Hi everyone.

I recently went vegan. Even before I was lacto-ovo-vegetarian, I tried to avoid processed foods as much as possible (they are unhealthy and do not taste as good as from-scratch foods), but I did like some treats once in a while, and I'd like to retain some "veganized" versions of my old favorites, such as hamburgers, sausage stews, and pizza.

Most of these vegan foods are made of soy. Since they are just once-in-a-while things, that wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that many of my staples are soy-based too, such as soymilk for baking (I drink rice milk), tofu, and tofurky deli slices. I know soy is a healthy food, but overloading on any one food is not good for you.

I want to learn to make bean burgers and so forth, but does anyone have any other suggustions on how much soy is too much, and how to keep the soy to reasonable limits?

Thanks.

Hmm..well, moderation is good. Why not consider some non-soy alternatives such as rice/nut milk for baking?

Also, you don't need soybeans to make a good meat substitute. Several kinds of beans will work, especially when paired with a grain. Seitan works well to make sausage (better than soy, imo) and well, pizza..you don't need to have any "meat". :D

It's worth considering too, that the *kind* of soy may make a difference. For me, I could eat soy most every day with no problem (I don't usually), but if I eat too much uber-processed soy (e.g. soy protein isolate), then I have some problems.

From what I have read the general consesus seems to be that soy from whole food sources is beneficial in moderation. The only reputable links I have seen between soy and health problems have in regards to soy protein isolate which unfortunately is found in many meat substitutes. Personally I try to keep my soy intake under 3 servings (25 grams of soy protein) on any given day though most days it is just one cup of soy milk. Unless you have a soy allergy I don't think there is any problem with eating soy in relatively unprocessed forms (ie tempeh, miso, natto, soy milk, tofu, etc). If you're looking for non soy alternatives, I would encourage the bean burgers as well as a recent find of mine, Amy's California burgers. VeganRella is a great non soy vegan cheese that melts and tastes wonderful on pizzas. For stews and chillis I would reccommend making your own seitan. There are some great recipes floating around and you can flavor it however you like.

I generally limit myself to one serving of soy per day (or less- some days I have no soy). I don't do this out of any particular fear of soy, but because I believe in having a varied diet without too much of any one thing. So for example, if I'm planning tofu for dinner, I'll choose orange juice instead of soy milk in the morning. I have no particular plans to move away from soymilk, since I don't eat that much soy in other forms.

My main tip for avoiding soy overload is to rely less on meat replacements and eat more vegetables in their whole form. Nuts and beans are great sources of protein. I'm still minimally l/o, so I have access to certain non-soy meat replacements like Quorn, but these are more of a treat than a staple part of my diet.

And lest anyone forget, I'll repeat my mantra: Eat a varied diet based on whole foods, and practice moderation in all things.

My black bean burger recipe is really easy and delicious, if you want it, feel free to PM me. :)

I usually drink about 2 cups of soymilk per day, but only 1 if I have tofu or tempeh. I'm going to buy some almond milk tomorrow so I can switch it up a little. And just as everyone else said, soy can fit in a varied diet, but you shouldn't overdo it. Opt for whole forms of soy like tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc., not "soy protein isolate", "hydrolized soy protein" or GMO/non-organic soy.

Is soybean oil okay? What about soy flour?

I've cut out Gardenburgers from my diet, due to the SPI content, and switched to Fantastic Food's Nature's Burger which simply has "soy flour". I don't plan on making these burgers but once a week, is this okay?

i wondered about soy flour too.. because i dont drink much soy milk and limit my general intake ( i mean, i eat soy, but not a million times a day) however my bread has piles of soy flour in it.. but i love that bread, and its great apart from that?