Nutrition & Diet Ignore the anti-soya scaremongers

[Blobbenstein]

Soya is the great divider; you're either for it, or against it. Is this humble pulse really such a demon bean, or is the anti-soya brigade using scare stories and pseudo science to further their own agenda? If you look carefully, most anti-soya stories can be traced back to one single group in the US called the Weston A Price Foundation (WAPF).
WAPF claims to be dedicated to promoting good nutrition by restoring nutrient-dense animal products to the diet – particularly unpasteurised "raw" whole milk. It claims that saturated animal fat is essential for good health and that animal fat intake and high cholesterol levels have no link with heart disease or cancer. They say that vegetarians have lower life expectancy than meat-eaters, and that historically humans have always eaten large amounts of animal fat. All this, of course, contradicts all the leading health advisory bodies in the world, including the World Health Organisation, American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/01/anti-soya-brigade-ignore-scaremongering

Werewolf Girl posted this on VB.

I'm disappointed that I won't be turning into a woman.....

 

[Second Summer]

That is a well-written letter. I'm not sure the WAPF is the source of "most" anti-soya stories, but yes, they do produce a lot of them. The soya industry and the dairy industry are competitors at war with each other, and I suspect that a lot of the "stories" have their origin in that war.

It is deplorable how the anti-soya brigade has managed to influence public opinion and even hospital policy though. When our daughter was born and there was initially doubts about whether breast-feeding was going to work out, they wouldn't let us feed her soya infant formula. This in spite of soya infant formula being approved by health authorities and widely available in supermarkets.

Also, just yesterday a colleague expressed concern that we were feeding our daughter soya foods after some story she had read on the BBC web site. (I've looked for the article, but can't seem to find it.)

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I've been subjected to a lot of anti-soy rhetoric, even from one of my doctors. It can be a little scary, but I've decided to continue eating soy.

 

[ledboots]

That is a well-written letter. I'm not sure the WAPF is the source of "most" anti-soya stories, but yes, they do produce a lot of them. The soya industry and the dairy industry are competitors at war with each other, and I suspect that a lot of the "stories" have their origin in that war.

It is deplorable how the anti-soya brigade has managed to influence public opinion and even hospital policy though. When our daughter was born and there was initially doubts about whether breast-feeding was going to work out, they wouldn't let us feed her soya infant formula. This in spite of soya infant formula being approved by health authorities and widely available in supermarkets.

Also, just yesterday a colleague expressed concern that we were feeding our daughter soya foods after some story she had read on the BBC web site. (I've looked for the article, but can't seem to find it.)

At my hospital, we are supposed to offer cow milk formula to non-breastfeeding parents, but I always ask if there is a family history of milk allergies, sensitivities, or lactose intolerance. If so, they get soy and I write the pediatrician a note.

 

[Renee1]

I do ignore it. I ignore all scaremongering. It's a huge pet hate of mine.

 

[Snowcone]

Whenever someone tries to scare me off from doing something, I have the insane urge to do it. Hell, one time when I was nine I stuck a fork into a power outlet at home the night after we did a safety assembly on the subject at school.

As such, I'll keep my soy products. I even had half a block of tofu in my meal a few minutes ago.

 

[thefadedone]

I do ignore it. I ignore all scaremongering. It's a huge pet hate of mine.

Same here. I hate the "so and so is evil" or "you will die if you eat this or that" ******** that people try to instill in others.

 

[Amy SF]

My sister is generally a very smart woman, but she has fallen victim to certain crank theories about such foods as soy. She won't touch any soy at all (and avoids any products that contain even an infinitesimal amount of soy) because she's convinced soy is evil.

I myself have no problem with the consumption of soy. Asian peoples have been eating soy products for centuries and traditional Asian diets are considered to be very healthy.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

One of my pet hates is the "tofu and soy milk is evil" brigade... but they eat tons of packaged food with soy in it.

I've heard some vegetarians who avoid "soy" but they still eat premade faux meats, most of which are made from... soy. Ugh.

 

[mary1]

gar! It really irks me that some people believe that soy is this radical new product that is evil! They ignore the fact that soy is from a plant that has been utilized by asian cultures for thousands of years! Then, they will use the fact that some people have allergies to soy as proof. But some people are allergic to peanuts, does that mean peanuts are evil and unhealthy? arGH ARGH ARGH!

Then the other people who try to say that Asians only eat fermented soy and only fermented soy is healthy. NOPE! Tons of asian foods contain soy that isn't fermented. Edamame for example.

 

[ledboots]

gar! It really irks me that some people believe that soy is this radical new product that is evil! They ignore the fact that soy is from a plant that has been utilized by asian cultures for thousands of years! Then, they will use the fact that some people have allergies to soy as proof. But some people are allergic to peanuts, does that mean peanuts are evil and unhealthy? arGH ARGH ARGH!

Then the other people who try to say that Asians only eat fermented soy and only fermented soy is healthy. NOPE! Tons of asian foods contain soy that isn't fermented. Edamame for example.

I talked about this soy issue awhile back with a Japanese RD I know. He said that some Japanese don't eat much edamame because of possible stomach upset.

I am sensitive to soy, but can eat tofu and fermented soy in moderate amounts, which he said is not uncommon in people who did not eat soy from a young age. He warned against too much edamame for unaccustomed westerners because it might cause digestive upset. Just his 2 cents.

 

[Amy SF]

I have always had a very sensitive stomach, but soy doesn't bother me. I'm not Japanese, but I've been eating Japanese food since I was young because my parents always loved it and we'd go out to eat Japanese food a lot. More so than Chinese food, in fact. So when edamame first started appearing at restaurants, I'd willingly eat it (it's a good source of protein for veg*ans in Japanese restaurants), and had no problem with it.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I love edamame. But I don't eat tons of it. I don't like messing with the pods, and the ones that are already shelled are hard to find and/or expensive here. I'll get some occasionally as a treat, though.

 

[ledboots]

I was in my 40s before I ate any soy at all except soy sauce or incidental additives. I wish I could drink soy milk, I love it, but I use almond instead.

 

[mary1]

I talked about this soy issue awhile back with a Japanese RD I know. He said that some Japanese don't eat much edamame because of possible stomach upset.

I am sensitive to soy, but can eat tofu and fermented soy in moderate amounts, which he said is not uncommon in people who did not eat soy from a young age. He warned against too much edamame for unaccustomed westerners because it might cause digestive upset. Just his 2 cents.

Too much edamame is just like too much any other bean/legume. They are full of fiber and protein! I don't think it's just about soy. ^.^ I'm not saying I can't be wrong tho ^.^

 

[Mufflon]

It's definitely time to remember that soy is a bean and not some weird monster Frankenfood.

 

[Mr Crunchy]

Boy, I get this in spades from well-meaning friends. And some are vehement about it. "Soy is poison!!" While I try not to rely on it too heavily, I don't worry about it. I point out that people in Japan are living to over 100 years old on a soy-based diet, but that doesn't make an impression (I'm not Japanese - duh). Then I suggest that even if there are issues, that cow's milk is a whole lot worse for you than soy milk and their heads really explode.

Of course, these same people who are so concerned about my diet didn't make a peep about it when I used to eat fast food crap all the time before I went veggie. Go figure