I've been so confused these days about soy?

Is soy good or bad for our health? I read a few magazine. one magazine said to consume soy bean and it's processed product to prevent cancer. but another magazine said eat too much soy milk could cause cancer.

Any idea?

Soy is great, when its prepared correctly. Its my understanding that where Soy was explored is in Asia, however they do not consume as much soy as we do and when they do it is generally in a fermented state.

Soy milk often is not fermented and is actually difficult to digest. When its been fermented however, in a miso form, or tempeh or natto for example, its ready to be taken in by the body.

So somebody can say 'soy' is good for your health and apply it to the milk, however really, its not that great in the milk form, but in its fermented state.

Personally, I have low amounts of the milk and the one I buy in Australia has been slightly fermented through organic processes. Without that fermentation, digesting soy is actually more difficult than digesting some meats and can be quite harmful.

Buddhists have a teaching about reaction. And what we have here is the lesson in reaction. When you move from one thing to another, without firstly taking a moment to consider the whole situation, you actually go and create the same problems you moved away from. Potentially just as much damage is being done in the world now from Soy crops to the earth, and damage to the uninformed person on the incorrect preparation of this bean for eating.

Just consider that before the people who invented the eating of this bean need to have it sit and pretty much ferment (e.g breakdown in a barrel) for a few years before they will eat it. Then consider that most soy milk is probably simmered for a few hours and its very thick proteins etc are released into a liquid which our body actually finds hard to digest and yes, it can block the system up.

Try this - go buy some beans (i have done this) and cook them yourself. See how long they take to actually break down. Its virtually impossible. Its the tough nature of the Soy that makes it so usable for many things.

Consider the linings of your stomach... buy some soy milk and heat it up in a pan. Let it sit for a little while. You will probably need a really tough scourer to remove it from the metal. What do you think is happening to your insides if this is how hard it is to get off other surfaces?

All soy is good for you. Without soy, vegetarians/vegans have few stuff to eat. Soy is very good for the body, it has protien.

I have been vegan for thirty-one years and seldom eat soy.
My diet is more consistant with whole grains, seeds, and limited nuts. (I save the nuts for my relationships)
Beans are a great source of protein but too many legumes are taxing to the body unless properly sprouted or fermented before use.
The living enzymes produce digestive quilties that not only aid in digestion but also create a friendly envionment for the intestines to properly digest. (Probiotics)

Exactly...Now try telling that to the cafeteria warden at the secondary school!
I can't digest legumes unless they have been pre-sprouted or fermented.
Soy milk is commercialized and the very life has been "pressed" out of it! Oragnic or not.
The fermenting process is very important...You know much about beans!

Ah really thanks for the explanations. And I'm very sorry the late in replying.

Have read that soy can be genetically modified. Well at least in my country! And food manufacturers do not need to specify if soy is GM or not.

I think the exploitation industries have plenty enough money to throw around rumours about the 'risks' of soy.

Many will say there are phytoestrogens in soy, but plant hormones are found in ALL vegetation and have vary varied effects. I won't go into details because I don't know any, but I'd trust eating plant hormones more than the growth hormones found in obese animals who haven't even reached adulthood.

I do have some concerns about processing methods for vegan cheese etc, such as aluminium contamination. We should all be concerned about this, but it's not just soy that's affected, and even so, I expect processed vegan-friendly products are still healthier than even organic flesh and animal products, not to mention the animals' rights and the environment.

Do be careful not to be too afflicted by the protein scare thing. Westerners are obsessed with meat, dairy and their protein. The average American has 100 grams a day. The RDA for protein is 50 grams a day, and I think that is still excessive.

My advice is to not worry too much about soy or protein.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2008 07:46AM by Rivers.

My experience tells me that one doesn't need to eat vegan cheese or cheese substitutes to enjoy a varied vegan healthy diet.
I find tons of great recipes online in which seeds and nuts are used as substitutes (and nutrtional yeast) which are more healthy and more tasteful than any cheese.
I am a vegan chef and have been employed in this field for near thirty years and not one of my customers has ever complained about no cheese in the meals I prepare.

Soy is known for it's ability to "Pull toxins" from the body and for the phytoestrogenic properties contained within the legume.
Also it is great for protein, but too it contains a high amount of fat. Therefore portions should be alloted appropriatly. (For those wanting to lose or maintain weigt)
Be careful when on the market for soy supplements. Isoflavonoids are not healthy in forms other than food sources. The reason being that the phytoestrogens contained that reduce lipid counts are synthetically altered when processed.

OK..... so, I am a new vegan and I was a total milk consumer before. I have to admit - I need cheese and milk. What do you suggest as a better alternative to soy?

I enjoy almond milk personally...

Peace and Love...

Krista : O)

Yes, go for the almond milk! If you can find it without carrageenan, even better!

For me the fact that you've got contradictory opinions on soy can only mean one thing; it's perfectly okay to consume - so long as you don't go overboard on the unfermented stuff. I actually like soy milk, but you've also got oat, and rice "milks" on the market too. Soy's not the be all and end all; gluten and other veggie "meats, not to mention vital & nutritious fresh fruit and veg are your staple. Plus as far as I'm aware soy doesn't have omega 3s; I personally take veggie flax oil capsules for this since I'm not too keen on the straight oil.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2009 09:50AM by Eugene Nyunt..

Soy milk or rice milk ,

Their is soy cheese great on pizza and tosti and good in pasta but terible on bread.
Try tartex, hoemoez that sort of things.

And strange I preffed peanut buter

Soy has become over processed and commercialized, Find a good thing and that's what happens. So I would say that the "less" processed soy is better for you (tempeh for example) than the soy milks, cream cheese and even tofu. The key is to eat PLANT FOODS EATEN WHOLE when ever possible!

About cancer that would be a lie, but if you eat too much soy you can be alergic for it.

Anyway a lot of soy these day is processed finding good soy isnt that hard go too a nature store or look up the specefic manifacture of the soy you do like too eat.

I always buy fair trade or alpro soya simple cause it's the most affordibable and most I can be sure of soy

Mmm I love soy milk, was so afraid the first I tried it because I always hated cows milk, ( I was reared on oj ) so I thought it would taste the same, but I loved it. Yum Yum, thanks Soy Bean. XxXx
P.s sorry didn't really contribute to the discussion!