Soy Lecithin

As my wife and I have been making the transition to healthier foods, we have encountered a number of additives and preservatives that keep us from purchasing a product.  For one reason or another, it contains corn, soy, milk or wheat (or one of it's countless by-products).  There is one particular by-product that we can't seem to escape!  That is Soy Lecithin!

If you have recently started reading labels closer and tried to eliminate the four above GMO sources, you have likely run into the same issue.  After doing a little research, I found out why it seems nearly impossible to avoid:  It is a cheap additive that prevents the product from looking bad and/or spoiling too quickly.

Now, spoiled food is a bad thing no matter how you look at it!  Nobody wants to buy spoiled food.  However, you have to weigh your options when it comes to this prevalent ingredient.  First, we need to look a little closer at what it is.

Soy lecithin is a by-product of the process of producing soybean oil.  It is typically extracted from the plant by processing it with some mechanical or chemical processes which I will refrain from boring you with!  If you are so scientifically inclined to learn about how the beans undergo distillation, centrifugication, and precipitation, feel free to read this or put it into a search engine.  Basically, it is processed right out of the oil and used as a cheap alternative to keep your food from separating into those unsightly layers and turning funky.

Now, no soy (or corn, wheat, dairy; for that matter) product would be out there without an argument in favor of it's use.  They claim that there are some "advantages" to consuming this substance.  Lecithins have the esteemed distinction of being an excellent source of choline.  Choline is, again without getting into the nitty gritty details, a chemical that our bodies need to promote healthy cell function.  Without it, we may develop cognitive, heart, and reproductive issues.  In addition, it may decrease your athletic ability.  Yikes!  Where can I get me a gallon of this soy lecithin before I die?

In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend!"

There are a ton of great sources of choline that do not involve such a controversial crop as soy and is likely in every kitchen in america.  Here they are:

1. Shrimp
2. Eggs
3. Chicken
4. Turkey
5. Fish (namely, cod, tuna and salmon)
6. Beef
7. Collard greens

Those are in order of which one contains more choline.  So, as you can see, we won't die without this lecithin stuff.

Summary

As with any food/lifestyle choice, it's a matter of personal preference or physiology.  If you are concerned about eating zero soy due to allergy, morals, general hatred for Monsanto, or whatever; It's probably a good idea to skip all products that have "Contains: Soy" on the label.  If you don't think that the tiny amount that is in these products is going to kill you as long as it is organic or non-GMO, keep buying the products as long as it is certified organic or part of the Non-GMO project.  If you just don't care about soy at all, well...you probably wouldn't be reading this!  My take: Try to avoid it all together, but if it is a product that you really like and use frequently and it seems impossible to find it without this substance, just go with it as long as it's organic.  We have spent about a month trying to get rid of it, and we still have a handful of organic products in our kitchen with it on the label.