identifying & resolving blocks from limiting beliefs, negative thought patterns, fears & emotional traumas to truly break free from repeating the same old patterns that created ill health in the first place. Usually clients have a series of sessions to deal with whatever health issues they have. An average number would be 5 sessions, but it could be more or less depending on the individual. The body will indicate via muscle testing what works need to be done in a session which could include allergy & tolerance corrections, pain reduction, essences, psychological corrections or other work. If emotional/psychological work is not your thing then Nutrition Response Testing would be better suited to you. I enjoy bringing my knowledge of nutrition & kinesiology together to help you achieve your health goals. During a series of HK sessions we will cover food sensitivities, infections etc & nutritional protocols to deal with them if they are relevant for you health issues. Cost - $80 for all sessions. When you work with me you will benefit from my experience as a Medical Scientist, my kinesiology training & my experience in dealing with all sorts of health problems to identify what is blocking you from achieving the health you desire & deserve. If you are ready to improve your health, then please get in touch. Call - Alison Singleton – 0277 267 324 Email - alsingleton@xtra.co.nz

This is something I see every single day with clients. They can't understand why they are feeling so tired, cranky, bloated, etc when they are often taking nutritional supplements, drinking water, exercising & supposedly 'being healthy'. It's FOOD. Or more correctly - food your body is sensitive too. Now this can be different for each person. Some people will thrive on raw milk for example & for others it will be one of the biggest factors keeping them from getting better. Just last week I had a client who had recurrent tonsillitis as a child, eczema and now has severe chronic constipation with fatigue and occasional headaches. Looking at the history & symptoms I was pretty confident there would be a dairy sensitivity but to what extent I wasn't sure until testing. Unfortunately it turned out that even raw milk was not good in this case & yet they had been told that raw milk is healthy & people can tolerate it better than the homogenized milk. Soy is one of the most common foods that trips people up. Soy flour is now in so many products that it has become the number 1 ingredient I find people overlook. Of course not everyone will be super sensitive but for those that are (& there are many) it will quite often stop their progress. I have seen this in many cases but one in particular comes to mind with a breastfed baby with eczema who was sensitive to wheat & soy. The mum cut out these foods from her diet (or so she thought) but no progress was made until we discovered the gluten free bread she had switched too has soy flour in it. Most commercial breads & other processed foods containing wheat have soy flour in them & unfortunately a lot of gluten free products do to. Venerdi's, Dovedale & a few other Gluten free brands have soy free choices. If you have been trying to loose weight & have fluid retention as well, you may have a food sensitivity preventing you from achieving your goal. The body will store toxins in the fat away from your vital organs in an effort to protect you. I have seen 'cankles' & other areas of fluid retention decrease significantly when a food sensitivity is identified & removed from the diet. Of course there can be many other reasons for these conditions too. The older you are & the longer you have been eating foods to which you are sensitive the more likely it will be that you will have developed other health issues due to the inflammation in the gut. If you develop constipation then the food sits in the bowel rotting & in effect is self poisoning. This is why headaches, arthritis, skin issues quite often are associated with gut issues too, the bowel toxins get reabsorbed into the blood, overwhelm the livers capacity to detoxify these toxins & then depending on what your underlying health weaknesses are you see all sorts of symptoms appear. Some people get diarrhea instead as the body attempts to rid itself of the food that it is sensitive to. These people quite often develop nutritional deficiencies also as the food isn't in their system long enough to extract sufficient nutrients. Either way the intestinal lining becomes inflamed, irritated & this can move right up to the upper digestive system so you can experience reflux, heartburn, poor dental health including receding gums, bad breath, ulcers & tooth decay. If you are not sure what foods you might be sensitive too then book in for a Food Sensitivity Test which covers the main food allergens. https://www.thenaturalhealthclinic.co.nz/food-sensitivity-testing Otherwise try & limit the amount of processed foods you eat as this will eliminated a lot of food additives, try sourdough bread as it is much more digestible & choose butter & pasteurised (or raw ) only milk. Avoid soy unless you know you can tolerate it or it is fermented like good quality soy sauce.

This was actually one of the first cases I had used Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) besides my family & friends. It was one of those cases that showed me the power of NRT & led me to embark on further training in this system. The client was a little girl of about 3 years who had experienced a chronic cough for several years that was especially worse in the winter time. Mostly it was an unproductive cough and medical tests could not find anything wrong on examination. Her mother was understandably always on edge as soon as she heard the slightest hint of a cough as often it would lead to weeks or longer periods of coughing, exhaustion & trouble sleeping. The fact that nothing could be found to be wrong was incredibly frustrating also, as how do you treat something when no one can find the cause. Naturally all manner of cough syrups, lozenges and other children's immune boosters had been trialed but nothing seemed to significantly help. Luckily a good friend of the family was a naturopath and started her on specific, high quality nutritional supplements for respiratory conditions, probiotics, more immune support, gut healers and eliminated dairy foods from her diet. Finally there was some improvement but after a reasonable amount of time on this program the cough remained and was still a significant problem in the winter, so much so that the mother decided to postpone having another child due to the constant pressure/stress of taking care of her daughters fragile health. My Naturopath friend had heard I had trained in a new technique called Nutrition Response Testing and thought perhaps I could help, after all there was nothing to loose. So we tested her using a surrogate as 3 year old's are too young to muscle test, and we found weakness in the lung and bowel reflexes. No great surprises there but what was a surprise was the hidden cause - a small parasite! Now parasites are incredibly common and are often an overlooked cause of all sorts of health concerns. They can be tricky to treat as they don't necessarily respond to any old anti parasitic supplement and you need to ensure they are fully eradicated, otherwise they will come back. We muscle tested for the correct nutritional supplement that brought strength back into these weak areas/reflexes and tested the rest of her supplements she was already taking to make sure they were aiding her recovery. It really didn't take very long at all to see a significant improvement in this little girls health - certainly in the first 4-6 weeks. After several months when the parasite levels were reduced to below detection and the gut had had time to heal she was able to reintroduce some foods that had previously caused her trouble. Now when she gets a slight cough it passes as they should do rather than hang around for months at a time and this family is no longer under siege. If you would like any further information regarding Nutrition Response Testing or how your health concerns can be addressed please email me on alsingleton@xtra.co.nz or call on 0277 267 324

Do you still believe that saturated fats and high cholesterol are the cause of heart disease? Here are some interesting facts. Myth 1. Cholesterol is Bad Cholesterol is necessary for good health. It is required for hormone production, immune health, nerve and brain function. The liver produces three quarters of your body’s cholesterol and the brain contains 25% cholesterol. Without cholesterol you cannot make vitamin D. Myth 2. Margarine is Better for you Than Butter Margarine contains trans fats, which promote inflammation and actually contribute to heart disease and other chronic health conditions. Myth 3. High Cholesterol will Cause Heart Disease This theory is based on the flawed research of Dr Ancel Keys, 1953 Seven Countries Study which the cholesterol theory of heart disease and dietary guidelines are based on. Unfortunately, the researchers chose to omit data that did not support their theory and only include data that did. No studies have ever actually proven a link between heart disease and high cholesterol levels. In fact, the Framington Study showed people with high cholesterol levels had longer life spans Only 50% of heart attack victims have high cholesterol levels AND 50% of people with high cholesterol don’t have heart disease. Myth 4. Saturated Fats Are Bad There are no studies showing a link between saturated fats and heart disease. Sugars and refined carbohydrates and trans fats produce inflammation which is a high risk factor for heart disease. When you cut out healthy fats you become hungry and tend to eat more sweet processed nutritionally deficient foods. Myth 5. Statin Drugs Prolong Life and are Safe There is no difference in death rates between those who take statins and those that don’t. Statin drugs do lower cholesterol levels but they also block the production of other important substances such as coenzyme Q10, important in heart and muscle health. There are many serious consequences that may come with taking Statins such as loss of libido, muscle pain, fatigue and diabetes. Tips for Great Heart Health Take quality omega 3s such as fish oil as they can decrease cholesterol and increase HDL(good) levels Increase fruit and vegetables Decrease refined carbohydrates and sugars Eat health fats – free range fresh eggs, red meat, fish, nuts and seeds, avocado, butter, coconut oil Increase exercise De-stress Stop smoking and reduce alcohol intake.

It's not well known that scars may cause a multitude of health problems. However, scars on the surface of the skin from past injuries, surgeries, piercings and even tattoos are often an overlooked hidden barrier to healing. Scars often weaken an area of the body making that area more susceptible to the effects of toxicity and infections. The scars themselves interfere with nerve function and can restrict the circulation of blood, lymph and nerve supply to an area often remote to the site of the scar. Scars no matter how small or large can 'become active' and randomly discharge accummulated nerve electricity, causing chaos and confusion in the nervous system. Scars anywhere on the body can be problematic, however scars on the midline of the body such as C-sections, navel piercings and episiotomies are a common source of non-resolving women's health issues. These scars can often contribute to postpartum depression, inability to lose weight, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction and a host of other hormonal imbalances. In Nutrition Response Testing (NRT), scars are a common cause of neurological 'switching', which basically means the nervous system is in a state of confusion and you will have a great deal of trouble healing. What this looks like clinically is; 1) you don't get well at all, or your health 'rollercoasters' and you have frequent relapses. 2) you have tried many different therapists and treatment programs but you just don't seem to get well. 3) you have tried many different supplements over the years but after initial improvements you seem to relapse. Of course not all scars are problematic but when they are, you often have chronic non-responding health conditions. At the Natural Health Clinic, I can test your scars to see which ones, if any, are active and how to resolve them. Some examples of scars; * Episiotomy/vaginal tearing from childbirth * C-Sections & Hysterectomies * Vasectomy * Surgical scars including stitches * Piercings especially navel piercings * Some tattoo's * Moles and acne scars * skin cancer scars * 'dead' teeth, wisdom teeth * burns * chicken pox scars

Personally I never consume soy, nor do I recommend it. I believe it is a 'junk food' being sold as a 'healthy food' that is not fit for consumption especially by infants. Many studies have linked modern processed soy to malnutrition, thyroid dysfunction, digestive problems, hormone imbalances and many other health concerns. Did you know soy is one of the most common food allergies, along with cow's milk, peanuts, wheat and egg white? So why is processed soy so bad? Soy is high in phytic acid which prevents the absorption of many nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, zinc, iron, copper. Soaking or sprouting soy does not neutralise the phytic acid like it does with many other grains and legumes. This can result in malabsorption in children leading to stunted growth. The consumption of soy milk will not prevent osteoporosis either as the phytic acid prevents the absorption and assimilation of calcium and vitamin D along with other nutrients needed for strong bones. Soy is high in phytoestrogens, which are plant based estrogens that mimic the role of estrogen in the body. High estrogen levels have been associated with pre menstrual tension, breast cancers, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and infertility, so why would you want to add more estrogen? Some studies have shown a link between soy consumption and early onset puberty in young girls due to the extra estrogen load they are exposed to. For the boys the effect has been to delay sexual maturation and promote more feminine characteristics such as enlarged breasts. Soy foods are not fit for infants to consume for reasons already stated above but also because soy contains trypsin inhibitors which prevent protein digestion. Soy also lacks cholesterol which is needed for healthy infant brain and nervous system development. Soy does not help post menopausal women either, as it can stimulate the growth of estrogen dependent tumours and suppresses the thyroid, which will often aggravate any hormone imbalance. We should however, differentiate between the dangers of modern processed soy and traditional fermented soy products consumed by Asian cultures. Asian cultures only consume small amounts of these fermented soy foods such as; tempeh, miso, natto and soy sauce unlike western cultures who drink processed soy milk by the gallon and have soy flour & soy oil in almost every processed food. The fermented soy foods of traditional cultures were often consumed in nutrient rich broths or with egg yolks as they were aware of the anti-nutrient effects of soy. Soy is found in most processed foods in the form of soy flour, soy oil, soy protein or soy protein isolate, textured vegetable protein (TVP). If you would like to know more about the dangers of soy then read "The Whole Soy Story" by Dr Kaayla Daniel.

If your bowels are not moving at least once a day then this is considered constipated. Here are a few tips to help with constipation; Identify and remove food allergies Water - drink adequate filtered water Salt- mix 1 tablespoon of sea salt in 15-170mls of water and drink. This should help the bowels to move. This can be done for 3-4 days then decrease it to half teaspoon daily as maintenance. NB do not use regular table salt, only good quality sea salt. Oil - get adequate oils from your diet or supplements. Consider oily fish, sesame, sunflower and other seeds, good quality olive oil, flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, fish oils. Bulk- good quality fibre from vegetables, fruit or other sources of fibre such as Premier Research Labs Galactan supplement which is high in fibre, holds water in the bowel and ferments to butyrate to feed GUT flora and easily dissolves in water for a pleasant drink. If the above suggestions don't help you may need a thorough evaluation to get to your underlying cause of constipation.