Soy: yes or no?

[blueskyhawk]

I'm slowly becoming vegetarian (I have been in the past but end up falling off the wagon, so to speak) and eventually I would like to become vegan. I have noticed a lot of products out there mention that they don't contain soy - forever I was under the impression that soy is a good thing, such as tofu, but I'm starting to find out that its not.

Comments

[macula_densa]

I think soy is probably just fine in moderation. The trap that veggies fall into is relying on it too much, and too much is potentially a bad thing. That said, there really hasn't been much borne out in the literature showing soy is actually bad for you. Yes, there are phytoestrogens that could potentially affect you if you're consuming a WHOLE bunch, and it could potentially interfere with your thyroid, again, if you're consuming a lot. But in moderation? Unless you're allergic, there's just no reason to get all panicked over it, IMHO. I think there are still a number of health benefits to soy if consumed in small doses, particularly the fermented products like tofu.

[katatonic_state]

This.

I also have read in a variety of places that like anything else that's processed, the fake soy-based meats are worse for you than a more "pure" form (like tofu). I also have read in several places that flax is actually worse for you phyto-estrogen-wise than soy is.

I have a degree in biology and have read the studies and I'm not convinced that there's much to them. I still use flax and soy. However, I do try to not rely too heavily on the fake meats and limit how often I use tofu/tempeh in a given week. (We're ovo-lacto veggies at my house, so we still use organic cow's milk for our coffee and cereal. With that said, almond milk is actually pretty darn tasty in coffee. I just don't always think to pick some up at the store). I'm a big proponent of eating a varied diet with a minimum of processed food.

[blueskyhawk]

That's interesting about flax - I didn't know that. Thank you for input!

[inquiet]

thirded

[blueskyhawk]

That makes a lot of sense and I could see it easily happening as a lot of the soy products out there are easily accessible and don't require a lot of extra work (such as the soy burgers/cheese/etc). Thank you so much!