http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy_4.htm
Good article on soy in relation to the thyroid. I've also read on pro-soy sites that if you do have hypothyroidism, soy should be limited and soy should not be consumed within 3 hours of taking your thyroid medication - so no soy latte on the way to work if you've taken your Levothyroxin or Synthroid first thing in the morning. This is a recent discovery for me, so I've just cut out my soy latte, soy dogs and veggie boloney (which I'm sure is a good thing....) and replaced them with Field Roast slices and almond milk (which is quite tasty). I will continue to eat fermented soy products for now and see if I notice any results.

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Jessica,
I have hypothyroidism not hyper. Also, mychidren are both in their 30's and neither have that problem. I do not eat a diet that consists only of soy. I am also vegan.

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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

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To Elinor I.:

My concern is that in one of your comments, you mention that you struggle with hyperthyroidism, yet you'll continue to take your chances with soy. You then say in a separate comment that you give your children soy milk formula. You could be putting your children in the same position which you are currently in, especially since you actually have hyperthyroidism. Just be aware of that.

I'm not saying you should reverse your principles and eat meat. Absolutely not, if you don't want to. I'm saying consider other sources of protein and vitamins, in addition to fruits and vegetables. If you're concerned about antibiotics in meat, then surely you must be concerned by the fact that most soy out there is genetically modified.

Check out the cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It's a wonderful book with a number of vegetarian recipes, (though some recipes do have meat products). There are ways to be a vegetarian without "meat substitutes" like soy. You can do it!

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I am certain there are a thousand articles that list reasons for not consuming soy. I, however, have had a soy based diet for 6 years and have never been healthier. I had a spinal fusion with rods and screws placed in my lumbar spine in September and was back to work in November. At my follow-up appointment just last week my surgeon was amazed. I work in a nursing home and very rarely get the many viruses that travel around. When I do it is very mild, so I know that my immune system is fine. I understand that some people don't eat soy because of the breast cancer/estrogen link. It is up to them to decide what to eat. There are also many reasons why meat is bad to consume. Antibiotics have become useless against certain bacteria partly because of the animals who are treated with antibiotics when sick or prophylactically. Steroids are injuceted into or fed to them so they will grow to abnormally large sizes (chickens and turkeys grow so big their legs become malformed and/or break). Meateaters injest all of that. Factory farming is also ruining our environment. The animals that suffer in factory farms produce more waste than all of the people in the world combined (read Temple Grandin's books for more info on this). Finally, eating meat is bad for the animals. I do not want any animal to suffer and die so that I can dine on it's dead flesh. As unpleasant as that sounds that is exactly what meat is - dead flesh. How many people would buy meat ifit wasn't neatly

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Here are some articles which explain why avoiding soy is better for you: http://lifespotlight.com/health/2007/11/16/ditch-the-soy/
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soy_controversy.html
http://www.wiredberries.com/recipes/2007/11/super_food_1.asp
http://www.soynutrition.com/AboutSoy/HistoryOfSoy.aspx

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I had to switch both of my children from milk based formula to soy based formula because they threw up the one with milk. I am not doubting that there are statistics that show adverse side effects to too much soy. I just think that cow milk is meant for cows. Maybe we in the States rely a little too much on formula instead of feeding our babies breast milk. I don't eat an over abundance of soy, anyway. I eat a lot of vegetables, beans and rice and maybe three soy burgers a week and soy milk on my cereal. I also take B12 and Calcium with Vit. D.

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Sorry, didn't make that quite clear; I meant "various statistics that may or may not have anything to do with each other."

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When I was a baby, my mother once gave me soy formula to drink. I drank it without a problem, but promptly threw it back up.

I'm sure that soy is harmless when used as a dietary supplement (aside from allergies and/or thyroid issues), but given all the data on the subject I'd say it's a bad idea to use it as a major staple, and probably not a good idea to give a lot of it to children.

Unfortunately, the only way to figure out what's good for people and what isn't is to do controlled lifetime tests on an enormous population. Much of the data we have now - on either side of the spectrum - comes from short-term animal testing or statistical data that may or may not have anything to do with each other.

In the meantime, I'll stick with foods that taste good, don't have any obvious toxins in them, and don't make me sick when I eat them.

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I have hypothyroidism but I'll just have to take my chances. Even the sight of meat makes me sick. I do not have the money to buy a lot of organic foods, either, so I will continue to supplement my diet with B12 and soy.

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