To Soy or Not To Soy—Is That The Question?

Why- oh -why did I pick this topic?

• It’s not only the most hotly debated topic in health, but also the most confusing.

Maybe by applying some common sense to the issue we can all make conscious decisions about consuming a little soy.

I Like Soy

Let’s get this fact out front right away, in case you want to accuse me of a conflict of interest. This is important because I think conflict of interest is a  part of all the research done on soy lately, and why everything you hear has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Now I do like soy, but if I had to give it up I wouldn’t miss it for more than a couple of days. I only eat tofu once every couple of weeks and I only use soy milk occasionally (to cover up the taste of concentrated green food powders).

I probably use less soythan the average vegetarian, and I eat a wide variety of foods and don’t like to depend on one source of protein. There are a couple of dishes my kids love with tofu, so I’m not going to give it up.

Conflict of Interest?

It ‘s common knowledge that nobody paid much attention to soy until someone figured out that if it was packaged in a milk carton it would fit on the shelf next to regular milk.

The added exposure of “soy milk” caused a huge surge in sales, and a huge surge in anger toward the health industry. Lawsuits were even filed to prevent the use of the word “milk” along with soy. (How much coffee does it take to keep a judge awake for that one?)

A rumor was even started that soy foods were only made available because so much waste poduct was leftover from the production of soy oil that they came up with a way to dispose of it.

I hate to break the news to you, but I think it had more to do with someone noticing that a lot of people liked it, and wanted more. It’s called Free Market Enterprise—supply and demand. There was a demand and someone supplied it!

Some Facts!!?

Lets take a look at some of the hottest topics of debate and see if some common sense can shed some light on the best use of soy.

• Thyroid Function

Tofu and other soy foods fall into a category of foods that are considered goitrogens—food that can lower thyroid function.

This happens because certain phytoestrogens in soy inhibit the absorbtion of iodine. Since a huge portion of the USA is deficient in iodine, this can pose a problem. In case you’re wondering if that pertains to you– let’s say if you depend on table salt as your source of iodine -then you’re probably deficient. So if you’ve been diagnosed with Hypothyroid (low or sluggish) then soy is probably not your best bet.

The opposite is also true. If it’s hyperactive (Hyperthyroid) adding tofu to you’re diet may help you. If you’re just normal—in terms of thyroid I mean, no problems— then soy can easily be part of your diet. There is absolutely no research that shows eating tofu a few times a week will bring on thyroid problems.

The original research that blasted soy and provided the ammo to the meat and dairy contingents was a study that showed lowered thyroid production in rats that were fed tofu.

Of course ,they didn’t mention that the rats already had thyroid problems. That was only revealed later.

So the rats became more sluggish and slow. This wasn’t a study showing healthy rats eating soy then developed thyroid issues.  Maybe tofu could replace rat poison! Rats become slow and lazy, cats catch them easily for food, we no longer have to buy cat food and we remove rat poison from the environment.

I think I’ve just created a “Green Company”.

• Thryoid and Veggies

There are lots of other foods that fall into the category of being goitrogens ,and those are the cruciferous vegetables.

Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, mustard, rutabagas, kohlrabi and turnips. The goitrogen effect is mostly eliminated by cooking/lightly steaming, so they don’t really pose a problem. Just like with soy, these vegetables have never been shown to cause thyroid problems , but it’s a good idea to limit them if you have an existing imbalance.

Cruciferous veggies are also some of the most potent anti-cancer foods available.

The best way to release the nutrients that prevent cancer is to slightly steam them (sorry raw foodies—all raw food isn’t better).  This also removes the negative effect on your thyroid. It’s been suggested that 2-3 servings of cruciferous veggies and 2 -4oz servings of tofu per week can easily be tolerated by people with Hypothyroidism.

• Phytates

Soy contains phytic acid which binds to minerals and prevents you from absorbing them. You’ve heard of phytic acid before. It’s in uncooked grains and legumes. Turns out soaking gets it out of legumes ,and cooking does the same for grains, but neither works with soy.

Again, this only matters if you eat it daily and you’re not consuming other nutritious foods. The fact is, almost every food has something in it that isn’t great for you, but is balanced out by eating a varied diet. That’s why we don’t eat the same thing at every meal.

• Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are estrogen- like compounds that occur in plants. Lets be clear about one thing; there isn’t a plant that contains hormones.  Soy doesn’t contain estrogen.

Scientists don’t know what to make of this, but that doesn’t stop them from throwing around theories. The reality is that you can find books praising or condemning soy for this one.

No one knows. My guess is that it isn’t a problem depending on the amount you eat. One study suggests that it prevents breast cancer and the next suggests it causes it. All these studies really show are correlations, meaning it might be related.

It’s like saying shoes cause cancer because most people with cancer have worn shoes before. That might be an extreme analogy but most studies that make the news are simply correlations that suggest maybe a study should be done.

Reality?

Should we be concerned about soy? Sure. It should be eaten in moderation as part of a well balanced diet.

If you have a thyroid problem stay away from it. If you feel tired when you eat it, then don’t eat it again. I wouldn’t feed it daily to babies or young children. If your kids are allergic to milk and you can’t avoid it ,buy a fermented soy powder and use that. Fermentation cancels out all of the negative aspects of soy.

Fermented soy foods include tempeh and miso. Fermenting soy is supposed to make it easier to digest, but I have a problem digesting it. I don’t with tofu. This just points out that you have to pay attention to how you feel from eating any food. I have had clients who balanced their hormones eating soy and others who claim it threw theirs off.  Everyone is different.

Companies who promote dairy and meat will always be doing studies showing the evil of soy. Of course, everyone knows meat causes cancer ,but don’t let that stop you from pushing it. Ever wonder why you never actually see studies done on how milk makes your bones stronger? There’s never been one. They can’t prove it. It’s all correlation.

Still confused?

I hope this was beneficial to you. It does point out the general confusion that most people find in the field of health and nutrition.

It’s all about marketing and market share and sadly this casts a dark shadow ( 3^rd cliché of this article—I’m on a roll) on most of the information you’ll read about health.

One recent study I read showed that soy turns on 113 different genes in the prostate that cause cancers cells to die. That was done at the UCLA School of Medicine and printed in Newsweek.

I want to leave you with one other correlation:

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and drink very little red wine, and they suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The French eat lots of fatty cheese and rich food and drink lots of wine, and they suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and eat lots of carbohydrate -rich pasta and they suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats, and they suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

 

Be well.

Roger