Hey guys



Thought i would sign in to one of these forums to help get some support as i trek this long and difficult transition.



I am new to vegetarianism . Going on 23 days now . IT all started after watching one of those animal farm videos and the doctor'd advice to shed some of my 250 lbs.



I have completely changed my diet and have cleaned out my cupboards and refrigerator of everything labeled meat. For the past 28 years of my life i have known only meat. jerk, fried, roasted,sushi,steamed and boiled. You name it, i've probably tried it.



So now i am looking into food alternatives. I have been making a lot of Tofu and soy based recipes, most of which have turned out pretty tasty. I have been researching a bit on soy and have come across an article on "Soy is making kids gay" . I just wanted to get your take on soy based products and how beneficial it is for me as a vegetarian . Here is a link to the article. (link removed by moderator)



I know that Jayzingo.com is a very good site for health and fitness information and several people have recommended it to me but i cannot say how reliable this James Rutz guy is and have not been able to find scientific proof. Not sure if his information is based on facts or just a defense in his religion.



From what i have read, Soy based products contain a fair amount of estrogen which can over time have an effect on the human body.



Please let me know what you think about this and what information on can share on Soy and how best to use it.



Sorry for the title and i hope it didnt come across as offensive to anyone.



Thanks

Omar F

Soy products have been used in Asia for a long time now, yet Asia is the most populated continent. Soy does not make you gay.

That rumour has been going around for ages now. But think of this: if soy REALLY made people gay, then the soy-eating countries like China, Japan, etc, etc would ALL be gay and thus, would have eventually become extinct.



There's more study that's needed, but so far the consensus (from REAL researchers, not ones bought by an agenda) is that the phyto-estrogens in soy, cabbage, certain beans, etc are helpful, not harmful. Some are even saying that soy is beneficial for warding off certain types of gender cancers. Like I said, more research is needed but it is encouraging news right now.



That said, don't think that just any soy is good; the whole foods forms of soy are good ones: tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame, soya beans and some brands of soy milk. The bad forms are the ones that have refined and/or isolated soy compounds in them (fake meat, fake cheese, etc).



This is a very interesting article about soy that I think you should read.



Basically, I'm in the camp that says soy isn't bad - refined soy is bad, just like refined anything else is bad.

I don't appreciate the title because being gay is not a choice, you are either born that way or you're not. End of story.

Sure it makes you gay, but that isn't so bad.



It's the large breasts that soy gives you that's the bad part.



Luckily that doesn't last long since the GMOed soybeans turns you into a giant hairy creature that lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Giant, hairy, and gay?

i have heard that being born can make you homosexual---but watch out--it can also make you heterosexual.

It turned me into a newt.

I've eaten a fair amount of soy over the years and last time I checked my breasts are regular sized for a man; they're not enlarged. If you're really worried about it you don't need to eat soy. There are many other options for high protein foods, any of the legumes. Some people might be surprised to hear that grains have a substantial amount of protein. Basically if you're a vegetarian and have a balanced diet of: grains. legumes, fruits, vegetables and nuts and you're getting enough calories you don't need to worry about protein.

No, soy won't make you gay. I doubt homosexuality is really on the rise, as that kind of article tends to imply, despite the west eating more soy than we used to. We're just more aware of it because people are more likely to be openly gay now than in the past.



Soy, like any food, is best in moderation. There's still a lot of research to be done, but the general theme is that moderate, whole-food soy (like 4evergrounded said) is good for you.



Generation after generation of Asians can't be wrong!




Well, presumably something that changed your hormones enough could affect your brain chemistry, which could "make" you gay. In theory. But it doesn't.

i LOVE newts!!! does that make me gay or straight--i dont know how to feel here!

But you got better?

^^ This is coming from a squirrel

<Looks down>



I must not eat enough soy....

Hahahahahahahaha!



No.



I'm sorry, that is just really funny to me. Where did you see this article?

Wow, where have I been? This is the stuff going around, eh?

I also LOL with the tittle.



Probably the OP saw it on vegetariansareevil.com

That site is full of "stupid things omnivorous say"



And, like Alicia Avocado said, being gay is not a choice, it's something that's part of you since you born (even if you only realise it later) and nothing changes the inner tendancies of each individual.



Enjoy your tofu/soy beans/soy milk. Whatever you are, gay or not gay, you'll remain that way.

I hope so!

Is that for real, or some kind of satirical website? It's the first time I've ever seen it and I'm having hard time believing it's a serious website...

In my nutrition degree, we have been taught that soy is estrogen MODULATING, not enhancing.



I would not live off soy products though, too much of one particular food often leads to intolerance. Just make sure you eat a varied diet and you'll be fine.

Yes, everything I have read talks about how phytoestrogens may occupy estrogen receptor sites, thus preventing estrogen from occupying them instead, which reduces the effect estrogen has on the body. This is supposedly the mechanism by which estrogen-induced cancers may be prevented by intake of soy foods.



It isn't as simple as assuming that the more estrogen and estrogen-like substances someone has floating around in their bloodstream, the more feminized they will become. The body only has so many estrogen receptor sites, so anything not being received at those sites will be sent to the liver for processing into something else, or excreted as waste. For people who have hormonal imbalances leading to too much estrogen, having some of their receptor sites occupied by phytoestrogens is seen as a good thing.

I'm pretty sure it's satirical Joey.



I LOL at all the things they wrote there. I think it's a joke type of site just for entertainement. I preffer to think that way, otherwise I would feel really irritated.



Most of their articles and statments don't have any accuracy and they don't have reliable sources. So, yes, it's a joke, lol

My first reaction: so what if?



Of course the prospect of having your sexuality turned around by food is disturbing, but even if soy turned you gay, so what? Being gay is nothing bad or ill or something. Reminds me of a cut scene from Back to the Future:



Marty: But, what if I get back and I'm, like, gay or something?

Doc Brown: Why shouldn't you be happy?



I'd rather be gay (hah, half-way there! bi-curious is a wondrous place to be!) than say no to tofu. Of course, everything should be eaten in sensible amounts.

The problem is that old saying "many a true word said in jest", "It was a joke" doesn't excuse bigotry in my book.

Well... there is also the old-fashioned use of the word "gay" to mean happy and joyful. Edemame and salt and pepper tofu both do that to me so in that sense of the word soy does make me quite gay. But apart from that the title did make me go :/ wtf?

Don't be so quick on that one. Society, what's cool or hip and other outside influences have tipped folks toward the same sex as well. I don't know that i'd call that truly gay, but it does happen.

No, it made me hetero.

A pretty offensive thread to be honest.

It makes you gay in the same way that masturbation makes you blind.



In other words, it doesn't.