Your question was very interesting and one that I’ve given some thought to. Of course, I’m not a doctor or medical expert, so you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. But here’s what I think.. You know, it seems like no matter what food you eat, there is going to be conflicting information and studies telling you it’s bad for you, or good for you- butter, eggs, avocados, coconut oil- it seems like the medical industry can’t decide what is harmful to the body and what isn’t! My policy is, anything in excess is probably a bad idea. The huge “soy is good for you” campaign where companies were adding soy to everything so they could label their products as “healthy! containing isoflavans” was not only bad for people with soy allergies, but also unlikely to have any benefits and quite likely to have negative side effects, as anything in excess can. I think it’s probably not a good idea to take soy-based supplements, because these bombard the body with amounts of things that might be fine or even good for you in small amounts, but are way too much for anyone’s body to handle in large amounts. I also have trouble jumping on the “soy is bad for you” bandwagon, though. People have been consuming tofu and soy products in countries like Japan for centuries and have lower incidence of things like cancer and menopause issues- if tofu and fermented soy products were so unhealthy for adults, I would think that Cancer rates etc. would be higher in these countries. However, if you look at the consumption of tofu in Japan- people don’t go crazy with soy milk in the morning, soy butter in the afternoon, and piles of tofu at night, or adding it to everything they eat. In Japan, someone might enjoy a cool tin or soft, creamy tofu (like yogurt, almost)- or have a fried tofu ball with their lunch, or a tofu steak with their grilled meal… along with vegetables and rice. But it’s highly unlikely this would all be consumed in one day! Food portions are smaller for everything, including the serving of tofu, and meal balance is taken quite seriously, usually without huge mounds of protein as the base of the meal like is often the case here in the states. Also, some forms of soy that are consumed in Japan seem to pose less danger than others- the fermented forms like natto, and miso. (Of course, one problem with meals can be the high level of sodium content, especially with miso, but that’s a different issue). I’ve also read that tempeh might be better for you and less likely to cause potential imbalances than tofu or boiled soybeans, so if this is one of the tofu products you enjoy, you probably need to worry less about it than other things.

One thing I have considered with regards to tofu is that for those with thyroid issues, high levels of soy consumption may be an issue. However, soy is not the ONLY food that can effect the thyroid- seaweed (nori) and beans are also reputed to have an impact- so I don’t want to vilify soy excessively. I did start thinking about my soy consumption and decide that it might be smart to try and balance my diet as much as possible and not consume tofu or soy products more than, say, once or twice a week. You might have noticed lately I’ve been eating a little more soy- the reason is that I was having some tummy issues and laying off beans for a little while, but I’ve brought them back now that my tummy seems to have resolved itself (stupid antibiotics, anyway.) Also, I tend to like soy, and like the things I make using it, so I post about it maybe disproportionately- it might seem like i eat it more than I do. :) Ultimately, though, I feel that as long as you try to have a balanced diet, with lots of healthy green vegetables (broccoli, chard, cauliflower, etc.) and high protein, high fiber grains, moderate amounts of soy in the diet should be ok. Stressing the moderate here.

That being said, it seems to me from the things I have read that soy formulas for babies are NOT a good idea, older men might be better off not consuming excessive amounts of soy products, and no one should consume excessive amounts of tofu (for every meal, say, or even every day). Pregnant women or those planning to get pregnant should probably consult their doctor about their diet (although the doctor may or may not be helpful in that regard) and most importantly, have their levels of everything (thyroid, vitamins, etc) checked out so they can make any dietary adjustments needed.

It does bother me a little to hear the media/internet hype about the latest food villain- I feel like it’s a little bit of the “when bees attack” syndrome (ever see that Saturday Night live?) I want to hear and read reputable academic, scientific papers on the topic, know exactly what I’m reading, and know what interests are funding the project in order to come to my own decision about things- and sometimes it’s a real challenge to separate truth from the hype. Plenty of other things that we eat have cancer risks- grilled meat, for example, but somehow that doesn’t make quite the stir in the media (unless it’s vegetarian media, haha) that soy does.

Bet you didn’t really want to hear all this in answer to your one innocent question! haha. But, in truth, it is something I’ve given some thought to and wanted to respond properly to.

Thank you for the photo compliments and of course, thanks for coming by!!!

*hugs*
-Sea