I was wondering, what is everyone's opinion on soy? I've read a lot about it being unhealthy but I don't see how it could be unless that's the only thing someone eats all day.
I also read that it's bad in Jillian Michaels' book, but I also read elsewhere that it's a superfood, and is partially responsible for people's health and longevity in places like Okinawa where it's a large part of the diet. I certainly hope it's not bad for you as I'm vegetarian and dairy free and rely on soy for my milk, yoghurts and some meat replacement foods!!
I'm a bit wary of genetically modified soy, but I believe its perfectly safe. Asian cultures have been consuming soy for centuries with no ill effect. However, like everything, its probably best consumed in moderation. Veg*ns probably rely too much on soy as a replacement for meat and dairy as its the most readily available. Personally I prefer almond milk to soy, so I really only consume it in tofu and tempeh.
I'm an asian and I don't know why many people said soy is unhealthy. I drink soy as an alternative for dairy milk. And for me, soy is better than dairy milk. Most dairy cows are given injections and antibiotics to make them produce more milk and this cause them to be sick. All these chemicals will flow into cow's blood stream and the milk they produced. Pity those cows
For some reason, there is an anti-soy movement but this anti-soy movement seems to be by the same people that depend on soy (livestock/dairy producers). 85% of the soy produced in the US goes to the livestock/dairy industry, most of that is GMO/non-organic. Oh and I think I read that the US is one of the biggest soy producers in the world.
Most soy for human consumption (at least in the US) is organic/non-GMO.
My understanding is that the negative effects have only been seen with massive consumption (I believe something like five or more servings per day) of processed-soy foods (mostly from tvp and other processed, concentrated sources of soy) and mostly in people with hormonal and endocrine issues such as low-thryoid, breast cancer, PCOS, diabetes...
Whether the excessive soy causes these issues or only aggravates existing conditions isn't clear. It's possible that soy is only detrimental if you already have these conditions.
The theory is that the plant-estrogens can mimic or be used by the body as if they were human estrogen and thereby hvae negative effects on the endocrine system.
From what I've gathered from what I've read of the research and reporting of the research one to two full servings daily is safe for most people, and 1 full serving is safe for most women with endocrine issues.
I do have endocrine issues, so I limit concentrated soy foods (mostly tvp) to about 5 servings a week. I don't count soy sauce, tofu or edamame, because my understanding is that it's primarily processed, concentrated soy that is the problem (tvp for the most part).
Soy is getting blamed lately for all sorts of things from hormonal issues to thyroid cancer. Of course it's all full of controversy.
The one fairly uncontroversial finding is that it impairs thyroid function.
It's one of the worst goitrogens, because it does not lose some of its goitrogens with heating, like most foods do.
I have a slow thyroid so I avoid it as much as possible.
I get a reaction when I eat something with soy in it. I'm not allergic, but I am sensitive to it and the reaction is debilitating to me. So I have avoided it in all forms, as much as possible, for a few years.
Recently, I've tried eating it again in a variety of forms just to see if I'm still sensitive to it. I don't get the usual reaction when I eat edamame beans and some types of miso and tamari that is totally wheat-free, but there are other forms of fermented soy that I don't tolerate. So I stay away from it as much as possible, especially if it's GMO stuff.
Like Kaplods said, I think that the issue is all about its overuse. In the west, soy is used in so many ways because it's so cheap. They use soybean oil in most tuna processing, even the water-packed stuff. A lot of inexpensive ground meat products use soy as fillers. Soy lecithin is used in commercial baking to help the bread come out of the forms when baked. That's even used to keep hard candy and gum from sticking to each other inside packages, and in production of cheaper chocolate. My soy sensitivity had helped me stay away from so many foods that aren't healthy for me!
Traditionally, I believe forms of fermented soy are eaten with sea vegetables which provide iodine, something that really helps with thyroid function.
My understanding is that the negative effects have only been seen with massive consumption (I believe something like five or more servings per day) of processed-soy foods (mostly from tvp and other processed, concentrated sources of soy) and mostly in people with hormonal and endocrine issues such as low-thryoid, breast cancer, PCOS, diabetes...
Whether the excessive soy causes these issues or only aggravates existing conditions isn't clear. It's possible that soy is only detrimental if you already have these conditions.
The theory is that the plant-estrogens can mimic or be used by the body as if they were human estrogen and thereby hvae negative effects on the endocrine system.
From what I've gathered from what I've read of the research and reporting of the research one to two full servings daily is safe for most people, and 1 full serving is safe for most women with endocrine issues.
I do have endocrine issues, so I limit concentrated soy foods (mostly tvp) to about 5 servings a week. I don't count soy sauce, tofu or edamame, because my understanding is that it's primarily processed, concentrated soy that is the problem (tvp for the most part).
Kaplods, I just want to say I love your posts. You never shoot from the hip. Its always easy to see you read and research various topics and give what information you have and possibilities, but not unfounded ideas and opinions with no factual basis. I have come to the point when I read your posts, I don't have run to fact check them.
I have thyroid issues and I avoid soy now. For many years I was vegetarian and vegan for about a year. I heavily consumed soy. I don't know if there is any connection, but it is what it is, I suppose. I am on synthroid now, my thyroid is not in horrible shape, though on a side note, it functions worse the higher my weight, interestingly enough.
It's my understanding that whole soy foods are just fine, and this includes things like soy milk, tofu, tempeh, etc, as long as it's organic non-gmo. Apparently it's the highly processed soy that is a problem, such as soy protein isolates that are common in protein products or as additives.
According to Dr. Weil, soybean oil is a problem since it adds so much omega-6 to our diets, which skews our 3/6 ratio and contributes to inflammation and other health issues. Unfortunately, soybean oil is in almost every processed food you buy, and it's GMO almost all of the time. IMO it's another reason to avoid processed foods.
I personally choose to avoid anything that contains soy protein or oil as an ingredient. However, I regularly eat tofu and tempeh.
Opinions on Soy
