Monday, January 16, 2012

My Position on Soy

Edamame
I have heard a lot of criticism of soy. Namely that it's so dangerous because of the phyto-estrogen. Phyto=plant. Mothers seem to be overly concerned about their little boys growing vaginas.

Here's my thinking:
People have been eating soy and tofu/tempeh for centuries with no problems. There are scores of studies done showing the benefits of soy. Check out PCRM's work.
Tempeh

What about the plenitude of hormones in animals? There's well over double the amount of estrogen found in milk and flesh than in any plant. And that's certainly not plant-estrogen. I won't even get into the amount of extra hormones the industry adds to the feed of livestock to ensure quick growth.



People that have a problem with tofu and tempeh because they're curdled and fermented-how is cheese or yogurt made?

The other thing I see is that veganism and tofu, hell vegetarianism and tofu, are often slapped together. It's assumed if you're vegan, you must consume vast amounts of soy.
Again, pay attention to sources. A lot of the studies showing how dangerous and evil soy is, is often funded by the animal agriculture industries. I suppose they're thinking is if they demonize a bean, people will be too scared to stop eating animals.
I eat soy(including tofu and tempeh) probably 2-3 times a week. That's way less than meat at every meal that I see most people consuming.
You don't have to eat soy, there are plenty of other plants to choose from. I know a number of people that can't eat soy because they are sensitive to it or have allergies. They eat other plants. Simple.
I don't typically drink soy milk either. Almond or rice milk for me. I haven't even tried hemp, oat, hazelnut, peanut or cashew milk yet.
Tofu
Troy and I also buy only organic soy. To avoid GMO's. 90% of the soy grown is to feed livestock, and it's mostly GMO, unless you're buying organic meat. So the cows are eating GMO soy, and we're eating the cows. Hmm...?
I'm more concerned with the amount of isolated soy protein I see on an astounding amount of package ingredients. This is not only with 'vegan food', but food most people buy. I've noticed this especially once I started paying attention to ingredient lists.
I no longer consume near the amount of processed, packaged food. Again, only 2-3 times a week if I'm feeling lazy, because I can make anything I want using just plants(whole foods), and if I'm not sure, I google it. Easy.

Soy(pun definitely intended!), let's not forget to use our brains when we get information.

Thought I would add Colleen' podcast regarding soy. Enjoy!
Soy Is Not Evil

1 comment:

  1. i find it amazing how people still like to tell me how soy is bad for me without knowing any of the facts. for example, julian's mom told me while in the grocery store yesterday that she watched a suzanne somers video that talked about when you eat soy it surrounds your cells or does something to your cells... she couldn't really explain it to me in a sensible manner because she herself didn't really understand it. then she asked if julian ate a lot of soy, and when i said "no" she said "GOOD!" and was sooo relieved. haha. it's interesting how i've shared so much information with her(research studies that i can explain and understand) that show how eating meat can contribute to heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. but she's still way more concerned about us eating soy products. :p we always try to make sure that the soy we buy is organic. but she doesn't seem to mind that most GMO soy (probably non-organic) is fed to the animals she eats.

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