Soy - Do you eat it?

soupandcookies

Why or why not? I'm not looking to spark a debate about GMO's - I'm talking about non-GMO tofu and other non-GMO soy meat alternatives. I'm just wondering why some people choose not to eat it. I used to eat tons of meat substitutes, but I have some girly hormonal issues, and I'm wondering if I should be cutting soy out of my diet. Anyone have any opinions on the soy debate?

zyxst

I don't go looking for soy, but I'm sure it's hidden in some of the food I eat. I've tried tofu and hate it. The flavor, or lack of, turns me off.

aquarabbit

I don't eat a lot of soy products, but that has nothing to do with the nutritional value. I LOVE edamame. I used put it in pastas, salads, sandwiches, or have it as a snack. So yummy. I've tried tofu, but I get an upset stomach. I don't get it from soy milk or edamame, only from tofu. Not sure why, but I try to stay away from a lot of soy products just in case I have an allergy to it (I keep meaning to make a doc appointment but always forget to mention testing). My husband refuses to eat it because he thinks it'll make his moobs bigger. I don't know if that's true and to be honest, I don't have enough information on the subject to have a real opinion. Maybe cut it out of your diet and see if there are any changes.

TheGymGypsy

I don't go looking for soy, but I'm sure it's hidden in some of the food I eat. I've tried tofu and hate it. The flavor, or lack of, turns me off.

It's supposed to absorb flavor, not be eaten by itself. Baked tofu with a drizzle of dark sesame oil and spice... delicious. soggy soft tofu thrown into a stir fry unceremoniously, not yummy.

txwarriormama

I use organic soy sauce here and there and have edamame occasionally, but avoid soy in general. It messes with hormones and is really a problem for kids (especially my soy intolerant son). I also try to avoid processed foods as much as I can, so I don't get much hidden soy (or other crap). Most of my cooking is free of gluten. dairy, soy, yeast and peanut, since those are the things my boy can't eat - the whole family benefits because that eliminates so many processed/"unclean" foods.

JuantonBliss

I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TOFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU SOOOOOOOO MUUUCCCHHH!!!! But, I'm also a vegetarian so it's a staple in my diet lol UGH! Fried tofu with peanut sauce, holy **** man, if you haven't had that you are SERIOUSLY!!! MISSING OUT!!! Seitan, tofu, I eat all that jazz. You have to learn how to cook with it. Tofu plain can taste kind of icky, but put a little soy sauce on it, bake it or stir fry it, and you're set. I have yet to try a meat loaf or tofurkey though. I think I'm going to do that for Thanksgiving/Christmas this year

ryry_

Only in the form of edamame every once in a while.

JuantonBliss

I don't go looking for soy, but I'm sure it's hidden in some of the food I eat. I've tried tofu and hate it. The flavor, or lack of, turns me off.

Seriously, go to an Asian restaurant that serves fried tofu and eat it with peanut sauce. Your life will forever be changed.....:smokin:

SoDamnHungry

It's in a lotta stuff. I eat it if it's in stuff, I guess.

stealthq

I avoid it for the most part because of the phytoestrogens. Soy products are in quite a number of the foods we eat so it is easy to get more in your diet than you think. It doesn't concern me enough to go figure out all of the soy products that contain phytoestrogens - not all do - and cut them out of my diet, or to try tracking the amount I'm eating because I know I'm not getting that much. Fortunately, I hate nearly all tofu dishes* so that makes it easy.

I do use a drizzle of soy sauce on my sushi and sashimi (every couple of weeks), eat edamame as an appetizer (every couple of months), and have asian food (more soy sauce, about once a month).

* I did have tofu Pad Thai at a local restaurant that has since closed that was awesome

thisismeraw

I use it and don't worry about it because I'm not consuming huge quantities of it often. I don't have any issues with soy. I don't eat a ton of it but I do eat it regularly. I eat edamame, roasted soy beans, sometimes I have the vegetarian meat products, etc.

It will only affect you if you have an issue with soy or if you consume very large amounts of it often. Some soy here and there or a serving or two a day will not harm you.

helenrosemay

I've tried tofu, but would rather eat meat and I've tried soy milk & yogurt which I didn't like.

AZ_Danny

Since I eat halal I tend to eat vegetarian when eating out (unless I wish to eat out at the same 3 restaurants) so I do tend to eat veggie burgers when they're available... which often contain soy. When I run into them, I'll buy quorn products although I'm not vegetarian at home... but because I really like them. They're made out of fungus instead of soy.... I'm sure they come with their own set of issues... but whether it's quorn or soy, my tummy approves!


Also, I second what the other person said about fried tofu... every time I order chinese delivery I get sesame tofu... it's the best thing ever

mrjoshuablack

I thought i would chime in. I Loove extra extra firm tofu. I found that all tofu isn't equal. The super extra firm tofu is amazing with any dish prepared in anyway. Stir fried with veggies, or cold in a salad the key is to generously season it.

lostlinkster

I am not scared of soy. I find the hormone thing to be questionable. Its been awhile, but as I recall that came form a dairy industry report. I don't care. It just seems to me that cows milk, and meat has more hormones pumped into it, than there is in soy.

Morn66

I'm vegan, so I'm contractually obligated to like tofu and tempeh. But I'm not a fan of edamame. I don't eat much in the way of processed foods anymore, so that's probably all the soy I get nowadays. I like tofu a lot, but I try to eat a wide variety of things, so I don't eat it all the time. But it's not because I fear it. I fear no plant estrogens because I'm of the "Unless you eat a metric crap-ton of it, like what they feed to rodents in lab tests, it's probably not going to harm you overmuch." I especially don't fear phytoestrogens since the benefits of phytoestrogens/isoflavones in terms of mitigating the risk of heart disease and cancers are known and their "risks" are unproven or applicable only to specific and known groups of people, none of which I happen to belong to at this time.

See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/ for a pretty balanced analysis.

So, I'mma eats my soy in rotation amongst my beans, lentils, quinoa, seitan, oats, etc.

neanderthin

I believe soy sauce is about it. I have no interest in it.

spoiledpuppies

I eat it. For awhile, I avoided it due to the warnings about hormones. But I think the risk has more to do with the fact that soy is hidden in so many processed foods, so people are getting too much of the unhealthy kinds. Since I don't eat a lot of that, I don't feel there's a risk.

I also realized that almond milk has next to no nutritional value, so I went back to soy milk. And I love tofu. My husband actually cooked it for me a few times, and honestly, it was gross. I never thought I'd like it. But then I learned how to cook it, and I absolutely love it now! Even my husband was like, "now that's how you make tofu!" and he he likes it a lot better now too.

vienna_h

I don't think there is a clear answer as to just how much soy affects hormones and if it truly is that bad for you. I was about to buy a nutritional shake once, and as I was reading the label, it said for all women with any hormone dependent disease, gynecological disease, including breast cancer or a family history of breast cancer, to not take the product. I asked the salesperson why they would put that warning, and he said it was because it had soy protein in it.

That kind of scared me. I have stage 4 endometriosis and a family history of breast cancer, so that warning label applied to me. I was already avoiding tofu (which I used to eat all the time) because I kept reading that it was bad for endo, but that made me want to avoid it all together. So I try to stay away from soy as much as possible now. Protein powder is the only processed food that I eat often, so I avoid soy protein and I don't get alot of "hidden" soy either. Never really liked soy and tofu that much anyway.

PhoenixEve

I try to avoid soy because soy is estrogenic and i have uterine fibroids. (estrogen makes the fibroids grow)

I used to drink soy milk and eat soy beans because i thought they were healthy. Ooops.

Uterine fibroids are terrible. They are very painful and they make me chronically anemic.

Soy is not my friend.

Tiff050709

I have had soy burgers and I love them. I have had soy chocolate milk, yummy.

4themoney

years ago i did. i ate quite a bit. i was pregnant with my 3rd and she ended up having a horrible soy allergy, that lasted years. so, i cut all soy out of our diets. we've never gone back.

i found alternatives that i liked better, tasted better, and were better for you :-)

Sieden76

I only eat tofu every other month in a dish that I prepare at home

spoiledpuppies

I try to avoid soy because soy is estrogenic and i have uterine fibroids. (estrogen makes the fibroids grow)

I used to drink soy milk and eat soy beans because i thought they were healthy. Ooops.

Uterine fibroids are terrible. They are very painful and they make me chronically anemic.

Soy is not my friend.

Hmm...I have fibroids too, though I wouldn't even know it except a doctor told me that she felt them during an exam. And I eat a decent amount of soy.

benol1

Why or why not? I'm not looking to spark a debate about GMO's - I'm talking about non-GMO tofu and other non-GMO soy meat alternatives. I'm just wondering why some people choose not to eat it. I used to eat tons of meat substitutes, but I have some girly hormonal issues, and I'm wondering if I should be cutting soy out of my diet. Anyone have any opinions on the soy debate?

Yes, I do. Tofu, tempeh and soymilk.
There is overwhelming evidence that soy has some extraordinary health benefits.
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/soy/

bcattoes

I drink soy milk daily and have for decades. I eat tofu rarely, but I like it. I used to eat it more often but my husband is one of those people that dislikes tofu without ever giving it a try, so I don't cook with it much these days. I used to eat it fairly regularly.

ETA: I also eat dry roasted edamame daily because it's tasty and helps me hit my protein goal. And I occasionally eat frozen edamame and use soy sauce fairly regularly.

That said, if you are having hormone problems I would suggest speaking with your GYN.

PhoenixEve

I try to avoid soy because soy is estrogenic and i have uterine fibroids. (estrogen makes the fibroids grow)

I used to drink soy milk and eat soy beans because i thought they were healthy. Ooops.

Uterine fibroids are terrible. They are very painful and they make me chronically anemic.

Soy is not my friend.

Hmm...I have fibroids too, though I wouldn't even know it except a doctor told me that she felt them during an exam. And I eat a decent amount of soy.

Yeah, it all depends on the location of the fibroids. Mine cause severe cramping and hemorrhaging every month. I've ended up in the ER a few times because of it.

glin23

I eat tofu and edamame. I do not like the taste of soy milk so I avoid that.

spoiledpuppies

I try to avoid soy because soy is estrogenic and i have uterine fibroids. (estrogen makes the fibroids grow)

I used to drink soy milk and eat soy beans because i thought they were healthy. Ooops.

Uterine fibroids are terrible. They are very painful and they make me chronically anemic.

Soy is not my friend.

Hmm...I have fibroids too, though I wouldn't even know it except a doctor told me that she felt them during an exam. And I eat a decent amount of soy.

Yeah, it all depends on the location of the fibroids. Mine cause severe cramping and hemorrhaging every month. I've ended up in the ER a few times because of it.

Thanks stinks. I've heard they can go away on their own with menopause...so there's a reason to actually look forward to that!

Alwayssohungry

OP - I just can't do it. I've tried to add it to my diet - I just can't. Tofu upsets my stomach, soy milk just doesn't taste right in recipes. So No - I've tried and tried - just can't do it.

fluffymaggie3

No I do not eat soy !! I am a 3 year Estrogen positive breast cancer survivor and my oncologist told me to stay clear of it. Prior to my breast cancer diagnosis, I drank soy milk daily and ate tofu weekly !! HMN ??? Makes me wander ???