Is Soymilk healthy or not? Anyone up on the latest data (soymilk & breast health)?

[PaigeP]

Is Soymilk healthy or not? Anyone up on the latest data (soymilk & breast health)?

 

I'm confused....

can anyone clarify for me.

[melik]

Nope!

 

I'm sure that a hundred people around here will diagree with me but I try not to eat ANY soy!

 

:bigear:

 

Meli

[PaigeP]

Nope!

 

I'm sure that a hundred people around here will diagree with me but I try not to eat ANY soy!

 

:bigear:

 

Meli

 

What are your reasons?

[cajunrose]

Nothing is healthy anymore...seems that way anyway. :tongue_smilie:

[HappyLady]

Being vegan, I've had this discussion numerous times with people. I've also read probably everything there has been said about soy. With that said, like with anything you consume, there can be positive effects and there can be negative effects. I think there are definitely some positives about soy, but for some people there are definitely negatives that comes with soy.

 

I think as long as you eat/drink organic, non-GMO soy, there's nothing wrong with it. Everything in moderation, though. Just like meat, dairy, eggs, grains, etc, people can argue both ways as to whether or not these foods are good or bad for you. I really don't think there are any definite answers out there. I really think you just have to eat/drink what makes you feel healthy afterwards.

 

One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that even if you don't directly consume soy, you're probably still getting it in your diet. I laugh when I hear people say they avoid it like the plague because I know they're still consuming it without realizing it. And I'm sure it's not the organic, non-GMO kind either.

 

So, I think if you want to have some soy milk, then go for it. It certainly won't kill you. But if you find that it doesn't agree with your system then just don't drink it. :)

[WeeBeaks]

Well, the book I just read by Joel Fuhrman seems to indicate it is fine for what it's worth. He gives his reasons in the book. I'm reading Super Immunity, 2010 publication date I think?

 

A question I had on Fuhrman though is that he indicates we in the US eat much less soy than in China, etc. I thought in the China study though they indicated we ate soy in much much higher quantities? So Fuhrman uses as a point that we still eat less than the Chinese/Japanese, and they have very low breast cancer rates. But I questioned whether he was correct that we actually eat less soy. If we do indeed consume MORE soy (soymilk, large chunks of tofu, GMOs with soys, etc) then a big part of his argument is invalid.

 

I honestly still avoid it as I can. We choose rice or coconut milk, which I have not heard the negatives about as I do soymilk. [We have a dairy intolerant toddler so do use the alternative milks pretty heavily.] For what it is worth, our own pediatrician states soymilk is just fine. I question that too, though in general I think very highly of our pediatrician.

Edited January 15, 2012 by WeeBeaks

[Lovedtodeath]

My doctor saw that I was precancerous and told me to stick to organic dairy... no soy.

[sewingmama]

that he indicates we in the US eat much less soy than in China,

 

Asians do not drink soy milk or eat it in processed food. Most of the soy they eat is the tofu variety or fermented soy which is much healthier.

 

Because I am on a GF diet I read the labels of everything I buy. If you think gluten is hard to avoid then you would be hard pressed to avoid soy. It is in everythng - and if you eat a GF diet it is in even more things because soy flour is used as a replacemenment for wheat flour.

 

In Asia they are more inclined to use potato or tapioca flour in their products rather then soy.

 

Also Asians may have lower rates of breat cancer then the West but they have higher rates of stomach cancer - so it evens out.

[tomandlorih]

Seconding that if you have to eat it.. go organic/non-GMO. I would use a different alternative milk (esp if it's for boys). We "try" to avoid it at this house.

[Sarah CB]

Nothing is healthy anymore...seems that way anyway. :tongue_smilie:

 

I totally agree. I refuse to eat anything at all.

[prairiewindmomma]

My endocrinologist says no.

[PentecostalMom]

Seconding that if you have to eat it.. go organic/non-GMO. I would use a different alternative milk (esp if it's for boys). We "try" to avoid it at this house.

 

Why especially for boys?

 

I totally agree. I refuse to eat anything at all.

 

:lol::lol:

[m0mmaBuck]

Seconding that if you have to eat it.. go organic/non-GMO. I would use a different alternative milk (esp if it's for boys). We "try" to avoid it at this house.

 

 

:iagree: I tend to read labels and even try to avoid things with soy, even if it is just used as a binder (soy lecithen sp?).

 

Personally, I have mild allergies to soy, dairy, wheat and eggs. I find that if I actively try to avoid those things, when I do get a little from some unexpected source I don't have a gastrointestinal reaction... but if I've been partaking of everything, well then watch out!

 

Additionally, from what I've read about how they have genetically altered our food supply, our soy is one of the worst offenders. I try to go organic as much as possible (availability and affordability weigh in).

 

Finally, the studies showing the effect on hormone levels and development have made me try to keep it out of our house for the most part. That way the occasional bowl of miso soup won't have as much of an effect on the kids... DD doesn't need phytoestrogen decreasing her body's ability to form its own estrogen and DS doesn't need phytoestrogen affecting his testosterone production and development.

[Mrs Mungo]

GMO has nothing to do with it. Soy has naturally occurring estrogens. If you have breast cancer that is estrogen receptive, then soy could cause the cancer to spread more rapidly. Someone with estrogen reactive cancer should not be eating soy for now. The research seems conflicted right now. Science hasn't come to a definite conclusion at this time.

[Negin]

I'm sure that a hundred people around here will diagree with me but I try not to eat ANY soy!

:iagree:

I used to think that soy was healthy and drank lots of soy milk and ate organic tofu.

Then I went for a bre@st thermogram and they saw high estrogen levels and could tell that I ate lots of soy and told me to avoid it. They showed me lots of studies. I no longer eat soy.

I stick to almond milk.

Dairy is really bad. The only dairy I have is plain yogurt.

 

I totally agree. I refuse to eat anything at all.

I like your diet. If I could do this, I would get to my ideal weight, and, better yet, remain there! :D

[G5052]

My doctor is very good about keeping up with that and is oriental herself in origin, and she said to avoid soy milk. I am lactose intolerant, so I have it occasionally in a latte, but that is it.

 

She said that tofu is OK in one dish per day, and only in small amounts.

[Laura Corin]

Asians do not drink soy milk

 

Across the road from my office in Taipei there was a breakfast place that had huge vats of warm sweetened soy milk which people bought for breakfast.

 

Laura

[BatmansWife]

When my ds was diagnosed with food allergies, we started giving him soy milk and soy butter. He loved that stuff and ate a ton of it. At the same time, my mil was eating a lot of soy too (she loved snacking on soy nuts). She ended up developing this large goiter on her neck. In time, after she did a lot of research, she stopped soy. The goiter went away. Then I began noticing lumps on the back of ds's head. After I did research on soy, I stopped buying the soy milk and the soy butter. The lumps went away. I remember some of the research was about the estrogen and how boys especially shouldn't be eating soy. One article was particularly alarming to me because it compared soy to the equivalant of such and such amount (don't remember what it was) birth control pills. I don't know....I know there are articles that swear that's true and others say that's false. I often don't know what/who to believe. Soy seems to be in so much stuff. If soy is in something already, we don't usually avoid it, we still eat it. But, we don't do straight soy milk or soy butter. Ds now has rice milk and sun butter (but he still often asks for soy butter).

[Laurie4b]

You're confused because the current data is contradictory. Soy acts as an estrogen, so does it replace the body's estrogen with a safer form and therefore protect some from breast cancer or does it add to the estrogen load and therefore increase the risk of breast cancer? They don't know.

 

So for now, in moderation, in REAL food. No supplements. Be aware that there is soy in much of what you buy in a bottle or package at the grocery store, so you're already getting some as baseline. Take a look at the labels in your kitchen cabinets and pantry.

[SKL]

In addition to the hormone issues mentioned above, I have heard that soy has a lot of manganese and manganese has been associated with higher aggression levels in humans. Personally I don't go out of my way to buy it or avoid it, but it's not part of our regular diet (at least not in any significant quantity). That said, my kid was on soy formula until nearly a year old (doc told her foster mom to feed her that), and she is one of the calmest and smartest kids I know. She does have a few minor physical issues, but I've no idea if that is connected.

[Mom-ninja.]

I like this blog. She has some things to say about soy

 

If you search the blog she also posted about healthy soy vs nonhealthy soy.

[mommymilkies]

We avoid soy like the plague. I was a die hard soy fan, especially being dairy free for years. Then my 7 yo was diagnosed with profound Hashimotos and a tsh of 617. We cut out soy and gluten and she's almost normal. Soy is a huge problem food from what research I have read. Some says it's good, much says it's bad. It's enough that I won't take the risk again with our health.

[Sputterduck]

Across the road from my office in Taipei there was a breakfast place that had huge vats of warm sweetened soy milk which people bought for breakfast.

 

Laura

 

My Korean-born ex-MIL used to make homemade soymilk for my exH when he was a child.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Sputterduck

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

:glare: It is confusing trying to eat healthy now days!

About 10 years ago, I began drinking soy milk and eating some tofu.

We tried to start gardening then as well, and canning and freezing lots of veggies. Edamame soybean had a booth at a fundraiser and I went over to ask some questions and the lady told me that if I had a history of breast cancer in my family, that I should avoid soy or limit it in my diet. \

My grandmother had all kinds of cancer and had recently died ( breast cancer included).

This made me re-think and start investigating soy more. After reading many books and articles I gave up the soy completely.

Nourishing Traditions is my only go to book anymore, and Doug Kauffman, Dr. Richard Becker, and Dr. Mercola are the people I tend to listen to and read articles and books by.

We do get raw milk now and I have endometriosis, have had extreme pain this past year and surgery, and now am pregnant with our 8th child.

Soaking grains has helped tremendously with my Debilitating pain in my gut.

I thank God for the Nourishing Traditions cook book because I was debilitated and now have to eat fermented foods to stay healthy.

[Spy Car]

Why especially for boys?

 

 

The argument is that soy contains phyto-estrogens that can mess with hormones in humans. The effects are a matter of some controversy.

 

We enjoy moderate amounts of soy in the form of tofu, miso, edamame, and shoyu. And on rare occasion as tempeh. These strike me as time tested traditional foods that we enjoy eating, where soy milk and textured protein fail to appeal.

 

Bill

[ChristyB in TN]

I eat soy, I avoid soy protein that is in giant doses like protein powders, etc. Everyone seems to react differently to things, I'm not allergic to dairy but if I have dairy products (even one bite) my body react as if I have the most horrible cold ever and usually goes into bronchitis or pneumonia. I went dairy free over 10 years ago and switched to soy milks, almond milks, etc for cereal and smoothies. My very humble and unprofessional opinion is that if you aren't sensitive to soy it is probably okay. If your body reacts with giant gorders (good grief!) then your body doesn't need soy. I think whole foods and foods without all that extra jolt of unnaturally occurring proteins make sense. It seems that would be where we get that it isn't good for us. I would imagine that the testing done on soy products is probably done on lab animals with giant amounts of soy proteins being pumped into their foods? Like I said, I'm not a professional. I can say that my vegan family eats a lot of tofu, tempeh and edemame and my boys are still boys, girls still girls, we are athletes and are awfully healthy.

[ChristyB in TN]

The argument is that soy contains phyto-estrogens that can mess with hormones in humans. The effects are a matter of some controversy.

 

We enjoy moderate amounts of soy in the form of tofu, miso, edamame, and shoyu. And on rare occasion as tempeh. These strike me as time tested traditional foods that we enjoy eating, where soy milk and textured protein fail to appeal.

 

Bill

 

Should have read this first. I agree.

[DawnM]

I think soy isolate protein is not very healthy, but I think soy itself is not a huge issue. It hasn't been for me anyway.

 

The real problem with breast health comes from hormone replacements/ie: birth control type pills and patches.

 

Dawn

[Negin]

Negin, how could they tell you had high estrogen levels with a thermagram? Do the estrogen levels give off more heat? I had one done last year and would love any additional info. Mine only showed small differences in heat which they attributed to fibrocystic changes.

Carol, yes, I think that the estrogen levels give off more heat.

[Negin]

I also didn't even think about my protein powder having soy!! How did I miss that? :001_huh:

Not all do. I found one that is soy and dairy free. Same with all my supplements. Many supplements contain soybean oil or other versions of soy. I avoid those.