is soy bad for you? if so, why?

I’ve heard that kids should not have too much soy milk because of the phytoestrogen. That’s why our kids use rice milk.

never done me wrong. I’ve been vegan for a few months now, and vegetarian for many years. however it is good to “mix things up a bit” don’t stay strictly to soy, rice is a great alternative. as with any food, not enough variety can be unhealthy.

Soy’s also a bit difficult to digest. I think that may be part of the reason so many people are soy-intolerant/allergic. However, if you eat fermented soy products (miso, tempeh and tamari), they aren’t as hard to digest.

I don’t eat very much soy. I am always a bit wary about anything heavily subsidized by the government and used as an additive in absolutely everything. (“Soy lecithin” is almost as omnipresent as “high fructose corn syrup” in processed food.)

I can not remember the details but have heard from trustworthy folks that soy is bad for you, especially soy milke, because of the way is is processed. I have been told by my health nut vegan friends to stay away from it completely. I do know one thing from personal experience, boca burgers tear me up far worse than meat – go with black bean patties.

“It contains high quantities of various toxic chemicals, which cannot be fully destroyed even by the long cooking process. These are: phytates, which block the body’s uptake of minerals; enzyme inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion; and haemagluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth. Most controversially of all, soy contains high levels of the phytoestrogens (also known as isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone oestrogen.”

@seek2be – where is that quote from?

http://www.the7thfire.com/health_and_nutrition/truth_about_soy.html

I had breast cancer (with estrogen-positive receptors) 11 years ago, and my Onc. feels that the jury is out on all soy products except etamame beans. So he says to err on the side of caution and eat no processed soy. I get the beans in their pods, frozen at health food store…when thawed they make a nice snack.

Try almond or rice milk.

i prefer raw milk (which you can get here in california..) but second to that, cashew milk is the best!

Phytoestrogens, deforestation, poor bioavailability, & on & on. Soy is not the way to go in most cases.

These kinds of things require solid sources before anyone says anything.

deforestation: http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0117-amazon.html

bioavailability of zinc with soy consumption: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/articles/Zinc.htm

phytoestrogens: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/phytoestrogens.html

i win!

soy mimics estrogen in your body and possibly leads to breast cancer. also soy is one of the foods that you should only eat organic since growing it uses more pesticides than most foods. the other tops that use the most pesticides are : rice, corn, spinach, mushrooms, strawberries…

others?

green, red, yellow peppers. I think that strawberries are #1 on the Hit parade.

Grapes are bad too. I have an allergic reaction if I eat non-organic! (Organic ones are fine.)

“The following 12 produce items have the highest pesticide residue.

Strawberries
Bell peppers (green and red)
Spinach (tied with number 2)
Cherries (grown in the United States)
Peaches (grown in Chile)
Cantaloupe (grown in Mexico)
Celery
Apples
Apricots
Green beans
Cucumbers

Sources: Environmental Working Group from FDA data, via the Harvard Healthy Eating Guide.”

cool. i wonder about the rice, corn, soy, still though because I did hear that before. anyone know about this????