Farm Food: Soy in Animal Feed, Pesticides, Phytoestrogens, Seed Oils & Regenerative Farming | Episode 275

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How industrial farming, seed oils, soy, and pesticides impact food nutrition and health. Not medical advice.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Soy’s rise in farming: Originating from paint uses and wartime chemicals, soy became dominant due to subsidies and large-scale farming practices, but introduces high PUFAs, phytoestrogens, and pesticides into animal feeds.
• Feed’s impact on eggs: Chicken feeds high in soy and corn raise linoleic acid levels in eggs compared to low-soy alternatives; low-PUFA eggs improve digestibility for many.
• PUFAs & health effects: Feeding PUFAs fattens animals faster and disrupts human gut lining and metabolism; body fat composition changes take time, linking to chronic issues like low energy.
• Phytoestrogens in soy: These compounds pass into animal products, affecting estrogen signaling and gut health; mainstream nutrition often overlooks their risks despite historical low exposure.
• Dairy variations: Raw milk retains lactoferrin for iron regulation and gut support, plus enzymes and probiotics destroyed in pasteurization; it may resolve dairy intolerances for some.
• Regenerative farming model: Armstrong’s cooperative emphasizes traditional feeds to “resaturate” foods, reducing PUFAs; supports small farms amid declining farm numbers.
• Ancestral diets insight: Traditional diets vary but share low PUFA levels, avoiding modern chronic illnesses tied to industrial fats.

ABOUT THE GUEST: Ashley Armstrong, PhD co-founded Angel Acres Farm in Michigan and now runs Nourish Food Club, a cooperative of small farms producing low-PUFA, soy-free animal foods.

RELATED EPISODE:

• M&M 273: Nutrition Content of Animal & Plant Foods: Beef, Plant-Based Meat, Raw vs. Processed Milk

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