soy..how much is too much?

[silverundertone]

ive read countless things about soy..some saying it causes cancer..others saying it protects against it..things like that..

at the moment..my only consistent source of protien is soy..and i have quite alot of it..soymilk...isolated soy protien...soy 'hotdogs'...i could go on and on..

what im wondering is..
how much soy is too much?..at what point does it become unhealthy?..
if anyone has any information..id love to hear it.
thanks..

[AnnikaBaanaica]

I eat a TON of soy too, atleast a carton of soy milk a day, and usually about 3 servings of tofu a day...plus or minus a few other soy products, such as luna bars, Boca burgers, ect...

[tearhsong2]

Hmmm, you guys might want to consider adding some beans and nuts to your diet. Soy is good for you, but too much of anything can be bad--as in your body isn't getting enough nutrition because of the lack of variety. Canned beans are very cheap, dried beans are even cheaper (and both tons cheaper than soy products!) Try rice, oat, almond, and/or coconut milk, too.

I try to go no more than the recommended 25 grams of soy protein a day. I eat beans, nuts, and depend on other things for my calcium like leafy greens, fortified oj, and calcium supplements.

[silverundertone]

i do have plenty of nuts in my diet..although they have more fat than anything else..
my stomach is really sensitive..and cant tolerate beans at all....but it seems to react very well to soy..nuts..and flax..
and i am aware of the protien in green vegetables..but it is pretty minimal..(they are good for minerals and vitamins though)..

[Jinga]

Variety is always the best way to go! If you are eating too much of one thing chances are you are missing out on something else.

As far as soy goes, I have heard that the problems associated with consuming too much are based on amounts x30times that of normal people. Asia has much lower cancer rate, yet they consume more soy. I don't think you should worry too much about it. Just realise if you are eating nothing but soy, you should probably expand your horizons and try more foods.

[CountessKerouac]

I am a soy junkie too. But, lately I've been trying to decrease it.

I used to eat:

2 glasses soymilk
2 soy yogurts
a soy pudding
a soy burger
some other soyfoods...like soy crisps.
all in 1 day!

However now, i've been adding some other stuff to my diet like almonds, flax, more whole grains, nut butters etc...

Now, I'll have 1 glass of soymilk and limit the soygurt to every couple of days or less. I still love my soy though and usually eat more than the recommended amount. However, you have to look at it that they are recommending 25 grams of soy protein to people assumed to also eat meat. So, who knows? :D

Too much of a good thing can be too much! Variety is key!

[gems622]

Variety is always the best way to go! If you are eating too much of one thing chances are you are missing out on something else.

As far as soy goes, I have heard that the problems associated with consuming too much are based on amounts x30times that of normal people. Asia has much lower cancer rate, yet they consume more soy. I don't think you should worry too much about it. Just realise if you are eating nothing but soy, you should probably expand your horizons and try more foods.


This is exactly what I was going to post.. lol

There have been problems due to a lot of soy in some people, so I would just try to add protein from different sources in addition to the soy. TVP and beans are my faves!!

[CountessKerouac]

The TVP in my cabinet is made from soy flour...are there other types that aren't?

[silverundertone]

i got some tvp a while ago..and i think it was made out of defatted soybeans..
stil a soy product..
im guessing that most..if not all tvp is made from some form of soy..although im not completely sure..

[epski]

Try to keep the soy protein around 25g a day. More than that isn't necessarily beneficial, and much more than that is probably more than you want floating around in your system. There are many other sources of plant proteins, whether you're looking at seitan, legumes, etc.

[gems622]

The TVP in my cabinet is made from soy flour...are there other types that aren't?


You're right.. sorry about that. I wasn't thinking when I typed that. :doh:

[tearhsong2]

my stomach is really sensitive..and cant tolerate beans at all....but it seems to react very well to soy..nuts..and flax..

What do you mean by not tolerating beans? Excessive flatulence or stomach pain? Combination of both? Do you have the same problem with eating whole grains and some fruits/vegetables?

I ask because if it's flatulence (often with stomach pain as well), that's something your body will get over as it adjusts a diet that's higher in fiber. Soy products are usually so processed, that not much fiber remains in them and nuts aren't usually a problem because they're eaten in smaller quantities. Flax acts sort of like a laxative, so that would explain why it doesn't bother your stomach either.

These are just some ideas I'm throwing out here. You might want to slowly introduce more beans and whole grains (both have fiber and protein) in your diet. It can take some time, but as long as you drink enough fluids and eat some fruit, it should be easier to digest. My personal experience is that I rarely have flatulence from eating beans/whole grains anymore because my body has adapted to it--flatulence used to be a big issue with me after eating beans/high fiber foods.

In the meantime, if you're worried about your soy intake, drink rice, oat, or almond milk instead of soy milk. Especially if you drink that much (1 quart a day is a lot of soymilk for one person!). Fortified OJ is another good way to get calcium. Water is also important--IMO should be almost all of what you drink with maybe a glass or two of something calcium fortified if you don't take supplements or get enough calcium from your food (leafy greens, calcium-set tofu, almonds, blackstrap molasses, etc).

[zoebird]

considering most of the sources that were mentioned were non fermented sources, i would avoid them. i'm generally soy free now, occassionally having soy when out to dinner, and when i do have it, i don't have any more than 3 grams per day. 22 is the "rda"--though i think that is way too high. interesting info on the weston a price site that gave us lots to think about and moved us away from soy.

my husband is completely soy free and is a lot healthier for it.

uhm, yeah.

[IamJen]

I think it's important to note that there are many different kinds of soy, and they are likely to effect your body in different ways.

I'd love to see some more research about this posted here at VB.

[silverundertone]

What do you mean by not tolerating beans? Excessive flatulence or stomach pain? Combination of both? Do you have the same problem with eating whole grains and some fruits/vegetables?

I ask because if it's flatulence (often with stomach pain as well), that's something your body will get over as it adjusts a diet that's higher in fiber. Soy products are usually so processed, that not much fiber remains in them and nuts aren't usually a problem because they're eaten in smaller quantities. Flax acts sort of like a laxative, so that would explain why it doesn't bother your stomach either.



when i eat beans it usually just gives me a really painful stomach ache..and it feels like my sstomachs tied up in knots..
i can eat fruit..veggies..and wheat products without any effects whatsoever..

[epski]

interesting info on the weston a price site that gave us lots to think about and moved us away from soy.

Post the link, if you don't mind.