Vegetarians -- Tofu or Not Tofu?

[Nada.Leona]

I figured this would be the best place to ask a question of the FV vegetarian community:

What is your stance on soy and tofu? There's so much debate on the health implications, and it's so hard to determine what is truth and what is crap, especially on the Internet.

[Liane]

If you have a thyroid problem it is recommended that you do not use soy products. I saw this on Dr. Oz a month or so ago. In my own experience my picky teenager even loves tofu plain. My meat eater hubby likes it too.

[akolb]

I've been a pescatarian for 3 years now...and I very, VERY rarely eat tofu. Just don't like it.
Unless it's in miso soup.
I'd rather get protein from beans, nuts, greens, and some eggs and cheese.

[KeithBC]

I eat tofu. As far as I can tell, the case against tofu is hogwash. It's good for you, and the people in cultures that eat a lot of tofu tend to be healthier than those in cultures that don't.

[Libby]

Not a vegetarian but saw this thread. My ex used to be and prob still is deathly afraid of it b/c its 'health implications'...he was afraid he'd grow breasts. C'mon really!? I've been eating it my whole life and lots of it - I do not look like Dolly Parton either. He thought tofu had estrogen in it but conveniently believed that there was no tofu/soy in his protein powder - which was soy based. *rolls eyes*

That being said...there are several types of tofu/soy, some fortified etc so you need to determine which type you're eating along with the 'myth' associated with it. There probably are some truths to the myths but no one has specified their types of tofu when they make their claims.

[MrsOptimistic]

Tofu does have estrogen but definitely not enough to make a man grow breasts. Enough for woman who are sensitive to be thrown off.

I limit my soy but I don't stay completely away from it. Eating too much soy really screws up my cycle, I went from 28 days on the dot to 31, as soon as I started introducing more soy into my diet. One month I was particularly lazy and had a lot of processed soy stuff (boca chikn patties and all that on top of my usually tofu stuff) and I went to 38 days. I was ready to take a pregnancy test... my tubes are tied.

As soon as I cut back my cycle shortened, I'm around 30/31 days now and I'm okay with that. I still eat soy, just mindful to not over do it. I don't think there's anything really wrong with it.

I had a really good mostly unbias article about soy but I can't find it now. I'll keep looking for it.

[IntlMom]

I limit my soy intake, but I certainly don't abstain from it. I enjoy tofu occasionally, as well as soy milk.

[Grainlady]

I'd suggest a well-documented book for more information.

The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN

My personal experience with soy and foods made from soy puts me in the "must avoid" category. Soy is one of the reasons I rely on whole foods. I've personally tried adding soy to my diet, especially when I was on the Macrobiotic Diet, and had horrible results.

I had a friend who added soy to her diet and soon after started having symptoms of gallbladder attacks. Another friend and I said it was probably caused by the foods she used that contained soy (including soy milk and tofu), but what did we know? Other than both of us had similar reactions to soy.

After several doctors, all who said she didn't have a diseased gallbladder, she finally convinced a physician to remove her gallbladder, which ended up being healthy and couldn't have been causing the problems.

Even after the surgery she continued to have the same symptoms. At long last we convinced her to remove soy from her diet. Soon thereafter she was symptom-free. The money she spent and all the other problems, all because of soy.

The things in soy "considered" beneficial are available in other legumes, without all the negative things associated with soy. Soy is all about marketing, not health. It's Big Ag (agriculture) run amuck $$$$$.

[bast]

My understanding is that heavily processed soy is what's really bad for you. Obviously, this is a different story for people with allergies, thyroid conditions, and possibly some other health conditions, but for most people I believe less-processed forms of soy are harmless.

Tofu, edamame, tempeh, and even soymilk have been eaten in various cultures for a long, long time without causing health problems, and in many cases they rank higher in health than the US. Here, most of us are eating soy every day whether we know it or not, but not in the forms that people eat in countries where soy has traditionally been consumed...we're more likely to eat it in the highly processed forms of oils, soy protein isolate, and other assorted soy-based filler ingredients that can be found in nearly everything you buy in a box or jar.

That said, it's best not to depend on only one protein source -while I do eat my fair share of tofu and drink my fair share of soymilk, I eat more beans and nuts than anything else for protein, and I switch between soy and almond milk.

[WindTech]

I would recommend hemp nuts as a substitute to soy in almost every area. Hemp nuts (really seeds) contain complete proteins and all kinds of nutrients like the omega fatty acids, etc... There are tasty "do it yourself" hemp milk recipes out there too and I can usually find 5 lb tubs of hemp nuts for $30 that will last for months (keep in freezer for longevity though). Completely legal so don't worry about shipping or anything because they are all sterilized. Anyone else enjoy hemp foods?

[IntlMom]

mmmm...... hemp milk........

A bit harder for me to find that rice or soy or almond milks - but worth the extra effort~ it's yummy!

[mauimagic]

It is amazing how little I know about so many things. Mahalo for all your interesting input here. We enjoy tofu, but eat locally created ones - our favorite being Makaweli from Kauai.

[Palooka]

I think the stigma surrounding Soy is overrated. Soy is in more food than we think. As far as tofu, not a big fan. It's got to be in a fancy dish flavored good and that's the only way I will eat it.

[Teresa T]

Love tofu. I am trying to eat more balanced and not quite as much soy as I used to. Adding more beans etc. I usually drink rice milk

As far as allergy or symptoms related to soy everyone is different. Peanuts can be deadly to some and I eat peanut butter out of the jar with no ill effects. I love peanut butter. Not to mention many other allergies like wheat which has no adverse effect on me. An antibiotic can cure one and the same antibiotic kill another. Because someone has a bad reaction to soy does not make it bad.

I think a lot of the controversy is around the processed textured vegetable protein which is made from soy. As a vegan, I don't plan on going through life never eating another vegan soy dog or sausage. But I limit this.

I'm far from an expert on this subject but who knows who is behind the negative soy campaign. I know the corn industry is funding those high fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation adds and I really avoid that junk.

[Palooka]

I'm far from an expert on this subject but who knows who is behind the negative soy campaign. I know the corn industry is funding those high fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation adds and I really avoid that junk.

The meat and dairy industry.