Myth #5: Soy is Bad!

I saved the most controversial topic in the health and wellness community for last. My goal in this article is to present you with resources based on medical research, not opinion. Therefore, I won't regurgitate what has already been said. Rather, I will point you to doctors that I respect.

As more people begin to make the switch to a plant based diet (or look for milk alternatives), the debate increases about soy and it’s harmful effects on the body, especially for women. I remember my very first week of giving this diet a try my mom and I visited a tiny coffee stand for an iced cold soy latte. When I asked for soy the owner began shaking her head and insisting she would never carry it in her store because she was a nurse and learned how harmful soy is for women. She then began to lecture us on the dangers of soy protein. I found it interesting that she wouldn’t carry soy milk yet carries cows milk which is far worse!

Our family typically drinks Almond Milk to begin with, however since we don’t eat meat we do eat dishes with other forms of protein, soy being one of them. Here's our two favorites:

Tofu - Made from soybeans, water and a curdling agent. It’s high in protein and calcium, and is a great option for baking or making marinades. Tofu is an unfermented soy protein and is essentially important to purchase this item organic and GMO free.

Tempeh - This soy product is originally from Indonesia and is made through a fermentation process which binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a firm vegetarian burger or patty. Tempeh has a stronger flavor than tofu and is an excellent replacement for meat in most dishes.

(To learn more about other forms of protein, including soy, you can read this excellent post from The Reluctant Onion.)

Soy is it bad for you or not? =)

With all of these great soy products to implement into our family meals, I wanted to do some research on whether the claims of soy being dangerous were true. There are plenty of blogs out there on this subject from various health gurus... but I wanted to get the assurance from a doctor (or two); meet Dr. Barnard & Dr. McDougall!

Both of these Doctors have deemed the soybean as not harmful. In fact, soy-consuming populations of people, like the Asian cultures, have much lower incidences of heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer of the breast and prostate. The true danger zone is not in consuming sensible uses of soy but for those people who are lured into consuming “fake foods” (processed meat alternatives). In fact, soy isolates (found in soy protein powders, soy candy bars, soy chicken patties and soy burgers) has been proven to be just as damaging as animal protein (milk and cheese among the worst). This information, along with the graph below are from Dr. McDougall’s indepth article on the matter. I highly recommend you read it for yourself! I've also included a short clip on Dr. McDougall speaking on this topic:

Dr. Barnard, the President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, wrote a great article on soy as well. Below are some of the main bullet points; you can read further explanations on each item by reading his article here:

SOY PRODUCTS:

*Reduce cancer risk

*Boost survival in breast cancer patients

*Lowers blood cholesterol

COMMON ATTACKS ON SOY & DR. BARNARD’S RESPONSE:

*GMO foods: They are easy to avoid

*Thyroid Health: Soy products do not affect it

*Minerals: They are well-absorbed

*Protein: It is well-digested

*Fermented or Unfermented Soy: They are both fine

I trust you'll find these articles helpful to you as you do your own research on soy. The main thing to keep in mind is the purpose of your lifestyle change (diet). Assuming that your goal is much like mine, to avoid the overly processed foods and animal proteins, your focus should be on keeping a Plant Based Diet. Key words: PLANT BASED. When people ask if our family is “Vegan” I try to stray from that word as there can be unhealthy vegans who focus more on what they CAN’T eat and find soy immitations of their prior diet. You can be a fat and unhealthy vegan (greasy spoon vegan), trust me! Our focus has always been to affirm what we CAN eat. A Plant Based diet is one which focuses more on eating whole foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and legumes; and strives to limit or exclude processed items. 

With this in mind... I hereby deem this myth as...