Dr. Mercola is a licensed physician who has his own lab for testing and research. He is dedicated to inform the public about healthy lifestyle. Avoid being deceived by the soy industry and learn the reasons why you are better off avoiding tofu and all forms of nonfermented soy...

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Q:  Is soya safe?

A: Soya beans and soya products have had a very mixed press, being praised by some as a superfood and condemned by others as a poison.

Soya foods are a traditional part of the Japanese diet and the Japanese show better health and longevity than most Western countries. This provides good assurance of the safety of soya foods consumed in the quantities and forms common in Japan. The Japanese consume about 10 g of soya bean protein per day, mostly as tofu, roasted beans, soya milk and fermented bean products such as natto and miso. 10 g of soya protein per day translates to about 100g of tofu or half a pint of soya milk. This is more than most vegans consume so vegan soya use can be presumed healthy on the basis of the Japanese experience.

The use of TVP and fake meats is a recent Western innovation and therefore does not carry the same assurance of safety, but there is no direct evidence to suggest that such foods are not safe. The use of soya formulas for infants is clearly inferior to breast-feeding, but evidence from the USA based on decades of use of soya infant formula indicates no adverse effects compared with cow's milk formula.

There is moderate evidence that soya can reduce menopausal symptoms and bone loss and good evidence that large amounts of soya protein reduce cholesterol levels. Certain other claimed benefits, such as reduced breast cancer risk, are more dubious.

Overall, there is no reason to avoid moderate use of soya which has been a useful part of Japanese and Chinese diets for millennia and provides a useful source of protein and other nutrients.

Source

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Hello Angela,

Unfortunately, I'm not sure about the answer to that. I eat those stuffs in moderation to none. I survive mostly on natural fruits, grain, vegetables etc., and less on fake meat. Perhaps, others in this group who are more experienced on this can give you the answer you are looking for. Lets wait and see...

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Some of the studdies that say soy is bad, are based on testing done on rats or mice , and the flaw with that is, rats or mice react differently to soy than humans do. The studdies i read that reported soy was bad were later refuted by other doctors who did enough research to show why the ratts had trouble with soy and noted that humans have a different reaction to soy which does not lead to cancer as it does in ratts , or mice.

Also there is alot of hype about young kids eating soy may end up with messed up gender developement. But i have seen no research that supports such claims. i think its safe to say that a young man who eats soy will not suddenly start haveing female mamary glands, its redicoulous and just a scare tactic ,to put fear into people. I ate tons of soy when i was vegetarian and i had no ill effects. I ate big portions more than the average person would and i had no problems with it at all,and i did that for more than 15 years.

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So, is it possible that the whole "soy is bad" debate is focusing, not on actually soy, but on chemically-processed, fractionated soy proteins and isolates?

"Food" manufacturers are using chemicals and other processes to separate out the protein from soy, and parsing out all the various elements of soy, and then using those products in "food" rather than using "natural" soy.

Add in the fact that MUCH of the soy used by "food" manufacturers is GMO soy, and it gets worse.

Many, many "soy" products from these "food" companies (owned, when you go upstream, by the mega-conglomerate corporations that don't give a rip about anything but the bottom line) don't actually contain what we think of as soy... that is, whole soybeans, or stuff made with whole soybeans.

A lot of "soymilks" aren't even that! they are a mixture of powdered soy proteins, water, preservatives, flavors, and vitamins.

I do believe that if people who THINK that they are using soy, and having a problem with it, were to actually use whole soy, naturally made soymilks, fresh, organic, whole soy tofu, etc., they MIGHT discover that they DON'T have a problem with soy!

(I used to have a serious, horrible reaction to "soy"... but, that was only when I used the "soy protein" that was an incredient in a couple of things, and when I tried a "soy protein flour" I got once, years ago. It took many years before I'd try soy again!)

Great source for soy information: http://www.notmilk.com/

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As pointed out above, the source of this particular article turns out to be the milk industry. I believe that the seeds of doubt about soy are planted by scared cow torturers.

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Typical industrial scum. They really are determined arent they? Theyll do whatever they can to persist with their lies. Doesnt matter how many new ways they try to decieve people, its too late for them we know the facts, its just a matter of time and awareness then theyre finished.

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IMO, soy is a health food, but in moderation. And not GM soy

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i dunno, the price foundation seems a little wack to me...
http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html

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and this...

Along with the unjustified and unscientific saturated fat and cholesterol scares of the past several decades has come the notion that vegetarianism is a healthier dietary option for people.[...] As we shall see, many of the vegetarian claims cannot be substantiated and some are simply false and dangerous.

I wouldn't trust the above source Pel,
to tell me what's good and what's bad.

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How do you know if you're buying GM soy or not?

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Now you all are letting it get to you.

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GM soy and all GM products are forbidden here in Finland. I'd not eat any of those. It seems to me that these people opposed to soy have their own agenda...

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I am sorry Pel, but we disagree on the idea if you can't eat it raw, it's not good for you. Humans can eat raw eggs, does that make them good for human health? I don't think so.

 As for researches and such, I pay very close attention at the source of where news come from (who they are getting paid from, are they basing what they say on animal testing etc). When the same institution you are siting as being right about soy, states that you can't be healthy on a vegan diet, for me - they are discarded right away. They have some agenda, and that makes them propagandise against soy the same way they are propagandising on their site about REAL MILK, cod liver oil, how healthy beef is etc.

doesn't sound like a reliable source to me. Sorry.

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Pelagus, SOY is not banned in my country, but all GM stuff is.

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"How do you know if you're buying GM soy or not?"

organically grown soy is not genetically modified
if the soy is nonorganic, then there is a good chance it is a gmo
unless the product specifically states "from non-gmo soy"
however there are issues about genetic pollution in almost all grain crops nowadays
many seed suppliers can no longer guarantee their nonorganic/non-gmo seeds as gmo free
the problem is also infiltrating organic agriculture especially in the midwest u.s.
where there is so much grain crops grown & higher risk of genetic drift...
btw, most high fructose corn syrup is now made from gm corn

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Cissy in Greece too! GM is banned.

anyway, while we talk about soy, you could listent to the veganfreaks podcast about the issue. It's funny.

Show 97: OMGWTFBBQ soy is evil!

Download File
(45:08 min | 25 MB | MP3)

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well whatever all this says, i still eat soya products. it is still better than eating animal products. there are many other sources of non animal foods also. i love almond milk instead of soya milk.

there are many alternative meat products for those who want something to replace meat in thier diets. not all of them are Vegan but there are vegetrian.

i love the products by Wothington foods. most are canned so last forever on the pantry shelf.

Morning Star has some fantastic frozen alternatives. many have similiar textures and look like thier meat counterpart.

no alternative meat tastes like meat. it is a veg product. but many of them taste really good, and are great alternatives to meat.

i have many friends who eat my meals and never realize that they are eating alternative meats. even tofu is delicious once you learn how to cook with it. it is a great chicken replacement in recipes. it is great for replacing eggs in recipes. it is very versitle since it has no favor of its own, and obsorbs the favor of whatever sauce or spices you put on it. it is great mariated in your favorite sauce before cooking with it.

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