Is Soy Killing You?

I have the same problem on what exactly to believe with soy. I think there are good soys and bad soys…bad soys being the overly processed ones. I personally don’t really eat soy, like tofu…but it’s just a personal preference because I don’t like the taste/texture. (It kind of reminds me of meat fat.) I’ll occasionally drink soy milk. I do actually love edamame though which is a soybean, so if that counts…then yes I definitely eat that!

With all of the contradictory information I have read about soy I decided to stay away from it. I think children should not be given soy because of the estrogen issue. I read that giving a baby soy formula was the equivalent of giving them birth control pills. I don’t know if that information is reliable but it was one thing that made me decide not to include soy in my diet. There are plenty of other things that are available so why risk it? I think soy may be one of those things that the giant corporations in the food industry are pushing. If that is the case then I do not think you can believe what they say the benefits are. The only benefit they care about is money.

My boyfriend was a vegetarian for 12 years and ate a lot of soy. He thinks the high estrogen levels have damaged his testosterone levels! He stopped eating all soy products, and anything that might have soy in it, and also started eating meat again. He said he feels a lot better. Soy is kind of a scary thing!

I have to have soy milk in replacement of dairy milk in ceresals and cooking as I am lactose intolerant (became so after a nasty bout of gastoentoritus in India 2 years ago) and have not expirienced any adverse effects since introducing soy into my diet, although it could be happening all on the inside without me knowing. But at the moment the worst thing about soy milk for me is some shops only sell the sweetened version!!

So much of soy grown these days is genetically modified (gene spliced) that it’s hard to know whethter the negativer effects are from the soy itself or the organisms whose DNA has been introduced, or the stuff that’s been sprayed on it, etc. I try to always get organicly grown soy products. Not a big fan of tofu although I did use it (with Unchicken broth) when my oldest son (now 32 yo) was vegan for many years. Maybe I should get some edamame seeds and get them growing in my garden-hadn’t thought of it before, but I do like them. One big problem for organic growers whose neighbors ar not, is that the pollen carries the altered DNA and so even with the cleanest organic practices their fields can be contaminated by the (necessary) pollinators who may have visited their neighbors crops. Also grains, including corn are wind pollinated so it’s virtually impossible to keep the pollen away.

I was never totally vegan, but have friends who are who I occasionally feed. I was vegetarian when I became pregnant with my oldest son (32yo) . Instead of pickle/ice cream or any other weird cravings I craved meat and occasionally salty things, neither of which I usually ate. So I figured the baby needed something I wasn’t getting. He went through the usual not wanting to eat anything green from about 2 you through middle school. He became a vegetarian in his teens and for many years cooked in a vegetarian restaurant. He has only recently begun eating meat again. Neither of us gave up eating eggs or cheese for very long.
btw beans, peas, lentils along with a whole grain will give you complete protein. How lean you keep it is up to you with whatever you add to it.
Another thing, although we have used canned beans for the convenience of not having to soak them, the recent findings of BPA in can linings, and of course transmitted to the food, has convinced me not to buy them any more. Lentils and split peas cook fairly quickly and do not require soaking. If we want other kinds of beans we will just have to plan ahead and get them soaking the day before.

Soaking is supposed to make them more digestible and less gassy. Of course that means draining off the soaking water and adding fresh. A short cut is to cover them with water, bring it to a boil and boil for, oh I forgot how long, let ‘em sit for an hour and then drain and rinse them and replace with fresh water. I’m having a senior moment and too lazy to go look it up.There’s a substance in dried beans that causes fermentation and gas production in the digestive tract which the soak/rinse process eliminates. Split peas and lentils either don’t contain it or the amount is negligible so the soaking/rinsing can be skipped. They also cook much faster, 20 minutes or so. But if you don’t get bloating and hiney burps from them I guess it doesn’t matter.

I had pretty much cut out anything with soy a few years ago. My mother’s best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and was cautioned not to eat anything with soy because her cancer was “estrogen positive.” But she was not really eating a high amount of soy to begin with, so as for causing cancer, I don’t think that came into play with her. Now I use tofu once or twice a week, because, as you said, there are not a great deal of lean protein alternatives and well, I just plain like it. I cut thin slices of firm tofu, marinate it in tamari and broil it for about 20 minutes, so it is taking the place of a meat on the plate. As far as it being processed, I guess the only option to be completely sure would be to grow it yourself. Not a bad idea, come to think of it! Here in the midwest I can’t get even tofu at Walmart, so my options are limited.

One of the reasons I decided to go clean was that I kept seeing soy in processed foods. So, it’s a great way to eat, not just for weight loss. My mom’s friend had also eaten almost totally clean (although she didn’t call it that, she just did a lot of home cooking and lost a lot of weight) so I really don’t think that was an issue for her. Compared to people who drink soy milk, eat tofu all the time.

I don’t drink soy milk only because I just don’t care for the taste. I usually cook with cow’s milk and drink rice or almond milk. As far as miso, I love it, but it has so much sodium I can’t often justify using it.

Anyway, this is a really interesting discussion because people are really divided on it and not really sure what to do!

Does almond milk have a strong almond flavor? I like the nuts but can’t stand almond extract or angel food cake or Amoretto or anything else with that strong flavor.
I like Silk unsweetened soy milk. Others I’ve tried were pretty awful. 8th continent I had to run to the sink to spit out-couldn’t make myself swallow it. But my niece loves it. So if you don’t like one brand try another. Silk is organic and has no GMOs.

I thought I was being so virtuous over the last couple of years, starting every day with a bowl of Kashi Go Lean, 1/2 a banana, some berries, and Silk light original. Even before reading this post, though, I’d been hearing negative things about soy. I love the high protein content in my cereal, it really gets me through the morning, but maybe it’s time to re-think my breakfast routine.

Lindsaymc – I’ve tried it and I wasn’t a fan. But I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

Even though I can’t eat much soy, I do like to use shelled edamame instead of peas in shepard’s pie instead if peas in order to add some fiber and protein.

Jenhart – That’s great! Just be sure you get the organic variety to avoid GMO’s.