Soy: good, or bad?

[roadie gal]

Vegetarians tend to like it. "Paleos" hate it. It's just like Owlie says. I, personally, tend to eat it sparingly because of the breast cancer in my family and soy's estrogenic properties.

[redrhodie]

I used to eat a lot of soy, but got both breast cancer and Hashimoto's, so I have cut most of it out. My endocrinologist said it's okay in small amounts, and my oncologist said it's controversial, but a little would probably be fine. I still eat Miso soup maybe once a week, and soy sauce on occasion. I would say avoid the most processed forms if you're worried, like fake hot dogs.

[Crankin]

I use tofu about once every other week. Also, I have one really good recipe that uses soy crumbles, but that could be replaced by ground turkey. I stopped using soy sauce, more due to the salt content, which really affects me. I use coconut aminos now, which is less salty, but I still use that sparingly.
There's no breast cancer in my family, so I think Red's doctors' opinions are probably good ones.

[OakLeaf]

I cut out most soy, including all refined soy protein, after I was found to be at high risk for breast cancer at a time in my life when I was eating a lot of soy, both refined and unrefined. It's been several years, but without looking up references, IIRC the *least* equivocal research is that which associates refined soy protein with increased risk. I still use soy sauce occasionally, and tofu or tempeh maybe two or three times a year. Many people say you shouldn't eat unfermented soy, but I'm not really aware of the research on that. Basically, for me, it's a matter of risk vs benefit. As much as marketing likes to tout this or that thing, there is no magic food, and eating soy isn't going to do anything for you that eating other real foods can't ... but too much soy does carry a greater risk than I'm willing to take for myself.

By the same token though ... I still drink some alcohol. So it really is a personal risk/benefit decision, and I count pleasure and social integration among the benefits. If you really like soy - or eat with a lot of people who do - it's fair to count that in your decisionmaking.

[GLC1968]

Personally, I think that any substance that mimics a critical hormone in our body is probably not a smart thing to eat in kind of quantity.

That said, I have always limited my soy consumption simply because it upsets my stomach. When I discovered paleo and found it it was off-limits for other reasons, I wasn't heart-broken.

[Owlie]

Personally, I think that any substance that mimics a critical hormone in our body is probably not a smart thing to eat in kind of quantity.

That said, I have always limited my soy consumption simply because it upsets my stomach. When I discovered paleo and found it it was off-limits for other reasons, I wasn't heart-broken.

I hate to point this out, but many food plants contain phytoestrogens. I will also point out that many cruciferous veggies contain "anti-estrogens."

Sprouts, anyone?

[GLC1968]

I hate to point this out, but many food plants contain phytoestrogens.

That is true, but their concentration compared to what is in soy (and some nuts and seeds) is minor.

My point was to not eat these things in quantity (and I would say the same of nuts and seeds for more reasons than phytoestrogens) and I stand by it.

[Miranda]

Thank you, ladies! Great discussion thus far.

Well my mom is a breast cancer survivor and has osteoporsis. So those are two specific health things I need to be mindful of in changing my diet.

All this extra discussion about salt is ironically how I started the veggie eating journey. I was having dizzy spells from my BP being high. So I decided to cut out processed foods with sodium, and some other things like dairy (a lot of sodium)...and threw in the no meat thing to boot. My results within a month were a dramatically positive turn-around. Thus, my interest in this type of diet grew.

I have two diet athlete books I am reading currently. One is the Paleo way (gym cycling buddy following this, reading to compare and be able to discuss). The other is the Thrive Diet (vegan based, towards what I think I want to follow). Btw, nice article link comparing the two for anyone interested>>>http://experiencelife.com/article/paleo-vs-vegan/ (jic link doesn't work, google experience life paleo vs vegan article May 2012).

It sounds like soy might not be a good idea as a big thing in my life. I'm early on in my journey learning what to eat. I'm not sure if we have a qualified nutritionist/RD in our Mayberry area I could consult about my specific family health history. Gonna hafta research that some more. You ladies are always so amazing in your diverse backgrounds and knowledge.