Soy- what do you think?

runningforthetrain

Awhile back I switched to soy milk. I buy an organic brand and I don't drink more than one or two cups a day. I was pondering the packaging- the plastic lining that allows the soy to be stored in a box before opening. Plastics still bug me and I like to avoid them when I can. There is nothing but, mixed messages in the studies about benefits and/or harmfulness of soy. I hesitate to open up for discussion, but what have any of you found out about soy? It seems the benefits of fermented soy are well established. But, not sure about the other products and/or the packaging.

s_shortridge

runningforthetrain wrote: »

but what have any of you found out about soy?

Once upon a time, I became a dietary vegan. I switched to soy EVERYTHING. Big mistake. I developed a soy intolerance. Bloated me up, caused cystic acne. Bad, bad, bad. I switched to almond milk, but even then, the sugars were getting me. I eventually went back to meat & milk and discovered I really tolerate raw milk the best. Honestly, if you drink the soy milk, eat everything else soy in moderation.

Unknown

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kshama2001

Some articles about soy:
https://drbenkim.com/soy-health.htm
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/08/06/how-soy-can-kill-you-and-save-your-life/ (the article tone is not alarmist like the title would indicate)

During the three years I lived in vegetarian communities, I overate the stuff and now can't stand the thought of it.

runningforthetrain

Thanks for the responses. Moderation and organic sounds like the way to go. The article by Dr. Hyman was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for! Thanks kshama.

arditarose

I used to eat a lot of soy. My periods were the worst they have ever been then. I have no evidence that the soy was effecting me this way but things got better when I cut back.

ninerbuff

Only soy I like is tofu and soy sauce!!!

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kelseymallen

I've read in several articles about how too much soy can interfere with women's natural estrogen levels which, in turn, can cause all sorts of issues.

ldrosophila

Edamame is delicious with soy sauce. If you are using a variety of food sources soy can fit nicely into your diet without deleterious effects and provide some beneficial phytochemicals. Switch it up use soy milk one week, try rice, almond, cashew, dairy if you aren't intolerant. All carry different profiles of nutrients.

kshama2001

runningforthetrain wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. Moderation and organic sounds like the way to go. The article by Dr. Hyman was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for! Thanks kshama.

My pleasure

jgnatca

The pros and cons of phytoestrogens. This is the calibre of article I trust when I'm trying to sift the wheat from the chaff.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/

My three preferred ways to eat soy are as tofu, soy sauce, and edamame. Edamame is minimally processed. Perhaps you could try growing your own.

louise13dunstan

I've just read eat meat and stop jogging, soy is toxic to humans and helps inflammatory disease as well as alzheimers

amberjo1986

Doesn't milk have a lot of estrogen in it though?

jgnatca

@amberjo1986 , in your opinion, what is a "lot of estrogen"?

http://www.dairygoodness.ca/good-health/dairy-facts-fallacies/hormones-for-cows-not-in-canada?gclid=CjwKEAjwmZWvBRCCqrDK_8atgBUSJACnib3lcc_mF0USc6H9z-JyfJUonhFfVCWxYJ7pd0akTBwtHRoCBp7w_wcB

ladipoet

louise13dunstan wrote: »

soy is toxic to humans and helps inflammatory disease as well as alzheimers

Agreed. Here's an interested history on why soy was grown in the first place any why it was never meant to be consumed by humans in the form of unfermented soy:

http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/soy/magic-bean/

The article cites sources at the very end but they look to be old (none newer than the year 2000 quoted) so the article probably hasn't been updated in a while.

amberjo1986

jgnatca wrote: »

@amberjo1986 , in your opinion, what is a "lot of estrogen"?

http://www.dairygoodness.ca/good-health/dairy-facts-fallacies/hormones-for-cows-not-in-canada?gclid=CjwKEAjwmZWvBRCCqrDK_8atgBUSJACnib3lcc_mF0USc6H9z-JyfJUonhFfVCWxYJ7pd0akTBwtHRoCBp7w_wcB

Well good for Canada. However, dairy cows are continuously impregnated for their milk anyways. The later in the term the cow is, the more female sex hormones she has in her body. The calf is taken away from the mother after birth and either raised on a sugary formula and raised as a dairy or beef cow or sent to the slaughterhouse for veal. Modern dairy cows are milked up to 300 days a year and as a result have way more estrogen in their system, which yes, some ends up in the milk.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html

Also people should be aware that phytoestrogens are in a lot of food, not just soy. In high amounts, yeah, I could see it being harmful to someone's health. But the culprit isn't tofu or soy beans. Soy foods with the highest amounts of phytoestrogens are highly processed. This processed for of soy is found in 60% of packaged food, particularly in baby formula. If people are worried about phytoestrogens they need to worry about processed food, not tofu or soy beans.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2781234/

This article summarizes how the soy controversy started.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/01/anti-soya-brigade-ignore-scaremongering

We can cherry pick studies to support our positions all the live long day. There are plenty of studies to support either viewpoint. The point I want to get across is that all this soy scare mongering is WAY overblown. As long as you're not overdoing it you shouldn't have to worry about it.

jadowns

Soy milk is OKAY, however it can throw off your hormone balance... I recommend, making your own nut milks. My favorite is half and half: Brazil nut and almond milk. You just soak the nuts in water, overnight (in the blender) and then blend in the morning. (You don't even need to strain it, and you get all the healthy fiber and vitamins that have been stripped in processed (and packaged) non-milks...

KittensMaster

I don't seek out soy type foods

Too much estrogen

I don't really need much of that....

I get my soy from beef.

Rare

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I some times cook for vegetarian friends and I'll use soy mince as the rest of us don't mind it in a pie or spicy based sauce.

Other than that soy sauce in stir fry is all I use.

the_nerdgasm

It isn't anywhere as bad as people seem to think it is. People complain about the estrogen in soy but then eat dairy, which is full of estrogen because it's quite literally breast milk. Soy is a staple in many Asian cultures, which have much lower instances of many diseases (like breast cancer) than Western culture, which isn't as soy heavy but is very dairy heavy.

I mean, if you're eating literally nothing but soy, then yeah, you might get sick. But if you eat it in moderation, you'll be fine.

crystalewhite

I can only handle it in small doses, as with dairy. I'll eat soy sauce a couple times per month with sushi, but that's it. I limit cheeses, switched from soy to almond milk.
I also get the huge, painful flare ups of cystic acne when I over indulge and it's just not worth it to me.

Hornsby

I have heard from my bodybuilding friends that soy promotes estrogen in men (ie man boobs, fat on the outer arm, under the buttocks) so I try to stay clear of it. Is it hooey? I don't know, but soy has never been a big part of my diet so it wasn't an issue to cut most of it out.

jaqcan

Hornsby wrote: »

I have heard from my bodybuilding friends that soy promotes estrogen in men (ie man boobs, fat on the outer arm, under the buttocks) so I try to stay clear of it. Is it hooey? I don't know, but soy has never been a big part of my diet so it wasn't an issue to cut most of it out.

Soy does act as estrogen when digested, and during fat loss, fat cells release even more estrogen. Add that if you're a woman, it throws your body completely out of whack. I went through months of pain, suffering, and hemorrhaging while I was doing Medifast (almost 100% soy products). It was so bad I became anemic and passed out from blood loss. Steer clear if you can. It's a cheap alternative, not a healthy alternative.

ldrosophila

Soy gets such a bad rap there is phytoestrogens in beer the hops, flax seed, chickpeas, multigrain bread, olive oil, and even almonds. It's not quite clear if the phytoestrogens bioavailable to be utilized by our bodies. We are more at risk due to our high meat consumption for breast cancer then soy.

jgnatca

The reading I did suggested that the Asian consumption of soy contains a lot fewer phytoestrogens. The Asian consumption of milk contains a lot less estrogen, as the cattle are milked seasonally, only five months a year.

Need2Exerc1se

I've eaten soy all my life and never had a problem with it. Not when I was menstrating, not during perimenopause and not now that I'm in menopause. It is a fairly common allergen, though, so I don't doubt that many people have problems with it.

My husband has also eaten it for years and no moobs yet.

jgnatca

Yeah, it would be nice if a little something could help me through menopause. I take Black Cohosh but I suspect it's influence is largely psychosomatic.

My stepmom died young from breast cancer, so there's a family aversion to estrogen supplementation. I'm stuck dealing with this the old fashioned way.