Soy- life threatening???
Ok, so I am a new vegetarian, ovo-lacto that is. I dont drink milk, but soy milk instead. My body has been going back and forth between lactose intolerance and not for years, so I just stick with soy milk. My almost 2 year old daughter has been on soy milk as well since she's been off formula, she also had issues with milk.
Anyways, I just came across an article that kind of freaked me out. It was talking about how soy can be linked to thyroid issues, and reproductive dissorders, just to name a few. WHAT THE HELL??? I have never heard about it, and was praying (and Im not religious) that it was just some silly article. But I googled 'soy issues' and found so much information online that seem to support this, it's scary. :o
Here is the first article I read about the issue, if anyone is interested:
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/soy-health-food-or-health-threatening/
I cant beleive I"ve never heard of this. Has anyone else here heard about it? And I know alot of you here are vegans, so do you eat lots of tofu and textured soy protein or mostly other stuff... My kids are not vegetarian, but since I cook all the meals, they often eat like me, therefore getting lots of soy. I guess when it comes to your kids health, you take things more seriously, so I'm quite conserned right now.
Here's another quote from another site (and I've seen similar ones on other sites) : 'Dr. Fitzpatrick estimated that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day. Scientists have known for years that soy-based formula can cause thyroid problems in babies.
Like I said, freaky! (Sorry this was so long)
I know that my nutritionist says people with Hashimoto's disease (an autoimmune disease which attacks the thyroid gland) shouldn't eat soy but that's because of the related slow metabolism. Soy is rich in calories and nutrients and vegetable fat which are easily assimilated by a slow metabolism and cause rapid weight gain. (I can eat a pound of tofu over a week's time and put on 5 lbs.)
But I already have the thyroid disease, which I inherited from my mother. I did drink soy milk for the first 4 yrs of my life but my mother never did, and she had Hashimoto's too.
Since I am interested in losing the huge amount of weight I put on (35 lbs) when the thyroid disease kicked in a few years ago, I no longer eat tofu or drink soy milk. But don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Be very careful to source the information...and remember that the magic phrase "studies have shown" needs to be backed up by data to be believed. Soy is everywhere in modern American processed foods, under many names that don't "sound like" soy (such as lethicin, "stabiliser" etc.).
This should probably be in the News & Debate section, but I doubt anyone is going to really get offended about anything that would pop up in this discussion, so It's probably not a big deal. Sorry I'm kindof sleepy & unmotivated to really read your article, research & give a good argument for or against this issue right now. I'm sure there are plenty of articles & books on both sides.
I just want to express my opinion. If you compare milk processed from soybeans & the milk from a cow who fed crappy food and was shot up with antibiotics, steriods & hormones their whole life, which do you REALLY think is going to have more contaminents in it? I do buy organic soymilk, which eliminates the issues with contaminates & genetic modification. If you check, the soymilk you probably buy is organic too, seems like most of the major brands are. I pretty much feel the same way about meat and the comparison between conventional meat, which most people eat & soy products.
I do think it's unhealthy to rely on soy products too much, just because I think a varied diet is best. I like soy products & eat them alot but do make sure to also get protien from other sources like beans nuts seeds & gluten. If I had kids and they drank a lot of milk, id probably try to vary it between soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc. As for the statement about the infant raised on soy formula, the estrogen in plants is not the same as the estrogen in birthcontrol pills. Breastmilk is the best thing to raise a baby on, but if mom can't produce it, what else are you going to do?
Oh & yes soy is a common alergen, but so is dairy, wheat & peanuts. I don't avoid wheat just because alot of other people are allergic to it.
First of all, that article is in someone's blog and has no formal citations. So I wouldn't take it for absolute truth.
This type of thing arises a lot. If you google "soy issues" like you did, you will find a lot--it's just one of those things that people are very eager to see--especially people who ardently support the dairy industry.
Soy is a bean. Not some esoteric, man-made substance like people make it out to be. People who are so concerned about soy products need to take a long hard look at dairy to put things in perspective.
Also, when someone makes a statement like "Scientists have known for years that soy-based formula can cause thyroid problems in babies," you need to look for the sources to back it up. Anyone can make a statement like that. Which scientists? What was the nature of their studies? I could start a blog and start spouting off pseudoscientific nonsense if I wanted to also.
I would think that once a baby weans itself off of breast milk, there isnt any reason for them to drink milk anymore like all other mammals. You could give your daughter fruit juice or water instead. But i'm not a nutritionist, this is just a guess.
Casein in dairy is linked to Type 1 Diabetes and Cancer. So you can choose what you would rather expose yourself to. The possibility that soy is linked to thyroid disease or dairy that is linked to life threatening diseases.
Or you can simply drink a wide variety of non dairy milks as Lisa noted; oat, rice, hemp, almond, and soy.
Not all soy is created equally :)
Fermented soy products are best for your body - tempeh, miso, etc.
Tofu is highly processed and not the ideal choice..
I am so glad you asked about this! My little boy is 14 months old, and loves tofu. However, the 'evidence and articles' out there scare me too. I don't want to become the mom who, trying to make him more healthy, ends up damaging him instead.
You won't "damage" your kids by giving them soy. Its all about ballance. Eating almost anything in huge quantities while eating nothing else can be hurtful. example: water is good for you, you need water to live, but if you drank water and consumed nothing else, you could kill yourself. Extreme yes, but true.
Fortified soy milk and yogurt is my kids sole source of calcium and vitamins. They don't eat veggies at all. With little kids, although they don't have to drink milk to be healthy, they need certain minerals and vitamins to grow. If you keep your kids off soy, I would check with a vegan dietician to make sure your kids eat a varied enough diet to get what they need, just to be sure. They have different needs than adults since their bodies and brains are still growing.
Sometimes babies have to be on soymilk. I couldn't breast feed. I made next to no milk and even working with several lactation consultants, couldn't make enough to even have 1 feeding a day. They were allergic to dairy so soy it is. Better than breastmilk, no. But it was my only choice and they thrived, and still do.
Frankly, I think organic soymilk made from whole soybeans is better for you than those over processed "meats" that are out there. Vegan yes, but still very processed and disgusting.
Yabbit- Are you serious about all that stuff? My doctor never told me about soy, andI have Hashimoto's. I feel irked now.
Yabbit- Are you serious about all that stuff? My doctor never told me about soy, andI have Hashimoto's. I feel irked now.
Yes, I am serious. He's a very respected nutritionist, works with professional athletes and like that. It's a bummer cuz I luvz tofu.
Thanks for all your input! First, I would just like to say that it was late last night when I read the article and now reading my post again it makes me sound like a complete paranoid mom (though it wouldnt be the first time, lol) ^-^
I didnt feel as freaked out this morning about all the information overload I got last night. I totally agree about the varied diet. My kids eat just about everything. But my 22 month old daughter eats more in a day than her 3 yo brother. And she still consumes about 3 sippycup full of soy milk a day. It's alot. Not the mention the juice diluted with water I give her. She is so attached to her milk it's ridiculous. I just bought some Almond milk, so maby I'll just dilute it with soy milk, that way she still gets lots of the good stuff of soy without the overload.
Not all soy is created equally :)
Fermented soy products are best for your body - tempeh, miso, etc.
Tofu is highly processed and not the ideal choice..
Thanks for telling me, it never occured to me that tofu was that processed. Good to know. :)
Ok, so I'm more calm now, sorry for the pacnic attack and thanks for all the input!
It seems like this has come up before. Another study I just was sent on the dangers of soy included this quote "The foundation heavily encourages traditional diets based on animal foods and vegetables." just as this one says "Far far more healthy is to eat pure grass fed meats, cheese, and butter, all high in nutrients and protein rich." Now I ask you if that doesn't sound a little biased or not? Isn't there enough information out there which with no question proves that the tradional diet including animal products is the cause of most heart problems, cancers, and now such things as mad cow disease, which I believe is much more serious than anyone will admit. I am sure that if we were relying on much of the highly pocessed types of soyfoods and drinking a gallon of soy milk a day we might have some problems and there are always some people who maybe have a sensitivity to certain foods. I can't eat certain types of peanut butters. The interesting thing is that other types, usually the organic types don't bother me at all! I guess the recent problem with peanut products may explain that. We are all made different and all foods do not agree with all people. I myself have been using soy products for about thirty years and have not seen any of the so-called "dangers" in my life. Maybe the damage is more long term. Maybe if I eat them for one hundred years they may kill me?At least the meat eaters will then blame it on the soy in my diet!
In regards to tofu vs. fermented soy products... I'm not really sure. I mean, yes, you do process whole soybeans to make tofu, involving some sort of coagulating agent usually, but does this really make it "processed" just like refined flour? And, if you also eat the byproducts of tofu production - okara and yuba - is this just as good?
I've heard that the cultures used in fermenting soy into various forms - miso, natto, tempeh - makes it easier to digest and get all the nutrients. (on the other hand, there is also fermented tofu)
... I just don't like tempeh is all. :-X
I seem to remember learning a bit about this at school in one of my nutrition courses...soy containing goitrogens to be specific. But I also vaguely remember something about these substances being destroyed during cooking and/or processing.
My advice if you're worried about this would be to see a nutritionist or dietician. No one on the internet will really be able to help as much as one of them, even though many of us mean well. :)
PS: if any of that info came from the weston a. price foundation website, I would not believe it. That "foundation" is full of shit.
It seems like this has come up before. Another study I just was sent on the dangers of soy included this quote "The foundation heavily encourages traditional diets based on animal foods and vegetables." just as this one says "Far far more healthy is to eat pure grass fed meats, cheese, and butter, all high in nutrients and protein rich." Now I ask you if that doesn't sound a little biased or not? Isn't there enough information out there which with no question proves that the tradional diet including animal products is the cause of most heart problems, cancers, and now such things as mad cow disease, which I believe is much more serious than anyone will admit. I am sure that if we were relying on much of the highly pocessed types of soyfoods and drinking a gallon of soy milk a day we might have some problems and there are always some people who maybe have a sensitivity to certain foods. I can't eat certain types of peanut butters. The interesting thing is that other types, usually the organic types don't bother me at all! I guess the recent problem with peanut products may explain that. We are all made different and all foods do not agree with all people. I myself have been using soy products for about thirty years and have not seen any of the so-called "dangers" in my life. Maybe the damage is more long term. Maybe if I eat them for one hundred years they may kill me?At least the meat eaters will then blame it on the soy in my diet!
Excellent point about them saying that an animal diet was healthier. I was so rilled up last night I guess, I completely didnt register when I read that part. Yeah, I'll take soy over meat and butter. How the heck is butter healthy? It's just NOT. I think (or would hope) even most omnis know that much.
My advice if you're worried about this would be to see a nutritionist or dietician. No one on the internet will really be able to help as much as one of them, even though many of us mean well. :)
We only have 1 nutritionist in town and she works at a gov. office. I tried to talk to her about giving soy to my little girl when she was under 1 and reacting to milk, and it took everything to get her to tell me that she could have soy. She just kept repeating that she should really just stay on whole milk for the nutrients and the fat... Whatever.
I found an online course on Nutrition that I am planning on taking in the near future. One of the classes is on vegetarian diets, I'm so excited! Maby eventually, I'll find out more about this...
I guess in the end, I'll take soy over cow"s milk. I'll just give my little one a bit less since she has SO much of it.
I was thinking too that Japanese and other Asian cultures include soy in their diets and have for centuries, and they are some of the healthiest people on the planet. Or they were before Burger king and Taco bell invaded.
A note on dietitians. Most have been educated since the 50's with the American Dairy council's pushing milk and eggs and meat. I would try to find one on line, there are many who work via phone or email, it helps to have one who is a practicing vegetarian or vegan, as they already understand our lifestyle.
For many, the idea of consuming meat and animals is so ingrained in them that they can't even imagine living without it. they can't recommend something they have no understanding of.
That being said, it is time for dinner and we are having milk. Chocolate soy milk, that is.