Soy - good or bad?

I have heard different opinions about the safety of soy. Does anyone have any websites with actual scientific data to support either way? Does it matter how the soy is processed prior to reaching the consumer or how it is prepared by the consumer? I eat soy in the form of processed tofu everyday in addition to boca burgers etc etc.

from what i have read it is safe to eat a reasonable amount (1-2 servings of soy everyday). that said, the quality of soy can vary greatly depending on how processed it is. i try and stick to whole soy (like edamame), tofu and tempeh. soy protein isolate is a highly processed form of soy and not that great for you. the less processed, the better!

yeah i think the problem is how its processed. certain food companies just jumped on the bandwagon of soy being good, so now they seem to just throw any leftover soy parts(?) in products. tofu really needs a fermentation process.

not to mention soy is now becoming an unsustainable product. a few companies & countries are working on this issue though.

There are thousands of studies on soy and they generally have conflicting results.  Clearly it's possible to eat it without dropping dead, but it does have some interesting compounds that nobody has figured out how they affect the human body.  Sorry I can't give you a more helpful answer. 

I think the issue with soy is that some studies have found it can affect eostrogen levels - but I think there needs to be more research on this.

I tend to stick with unprocessed foods anyway so I eat tofu and edamame beans but not boca burgers. Be aware that 2/3 of processed foods today contain soy compounds.

If you are eating soy a few times a week, you'll probably be fine. However, if you are eating soy regularly and drinking soy milk too, you might want to do some more research on this.

Original Post by merylwhite1:

I think the issue with soy is that some studies have found it can affect eostrogen levels - but I think there needs to be more research on this.

I tend to stick with unprocessed foods anyway so I eat tofu and edamame beans but not boca burgers. Be aware that 2/3 of processed foods today contain soy compounds.

If you are eating soy a few times a week, you'll probably be fine. However, if you are eating soy regularly and drinking soy milk too, you might want to do some more research on this.

eh, why does everything always have to be about moderation??? sometimes i just want to let loose.

Original Post by octo-luv:

Original Post by merylwhite1:

I think the issue with soy is that some studies have found it can affect eostrogen levels - but I think there needs to be more research on this.

I tend to stick with unprocessed foods anyway so I eat tofu and edamame beans but not boca burgers. Be aware that 2/3 of processed foods today contain soy compounds.

If you are eating soy a few times a week, you'll probably be fine. However, if you are eating soy regularly and drinking soy milk too, you might want to do some more research on this.

eh, why does everything always have to be about moderation??? sometimes i just want to let loose.

Original Post by octo-luv:

Original Post by merylwhite1:

I think the issue with soy is that some studies have found it can affect eostrogen levels - but I think there needs to be more research on this.

I tend to stick with unprocessed foods anyway so I eat tofu and edamame beans but not boca burgers. Be aware that 2/3 of processed foods today contain soy compounds.

If you are eating soy a few times a week, you'll probably be fine. However, if you are eating soy regularly and drinking soy milk too, you might want to do some more research on this.

eh, why does everything always have to be about moderation??? sometimes i just want to let loose.

"Everything in moderation, including moderation."

Original Post by mcheather71:

I eat soy in the form of processed tofu everyday in addition to boca burgers etc etc.

Too much of anything tends to not be a good thing because it means your diet is too narrow and the nutrition therefore limited. Regardless of the perils or otherwise of soy, real or imagined - rather than tofu and boca burgers every single day how about switching the protein choices around more?  There are huge amounts of different beans, chickpeas and lentils you could play with... quinoa grain is another.  And of course things like eggs and dairy products assuming you're not vegan.

"Variety is the spice of life"

Original Post by merylwhite1:

"Everything in moderation, including moderation."

I have been using that saying also, but can't remember where I heard it from originally. Do you know the origin, by any chance?

UD

Original Post by umneydurak:

Original Post by merylwhite1:

"Everything in moderation, including moderation."

I have been using that saying also, but can't remember where I heard it from originally. Do you know the origin, by any chance?

UD

Oscar Wilde. That guy was on to something.

For what it's worth, my mom's a registered dietitian and a professor of nutrition, and when I asked her about this she said that only women with breast cancer really need to worry about soy intake, because that's when the phytoestrogens (which mimick estrogen) have been shown to potentially cause a problem. Otherwise, you're pretty much fine.

Original Post by seekay108:

For what it's worth, my mom's a registered dietitian and a professor of nutrition, and when I asked her about this she said that only women with breast cancer really need to worry about soy intake, because that's when the phytoestrogens (which mimick estrogen) have been shown to potentially cause a problem. Otherwise, you're pretty much fine.

Except for the studies that say it's ok.

I've given up on looking for certainty about soy and just follow gi-jane's approach.

Haha, yeah, except for those. She did say that even in breast cancer patients, the recommendation was only against eating huge amounts - like way more than I eat in a day, as a vegan. But you're right, studies are always conflicting, and just having a balanced approach is what makes sense to me.

Whole soy products in moderate amounts are fine for most people, unless you have estrogen senstive issues.

Its the isolated soy compounds out of context or those with huge amounts of soy that are most likely to cause problems