Soy: Or as we say in Pittsburgh Double Yoi!

Myron Cope, the internationally famous Steeler announcer, used to famously use the Yiddish term “Yoi” (to all non-Pittsburghers this roughly translates into “Wow”) and on special occasions “Double Yoi” to exclaim a remarkable, unbelievable Steeler play.

Growing up in a Pittsburgh suburb with a population of 45,000 and some change, I was maybe one of four Jewish kids (and even I was half-Catholic at the time).  And along with my sister, probably the only kids in our neighborhood not at church on Sundays.

This unscientific but probable ratio, reflects the city as a whole. So to think about how a somewhat conservative Christian town rallied around a Jewish guy and his Yiddish expressions tells me two things: life is ironic and the Steelers can bring anyone together.

The ironic part certainly reflects the history of soy. In its purest form, soy is a health food. By pure I mean its natural state like edamame, tofu or miso soup. But when it starts getting genetically modified (which most non-organic soy is), reconfigured into fake meats, stuffed into candy bars masquerading as health bars and even processed into soy milk (traditional Asian cultures make soy milk much differently than Big Food companies), it’s just not the same.

It’s kind of like someone trying to impersonate Myron. It just doesn’t work because you don’t get the full effect.

Yes that’s right, soy milk isn’t a health food. Soy Vey! Too much of any food (minus those leafy greens!) is bad news. Soy is in so much of what we already eat these days: soybean oil, soybeans fed animals, and soy filler in many processed foods. Eating it in other funky forms that are difficult to digest like tofurky and soy chips taxes your digestive system and can cause a range of health problems (irregular bowels, inflammation, allergies, etc.)

Many foods take this same fate and the story of soy reflects what’s happening to many foods being gobbled up by Big Food companies and turned into products. For example, the most famous soy milk brand Silk, was started by a pioneering guy who used 100% organic soy beans purchased from U.S. farmers. Organic soybeans cannot be genetically modified which makes them better than their conventional counterparts.

Eventually, Silk was sold to Dean Foods, the same company that owns Horizon “Organic” and is now making its soy milk from soybeans imported from China. According to the Cornicopia Institute, “Dean Foods reformulated their Silk product line changing almost all their products over to “natural” (conventional) soybeans. They did this, quietly, without telling retailers or changing the UPC code numbers on the products. Many retailers reported that they didn’t find out until their customers noticed and complained.” To get the full report, click here

Even if you don’t care about the health benefits of organic, you probably care about getting ripped off. The interesting thing is that Dean Foods didn’t pass their savings onto you, but rather raised the price of your original organic soy milk and changing the taste of your original purchase.

And this isn’t their first offense. Horizon “Organic” has been boycotted by the Organic Consumer Association for not adhering to the legal definition of organic. Yes, despite the packaging there is no happy cow and certain “leadership” teams of your Big Food companies are contributing to rising cancer rates, environmental degradation and the subsequent health problems associated with a toxic environment. I’d love to hear that boardroom conversation!

Myron would give this the rare Triple Yoi.

But here’s the Hail Mary: Eat food, not products, and touchdown! It’s much simpler than deciphering Myron’s voice when he got excited.

Remember this: there’s a lot of profit in confusion. But with a little common sense and some well-documented history, there’s no debate over what’s always been good for the body and soul – whole foods and Steeler Football with some Myron on the side.