Hi everybody,
This link was sent to me by one of my non vegan relatives. It talk alot about the dangers of soy. I just wanted to get some input from fellow vegan out there if this is something to be greatly concerned with. I have no idea if this is a reputable site or whether the info is correct.
Sounds like a dairy council funded study. Go figure.
Sounds like they are talking about the highly processed soy isolate crud they put in lots of protein bars and such. Soy isolate and soybeans are completely different things. That's like saying fresh corn and high fructose corn syrup are the same things and they are both bad for you.
Just my 2 cents.
To be honest, I avoid soy in general; I'll eat the odd fermented bit, and occassionally indulge in the odd soy based product. I usually find eating soy products affects my body's `natural cycle' somewhat, not if I just eat a bit of soy sauce here or miso there, but if I were to have Tofu for a few days or something (and I do end up eating more of it when I buy it, because you've got to finish what you buy off, and because I have it rarely and irregularly its somewhat addictive!). At the moment, because there is some conflicting things about soy around, with it seeming good for somethings and questionable for others with its phytoestrogens, and I do notice it does affect my body if I eat more than a tiny amount of it, I generally avoid it. Its supposed to be good for certain menopausal symptoms, for the very reason of their content, and protects you from certain kinds of breast cancer (so if you are at risk for thost specific types its good), whilst heightening the risks of others... But, I'm young, and in such manners my body seems to be doing ok by itself at the moment, and its of a sensitive disposition, so I personally, at least until I see something more concrete, avoid it.
If you do eat it, I suggest eating it as it would traditionally be prepared (since that seems to be the most beneficial/the healthiest way of eating it), and not all this processed lark and what not.
Right, now I've written this, I suppose I should go and introduce myself! lol. I just commented because it is a topic which I'd be interested to here other people's perspectives on, if anyone has done any more research on the topic (at the time, I'd rather just avoid it than do a further, especial in depth look into it, and spend my time focussed on other things).
Just to note: phytoestrogens are probably not going to be any concern to women who are happy taking birth control pills!
Also to note, interestingly, birth control pills aren't technically vegan: they usually include an ingredient extracted from horses' urine (mare's). Not that I'm going to go pointing an accusing finger at vegan's who take such birth control pills! I'm not one to quibble over such things.