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Posted: Saturday, 26 December 2009 7:33AM
Inmates' sue against tofu
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CREST HILL (STNG) -- Does tofu constitute cruel and unusual punishment?
Nine inmates are suing over their soy-laden prison diet.
Only one of the Danville Correctional Center plaintiffs, Kendrick Adams, has served time at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, but officials from that prison are among those being sued.
Stateville warden Frank Shaw and Stateville's health care unit administrator, listed as John Doe #5, are among the defendants.
Menu items recently served to inmates included soy-blend hot dogs, soy-spiked sloppy joes and several other soy-enhanced dishes.
While a lot of health advocates say soy is better than meat, the federal lawsuit says the Illinois Department of Corrections is endangering inmates health by serving so much soy.
The inmates are seeking a soy-free diet and medical treatment for conditions they say are caused by the soy they've been forced to eat.
Providing meals with "more than 25 grams of soy per day" constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment."
The lawsuit says soybeans contain "potent endocrine disrupters and have thyroid suppressing effects when injested in quantity" and "anti-nutritional factors" including "oligosaccharides (which cause flatulence)."
The inmates say they have suffered heart problems, arterial blockages, fainting, irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting and more since because of the soy.
They say they haven't received proper treatment for their soy-induced conditions, including failure to provide Metamucil.
Though the FDA's guidelines allow up to 25 grams of soy per day, the lawsuit claims that number is being examined in light of findings from Israel, Germany and France that indicate consuming a lot of soy may have effects on fertility and cause a higher risk of breast cancer.
Mayo Clinic's Web site applauds soy as "an excellent source of dietary protein, including all essential amino acids" and says soy protein has been studied to help "cardiovascular disease risk factors, reducing menopausal symptoms, weight loss, arthritis, brain function, and exercise performance enhancement." It may "decrease the risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men," the site reports.
The Illinois Soybean Association says soy can help lower bad cholesterol.
It's no surprise that Illinois prisons are using soy. Last year, 9,200 acres of Illinois land were planted with soybean, yielding 427,700 bushels.
The Illinois Corrections Department says it started serving soy-enhanced foods in 2004 as a cost-cutting measure.
The department has asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit and declined to comment on the pending litigation.
The lawsuit is funded by the Weston A. Price Foundation, which promotes traditional and largely unprocessed foods.
If the lawsuit succeeds and the inmates get their wish, they may hope the foundation isn't in charge of the new menu.
The Weston A. Price Foundation advocates, among other things, the consumption of organ meats, like liver; cod liver oil; homemade bone broths; and raw milk.
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Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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