"The best soy latte that you ever had, and me"

Every time I hear Train’s ‘Drops of Jupiter’, I automatically want to go to Starbucks. However, soy lattes and I have a somewhat complicated relationship. I don’t like regular milk so, when at Starbucks, I order my coffee with a splash of soymilk. At home I only use almond milk. I am afraid of having too much soy since I believe it can affect hormones and may lead to a risk of breast cancer. Soy contains phytoestrogens, however studies have not yet proven any link between breast cancer risk and soy intake. In fact, some studies show that soy consumption can help reduce the risk of breast cancer in Asian populations.

My theory is, in Asian populations the primary forms of soy are miso, which is fermented, and edamame, which is the unprocessed soybean. In Western countries we have soy protein shakes, soy burgers, soy turkey, soymilk, tofu ice cream, soy baby formula, soy fillers, etcetera and ad nauseam! It is our culture to learn that something may be good for us and then to over process it and take it so far removed from the natural state. A great example of this is the acai berry craze of recent.

In Japan, the women who have low breast cancer rates from a soy diet are not eating tofurky nor are they actually eating that much of the natural or fermented soy anyway. They are eating real food in moderation, keeping calories low, and eating foods in the natural state. I think this way of eating can prevent much disease regardless of whether that diet includes soy or not.

Within just the past 4 months, two different women confided in me that they think their breast cancer was caused by a very high soy intake. One woman was a vegetarian who figured she used about one half-gallon of soymilk every two days. The other woman was living on diet soy shakes and edamame. I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be, but to me it sounds like they have a valid assumption

Many babies are given soy-based formula. This can be dangerous for baby boys as far as hormonal development. This may be too much estrogen for their little bodies. This is also a danger for girls as well since having too much estrogen in the body is not a good thing.

That being said, everything is moderation is usually fine unless you have, had, or you are at high risk for breast cancer. If that is your case, talk to you doctor about any concerns you have with soy. Personally, I limit my soy intake to a minimal.  As I said before, when at Starbucks I get a splash of soy milk, I have edamame sometimes when we go out for sushi, some tofu, and I will have the occasional veggie burger (although that is about as rare as when I have an actual beef burger). And if you have read some previous posts of mine, you will know that, in the past, I followed a vegan diet for quite awhile too! There are so many better sources of vegan protein than soy (beans, quinoa, nuts, brown rice, to name a few).

I hope to give you some ‘food for thought’ in this post. I think this ‘soy debate’ can also be applied to almost anything. If a little of something may be good for you, often a lot of that same thing can have the opposite effect and may be dangerous.

Have a compassionate, kind, and happy week

XOX


UPDATED: I received the below email from a very strong and very brave friend of mine. Suzanne was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer which she fought and conquered. Right after she was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer which she bravely fought and overcame. She is very well informed and had the following to add to this post. After reading this, I no longer want any more tofu!

This was an awesome article on soy.  And I've read that in Asia, after being fermented, is fine.  That would be miso, tempeh, natto, (soy sauce) and tamari-  on occasion.   But, here in America the soy typically isn't fermented and it is processed in a way that makes their proteins impure and increases the amount of carcinogens.  An example would be tofu.   Read labels!  You should also stay away from anything with soybean oil and soy protein isolate-- which is in a lot of food!  Soy isoflavones have been shown to reduce the testosterone levels of animals and men (which decrease libido and sperm count), and disrupt normal hormone levels in women.  An old "wives tale" in Japan says that women punish straying husbands by feeding them a lot of tofu.  Soy isolates are in a lot of protein bars and snacks.  They can cause hypothyroidism.  Throw out anything containing :  soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, texturized vegetable protein, or soy (or soybean) oil.  They are probably in packaged energy bars, crackers, veggie burgers, and vegetarian look-alike products.  If you have been taking soy for a long time, get your thyroid checked. Thought you would like to know!  Thanks for all your wonderful blogs! Take Care, Suzanne

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