Soy Protein

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beMOEfit
beMOEfit Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am looking for some answers on Soy Protein. I have heard some bad and good things about soy and I was wondering if anyone knows how much is too much?
I have many food allergies, so the only protein shake that I can have is soy. Since I have been reading mixed reviews on soy I am a little worried about having these soy protein shakes. But I have to get my protein amounts up each day and the only way I see doing this is by having the shakes. I just dont want to harm my body.
Any info is greatly appreciated!!! :wink:

Replies

  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    Never heard anything bad bout soy protein. Heard it's good for heart health. I drink chocolate soy protein everyday after my workout. Love the taste!
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    bump.

    I have heard bad things about soy too... messes up with your estrogen levels? I keep going back in forth to, no soy, but then find myself still buying the soy alternative meat products because I'm vegetarian and need protein.
  • RoseEnvy
    RoseEnvy Posts: 21
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    I just bought some soy flakes to get more proteins so I'm interested what's not healthy about it.
  • beautymkt
    beautymkt Posts: 60
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    If you feel that strongly about soy protein......switch it to whey protein shakes. Good luck!
  • beMOEfit
    beMOEfit Posts: 10 Member
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    I cannot eat whey protein. That is why I was interested in the soy.
  • beMOEfit
    beMOEfit Posts: 10 Member
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    What do you mix the chocolate soy with? Water?
  • beMOEfit
    beMOEfit Posts: 10 Member
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    I just bought some soy flakes to get more proteins so I'm interested what's not healthy about it.


    I have read that it messes with your estrogen levels and leads to thyroid disease and breast cancer and can also cause fertility issues. These findings were only in mice and rats though. However, the comments on all the articles I have read are the opposite. They say stuff like, if soy is so bad for you how are all the Japanese and Chinese people so fertile and live so long?
    Mixed reviews! Kinda makes me wonder if the Milk and Meat companies are just trying to give Soy a bad name.
  • RoseEnvy
    RoseEnvy Posts: 21
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    ok, thanks.
    I'm planing to eat about 30 grams of soy flakes 3-4 times/week... Don't think that's gonna kill me.
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,858 Member
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    I think you would have to eat a huge quantity of soy for it to effect your hormone levels. My husband is a vegetarian and we eat a lot of soy and have been doing so for years. I have no issues whatsoever with my hormone levels or my thyroid. Hope that helps to calm your fears a bit. Good luck to you!
  • hellen72
    hellen72 Posts: 144 Member
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    You could try hemp seeds, they are nice and a complete protein with all your amino acids

    You can get hemp protein powder, not tried it but looked at label, they vary a lot, not as much protein as whey for the calories
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
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    I have read that it messes with your estrogen levels and leads to thyroid disease and breast cancer and can also cause fertility issues. These findings were only in mice and rats though. However, the comments on all the articles I have read are the opposite. They say stuff like, if soy is so bad for you how are all the Japanese and Chinese people so fertile and live so long?
    Mixed reviews! Kinda makes me wonder if the Milk and Meat companies are just trying to give Soy a bad name.
    well you have to consider the soy source. If it's natural unchanged, non-genetically altered (probably what they Japanese and Chinese eat, then it's probably not that bad for you. However, considering the way the US messes with everything, how genetic alteration of our food is affecting us (not just soy), how pesticides and stuff are affecting us etc. then it's most likely that OUR soy problems are related to changing the natural order of things. Also consider those tests - look at the dosing they give to the animals to provoke a response - sometimes levels humans could never reach with normal consumption. However it has been said that the use of soy in our diets have led to the pre-mature aging of our girls, which is why some start puberty before age 8! I would say it has to do with quantity in your diet as well as the quality. If you're serious about adding it to your diet, you might want to talk to you MD and see if BASED ON YOUR hormone levels it is recommended or not and also at what dose. You also have to be careful with all the additives they put into stuff - there are so many with sweeteners and stabilizers etc. you really have to wonder if it's worth the couple of grams of protein you'd actually be getting. Even with that most MD's are probably not really informed about the true ins and outs and rely on what they hear/read too, so a nutritionist or naturopath might be a better source.

    I tried the EAS vanilla soy and it's ok to drink, but not great. It has a weird after taste, even when used in other things (I added it to yogurt I made and while it did help it get nice and thick, it was too weird tasting to use again. I would love to use the whey protein but they all have artificial sweeteners, mostly sucralose (which I'm allergic to) but often in combination with others.
  • bespatter
    bespatter Posts: 73 Member
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    I don't eat a lot of soy unless it's tofu, or edamame (not-to-heavily processed). I can't do dairy either. For my protein I use Lifetime Life's Basics Plant Protein made with Hemp, Rice, Pea, and Chia. It sounds weird but it tastes really good and it's completely soy-free. I also add hemp seeds to my smoothies and salads because they're really high in protein and I love their taste.

    I don't really understand all the people saying "oh my gosh, you're drinking soy milk, that's sooo bad for you!" Unless you eat a clean diet or read labels or eat foods that have only minimal ingredients, soy is in EVERYTHING you eat. It's in your cereals, in your hamburger helper mixes, in your taco seasoning packets. That's the soy you need to worry about. That's the soy that's been modified with chemicals. If you're going to avoid soy, that would be the soy to avoid. All soy does have phytoestrogens in them, but their estrogenic activity is pretty weak. I really wouldn't worry about it.

    Personally, I believe whole soy products, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk are great in a diet when enjoyed in moderation.

    The only thing is, if you're lactose-tolerant, you might become soy-intolerant after awhile. I switched from soy milk to almond/rice milk because it started to give me headaches.
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
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    A study was done on cattle a few decades back that showed when cattle were fed soy and corn they gained weight. Further studies concluded that when soy was consumed over long periods of time, it slowed metabolism and had negative effects on the thyroid.

    Might I suggest that if you are concerned about soy and cannot consume whey, then try vegan protein powders, or Vega products by Brendan Brazier, which consists of rice, pea and hemp powder. Too, add lentils and other legumes to your diet. Combined with a diet rich in dark green leafy and dark green cruciferous-type vegetables you should have no problem meeting your protein needs each day.

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