Are tofu and soy products keeping us fat?

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  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    First of all, Americans are the worst consumers in the world. Our media gets a hint that something is good or bad for us and once it is on the nightly news we all freak out and ban it or make sales go through the roof, does anyone remember the EVIL EGGS. Truth be told, there is always an upside and a downside to most everything we believe to be true. Two good examples are antioxidants and soy.

    Antioxidants were touted as a miracle cell protector that would help prevent cancer, and yes, they do help protect cells, unfortunately they help protect all cells, including cancerous ones and it has been discovered that taking antioxidants while being treated for cancer can actually hamper your success, again, moderation in everything.

    Soy is an excellent replacement for those with milk and protein allergies, my daughter was a prime exampe, as an infant and young child she was allergic to anything that came from a cow and any meats high in protein. For her, soy was an easier way to get her the protein and calcium she needed (we also added calcium powder to her juices, pre the time we have now where everything has added calcium)

    Soy for menopause use is inconclusive. Researchers are at an impass, in other words they can't decide if the genistein (plant estrogen) is good for us in menopause or not.

    Soy causes breast cancer in some women, also a by product of the genistein, our medical experts can not agree on this either and their attitude is wait and see for a few years and see how many more women that ingest large quantities of soy get breast cancer. We have to make the decision that is best for us, do we consume the soy in the hopes that we are helping prevent cancer or do we not consume it and wait and see if we get cancer that way?

    Soy products are consumed mostly in large quantities in the "West", America , Canada, UK etc. The asian communities actually use most of their soy product as a side dish or condiment (ie, soy sauce). As a matter of fact, until fermentation was discovered asians did not find soy beans to be fit for consumption, they were used primarily to refertilize soil for other types of crops.

    Products that contain soy and have a high concentration of maganese are linked to brain damage in infants and altered behavior in adolescents. Do you want to risk that? Well, I did because my daughter needed a substitute, it may have rotted her baby teeth but she is smart as a whip, and so far no crazy behavior.

    Keep in mind, most soy products have more sugar than their milk counterparts. Mainly because soy is not a naturally sweet product. Also ,and this may make you change your mind but how is tofu created???

    The very first soy products that were consumed were tempeh, natto,miso and soy sauce. Later it was discovered that the puree of cooked soy beans could be precipitated with calcium sulfate or magnesium sulphate to make a smooth pale curd known as tofu. FYI, calcium sulfate is plaster of paris and magnesium sulphate is espom salts. mmmmmmmmmmmm............

    So to sum it all up, everything in moderation, moderation, moderation!!!!!!

    :happy:
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    And is SCIENTIFICLY PROVEN to help with digestion.
    Oprah does not have trouble with her weight now that she is eating health and working out most everyday. Stopped with the Sodas and the fried foods.

    First, just because Oprah says its great doesn't mean it is, Oprah has a long long history of being big and skinny, big and skinny, and she always has to stop the crap food in order to loose weight. 10 years ago she lost the weight because she "gave up her southern comfort foods, fried chicken, fried okra" and the list goes on.

    Next, Soy naturally contains toxins or antinutrients such as phytates and enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other protein digesting enzymes. These compounds are not "deactivate" during the cooking process and can cause gastric distress, reduced protein digestion, chronic deficiencies in amino acids adn minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Zinc deficiencies can cause impaired functioning of the brain, nervous system, reproductive system, blood sugar imbalance and immune disorders. This is most commonly found in vegetarians but it leaves anyone with a "spacey" or "high" feeling.

    Soy also contains haemagglutinin, a clot promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together, which can inhibit normal growth.

    Fermentation of the soy bean reduces but does not eliminate these antinutrients in tofu, however soy milk, soy cheese are loaded with antinutrients.
  • Cowboy
    Cowboy Posts: 369 Member
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    Right on mnbarnum. You are absolutely correct!
    Cowboy
  • suevittorioso
    suevittorioso Posts: 60
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    :tongue: this is an interesting discussion. i end up eating soy protein Meatless "meat" at least once a week with a daughter whose a vegetarian.you could almost pretend it's scrambled hamburger-almost.i guess i always thought soy products were good for menopausal women to help relieve symptoms. i don't know... the one thing i do know-you guys are right.we latch onto a new,supposedly great thing and eat it by the ton. Asian people eat things like this and meat as condiments and side dishes. it's that moderation thingwe seem to lack.i like to substitute meat anyway because i'm starting to think there are or could be too many additives and hormones in all meat.who knows what that's doing to us?oh,let's not get going on that one tonight!i was gonna say we could debate that til the cows come home but that's even bad for me!
  • scheidch
    scheidch Posts: 32
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    I would consider reading the information at this link. I can say that I am neither pro-soy nor anti-soy, but it looks more reliable to me than hearsay since research references are cited.

    http://www.vegfamily.com/health/vegan-soy-information.htm

    Just throwing that out there for y'all. Take it with a grain of salt, since it is from a Vegan site and not a "neutral" party.

    Edit:

    Here is a link to an FDA study about soy, for your edification:

    http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/2000/300_soy.html
  • faythe
    faythe Posts: 245
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    Look, if the food you're eating has been genetically modified, that's going to mess with your body a heck of a lot more than eating edamame a couple times a week. Eat it, don't eat it, but don't try to sway someone else to think what you think. To me it seems like some of y'all are just picking a fight. Knock it off!
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
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    I've been drinking a 2 cups of soy milk a day or more for the last month at recommendation of my doctor as a way to help with my pre-men symptoms. She says it is a natural replacement for estrogen or something to that effect and better for me than pills since hormone pills increase risk of heart disease (big factor as I'm diabetic).

    So, all I can say is that it does increase estrogen levels. hasn't impacted anything else though.
  • kwill23
    kwill23 Posts: 122
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    It is a known fact that soy and tofu are estrogen disrupters. If a doctor recommends them to raise estrogen levels in menopausal women, then maybe it isn't good for the rest of us who have normal estrogen levels.

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