--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The soybean itself is a notably…" description: "\"The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food; it contains a whole assortment of \"antinutrients\" - compounds that actually block the body's ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg" --- # The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food… ![“The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food; it contains a whole assortment of "antinutrients" - compounds that actually block the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals, interfere with the hormonal system, and prevent the body from breaking down the proteins of the soy itself.” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg) > “The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food; it contains a whole assortment of "antinutrients" - compounds that actually block the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals, interfere with the hormonal system, and prevent the body from breaking down the proteins of the soy itself.” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Soybeans contain compounds that hinder nutrient absorption and disrupt hormones, making them a problematic staple for health. **In simple terms:** Soy may impair nutrient uptake. Key Takeaway Limit soy intake for better health. Themes nutrition health food science dietary concerns Mood analytical cautious Type informational critical When to use this quote - meal planning - dietary counseling - food policy - consumer education Key Concepts antinutrients bioavailability hormonal effects Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives provide similar protein without antinutrients? - How can processing reduce soy’s negative effects? A Different Perspective Soy also offers protein and benefits; moderation may be key. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Breaking down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-down/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Minerals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minerals/) [Protein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protein/) [Soy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soy/) [Soybeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soybeans/) ## Related quotes > [“The rise of the soybean in the United States is attributable to, more than any other person, Henry Ford.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-genoways/the-rise-of-the-soybean-in-the-united-states-is-attributable-to-more/) [Ted Genoways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-genoways/) > [Fifty percent of the weight of the soybean is protein. And what a protein! No other protein that we've known comes so nearly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-julian/fifty-percent-of-the-weight-of-the-soybean-is-protein-and-what-a/) Percy Julian > [My staple food include Aloo gobhi ki sabji and yellow daal, and on Sundays I usually just have rajma chawal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/my-staple-food-include-aloo-gobhi-ki-sabji-and-yellow-daal-and-on/) [Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/) > [The codfish is a staple food For which I'm seldom in the mood. This fish is such an utter loss That people eat it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-codfish-is-a-staple-food-for-which-i-m-seldom-in-the-mood-this/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Corn is an efficient way to get energy calories off the land and soybeans are an efficient way of getting protein off the land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/corn-is-an-efficient-way-to-get-energy-calories-off-the-land-and/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eggs are a staple food upon which families rely, and the budgetary impact of any price increase is immediate, particularly for low-income families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/eggs-are-a-staple-food-upon-which-families-rely-and-the-budgetary/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [American farmers produced 600 more calories per person per day in 2000 than they did in 1980. But some calories got cheaper than others:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/american-farmers-produced-600-more-calories-per-person-per-day-in/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [You may not think you eat a lot of corn and soybeans, but you do: 75 percent of the vegetable oils in your diet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/you-may-not-think-you-eat-a-lot-of-corn-and-soybeans-but-you-do-75/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I had to drive to Minneapolis once, and went on a back road just to see the country. But there was nothing to see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-had-to-drive-to-minneapolis-once-and-went-on-a-back-road-just-to/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I don't eat meat, fish, or eggs. I was never a big meat-eater, but I've got more energy now. I eat a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/i-don-t-eat-meat-fish-or-eggs-i-was-never-a-big-meat-eater-but-i-ve/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [Real nutrition comes from soybeans, almonds, rice, and other healthy vegetable sources, not from a cow's udder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/real-nutrition-comes-from-soybeans-almonds-rice-and-other-healthy/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Raising crops to feed animals for human consumption requires a lot of land. It takes eight or nine cows a year to feed one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/raising-crops-to-feed-animals-for-human-consumption-requires-a-lot-of/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Inhabitants of underdeveloped nations and victims of natural disasters are the only people who have ever been happy to see soybeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/inhabitants-of-underdeveloped-nations-and-victims-of-natural/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“Similar cautions apply to whole soybeans and edamame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/similar-cautions-apply-to-whole-soybeans-and-edamame/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [Husband and wife are like the two equal parts of a soybean. If the two parts are put under the earth separately, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-hari-dass/husband-and-wife-are-like-the-two-equal-parts-of-a-soybean-if-the-two/) [Baba Hari Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-hari-dass/) ## More by Michael Pollan > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More Block quotes > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [When it comes to people I love and care about, I may condense the time, but I'm giving them every ounce of my energy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/when-it-comes-to-people-i-love-and-care-about-i-may-condense-the-time/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The family is the building block for whatever solidarity there is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/the-family-is-the-building-block-for-whatever-solidarity-there-is-in/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [New York is so serious about the creation of work. Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rodgers/i-think-you-can-train-yourself-to-block-out-some-of-that-pressure-and/) [Aaron Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rodgers/) > [Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/writer-s-block-i-ve-never-heard-of-a-plumber-complain-about-plumber-s/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) Browse all 1,755 Block quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food; it contains a whole assortment of \"antinutrients\" - compounds that actually block the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals, interfere with the hormonal system, and prevent the body from breaking down the proteins of the soy itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Pollan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspicious-staple-food-it-contains/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Block" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspicious-staple-food-it-contains/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/michael-pollan-408_block_the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspic_2049867.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The soybean itself is a notably inauspicious staple food; it contains a whole assortment of \"antinutrients\"…” — Michael Pollan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Pollan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The soybean itself is a notably...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspicious-staple-food-it-contains/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-soybean-itself-is-a-notably-inauspicious-staple-food-it-contains/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```