Now, I have not yet done alot of research but recently I came across some stuff online that said unfermented soy products are bad for you. This link http://www.holdthetoast.com/archive/010411.html

(scroll down a bit)

is just something I came across a few minutes ago and I don't know if there's anything credible in it. However, I would like to know if there is anything wrong with a soy based diet because coming across these articles has raised some doubt and it worries me. My diet is very much soy based. Ideas, facts, or references?

I'm sceptical of the anti-soy and pro-soy stuff. I personally think taht both sides exaggerate grossly about benefits and risks of soy. But as you know, breathing in air today is enough to give you cancer, so i wouldn't worry too much about soy being bad. There are more important things to worry about, like whether to have soup or falafel.

I don't see how soy could be bad for you. Asians have been eating soy for hundreds of years without any bad side effects. Before Westerners intruded on the Asian diet with more fatty meat, it was rare to hear of cancer or heart disease. Most Americans have eaten some form of soy all of their lives without any bad side effects (vegetable oil is soybean oil).



Here's some links to more information about soy:



http://www.foodrevolution.org/what_about_soy.htm



http://www.veganoutreach.org/health/soysafe.html



http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/1/...tselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}



http://my.webmd.com/content/article/...tselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}

and here is a link to a discussion we had about soy a while back:



https://veggieboards.com/boards/showt...&highlight=soy

My brother is friends with a girl who used to be a vegan but then developed a debilitating soy allergy. She said she had to go back to being an omni or die... not sure if that was an exaggeration or not.

I'm sure that is an exaggeration. If she was saying that she can no longer be vegan because she developed a soy allergy, well that just isn't true. Vegans don't have to eat soy.

Valerie;

I think the soy debate is very interesting, and the bottom line is that NO ONE REALLY KNOWS. They know that there are phytoestrogens in soy, but they're not sure if they inhibit or promote our own natural estrogens. Then there is the issue that there are so many different agents in soy (some seem to be anti-cancer) that it is hard to study the effect of any one specific component of it and moreover the complete effect. For every study that shows that soy inhibits thyroid function, there are three more that shows it reduces the risk of alzhiemers and cancer.

I frequent an environmental endicirnology lab at my university, and, for whatever its worth, the people there, including a man who is basically one of the founding fathers of environmental endicrinology, are big proponents of soy. I personally am a bit skeptical.

My advice would be to consume soy in moderation. Everything in moderation is an important principle which Asians seem to know well. I feel their general philosophy and lifestyle lies at the root of their health more so than the amount of tempeh they consume.

Being new to veganism this makes me a bit nervous. I've already become accustomed to cooking with soy products and am unsure what to eat instead. I know the options are rice, beans, and vegetables but I suppose I must do more and more research into cooking with these and balancing a diet. In light of the soy debate veganism is a slightly steeper hill for me to climb but I'll continue.

a friend of ours who's a health-nut but omni said guys shouldn't eat too much soy or they'll get man-boobs something to do with raising estrogen levels but come on, man-boobs? likely

Lower testosterone levels are awesome. A reduced sex drive could allow me to spend time more productively, and I won't go bald as soon.

There was a pretty convincing article in last month's Vegetarian Times addressing the anti-soy concerns. Since I never remember the details of such things, I can't explain what the writer said, but if you can get ahold of the March issue (I think), it's worth reading.

I saw the same article and basically it said that soy is not bad for you. The claims that soy is bad/problematic is simply not true and the writer tell you why (along with the evidence/research to back that up). He also explored the "estrogen" issue and somewhere in there, he also talks about the thyroid and soy issue. Great stuff.



The issue of VT where that article is in is the April edition. It's got a yellow front and the line below the magazine name says "Organics Rule! Healthy garden, Healthy you" and "Hot Coffee Picks" and the article itself is on page 83.



LF - Man boobs? Bleh! The only thing that causes man boobs is being grossly obese - not eating soy. Otherwise, whole nations of soy-eating people (Japanese, Chinese.....) would have man-boobs that would make a woman jealous!

Where can I find VT? I avoided soy for a long time due to my thyroid problem, but now, I use it in moderation and so far, I feel fine. I'd love to read the info.

My 2 cents:



Too much of a good thing isn't always good - same goes for soy. I think if you over-do the soy, you could possibly develop problems with it. Everyone should eat a variety of foods - including protein foods.



Soy being bad for the reasons people are giving - I don't believe this. There is too much credible sources saying otherwise.



And, like someone before me said, Soy has been an important food source in most all asian countries for centuries! (it's not until asians move to america that they start getting unhealthy )

ooh, too bad the estrogen thing isn't true. I have a friend who is a transexual but lives with represive parents who won't let her take any estrogen pills... woulda been nice to say "eat more soy, girlfriend, and you'll get boobies in no time."

Yea, I know what you mean, kpickell. If soy developed boobies, I would be eating my bodyweight in the stuff and you'd never be able to find any soy in any store 'cause I'd be eating my way to a WHOLE 1/2-A CUP!!!!! WOOOOHOOO.... *slaps self back to reality and realizes the "boob-grow from soy" thing is just fantasy.... *



aarealskei - I found my VT at the grocery store magazine rack. If you want to see a picture of this month's issue, it's at www.vegetariantimes.com. I went to the wellness section (on the site) and it seems to have only the article from last month. Maybe in May, it will have April's soy article and then you can read about it. On the site, it also says that VT is available at the HFS which is a nice option but look around in your groc store first, you may be surprized.

I've got nice tits!!! But I wouldn't blame soy. I can't say I eat vast quantities of soy. I live off falafel. So I'm just waiting for the anti-chickpea lobby to start up!



I think that soy isn't all that bad. Any food around is bad for you in one way or another, so eatwhat you enjoy!!

Check this out to see why soy will not turn guys into girls:



http://vegrd.vegan.com/pages/article.php?id=219



My friends are constantly teasing my about "taking estrogen" because of this one time when we were in a supplement store and I was looking at soy protein and the salesman said it was full of estrogen. Phytoestrogens act as ANTI-ESTROGENS.

My two cents: Never overdo anything. The phrase "soy-based diet" is what should be causing concern. I personally don't believe soy should be the be-all end-all of a vegan diet. If you can get 2/3 of your protein from other sources, that's healthier no matter how you look at it. It can be difficult, because soy-based protein is so much easier to consume in substantial quantities, but you'll be healthier all around if you are varying your diet beyond just soy products.

This is either or??? Dang Nabit I want to have my soup and eat my falafel too. Who made this rule?



With all the simple to fix soy based products it is easy to get too much of a good thing. Every now and again I have to pull out my McDougal books and get back to using real food again. For me it isn't so much the soy as it is all the processed foods. When I make my own soymilk and tofu I tend to use much, much less of these products. When I cruse my HFS I come home with everything from soy ice cream to hotdogs to pepperoni and cheeze. When I force myself to use foods from the soil I eat better. I really do not want to be dependent on processed foods anyhow. That doesnt mean that I grind my own flour or spices, just that I want to keep my diet as close to the dirt as I can. I have been doing this a long time, Ive read many books, you will learn as you go. As an added benefit I start looking forward to the dandelions in my lawn instead of wondering how to be free of their cheerful selves.



Eat your wild greens and mushrooms!

Thank you all for your replies. I do plan on a varied diet and I'm just getting in the flow of things with veganism. This week my featured food of choice is: BEANS! But seriously, I don't plan to overdo the soy, I just didn't want to get paranoid when I put it in a recipe or made tofu dip.

There are two main problems with soy: 1) a larger part of the population than people expected are or might be allergic to it, and 2) it is high in fat content. For these two reasons, it should not be pushed as the "perfect food." A varied diet is best.



BTW, since my sister found out I was a vegetarian--or rather, since she started paying attention to that fact--her typical question to me is, "So, how's the tofu?" As if I eat almost nothing but tofu.



Actually I eat fairly little tofu, and only moderate amounts of soy or soy products.

We eat a lot of soy. We love tofu!! But, recently I have started buying rice milk instead of soy milk to cut back a bit.



I noticed the rice milk has much less calcium - only about 2%.

(Rice Dream) Vs Silk's 30%.

Mushroom,



It sounds like you bought Rice Dream Original......You will probably want to get Enriched Rice Dream, which has as much calcium as Silk or cow's milk.



-Sal

Here's the soy article from VT from last month for anyone interested in reading about it.Vegetarian Times Soy Article I don't rely on a lot of soy products, either. I like a varied diet full of all kinds of things, not just soy or just tofu. That would be boaring and mundane (to say the least).

Thanks Sal.