The truth about soy

In a nutshell (if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing!)

• Soya isn’t as healthy as we thought. If you’re going to have soy products choose fermented soy (miso, natto or tempeh)
• Don’t give soy products to kids and limit your own intake. 
• Avoid soy if you have thyroid issues, breast cancer or oestrogen related conditions (endometriosis, breast cancer or family history of). 

A few years ago I would always order soya milk in my cappucinos, cut out dairy pretty much altogether and even ate those soya ‘yogurts’. The reason was that a. I’d heard that dairy caused spots b. I knew that my stomach had always been a little bit sensitive to too much creamy food and c. Well, Soy was generally much healthier right? Maybe not..

The more I learnt about soy products, the more alarm bells started ringing. In particular when I starting researching and found out that soya products are not recommended for young boys due to the effect that it has on female hormones and also the potential link between too much soy and certain oestrogen linked illnesses. 

Without going into the extensive research (that would be a whole thesis), here are my thoughts on why soy/soya isn't the healthiest choice:

1. Many soya products we consume are genetically modified 
2. Most soya products contain things called ‘anti-nutrients’ that prevent absorption of iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium
3. Too much soya may affect the function of the thyroid, potentially leading to thyroid issues
4. Soya contains phytoestrogens - things which mimic the female hormone oestrogen. Although phytoestrogens have the potential to decrease risk of breast cancer, it’s unsure whether they could also increase risk of breast cancer and may even affect development of sex characteristics in boys and girls (hence why it’s not a good idea to use a soy based formula or give soya products to kids!)
5. Soya products are typically highly processed (a standard soya milk contains Filtered Water, Whole Soybeans, Cane Sugar or other sugar/sweetener, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12. Compare this to the ingredients list of organic cow’s milk - milk. 
6. Soya milk and other products tend to contain added sugar (a standard soya yogurt has around 3 teaspoons of sugar).

Foods you might not realise are high in soy:

Meal replacement drinks and protein powders (not going to name and shame but check the labels). 

Burger meat and buns

Breadcrumbs, cereals and crackers and breaded foods

Infant formulas and follow on formulas

Deli meats

Baking products

Nutrition supplements (vitamins)

The good news is that there is an exception to the rule:

Fermented soy products like tempeh, miso and natto are the only ways I’d recommend eating soy (tofu is out too!). This traditional fermentation process helps to make the soya more digestible and also deactivates some of the anti-nutrients.

What are the best milk alternatives?  

This will be a whole other blog but my preference would be 
1. Organic cow, goat or sheep milk 
2. Good quality almond milk (check the ingredients and % of almonds actually used - many have as little as 2% almonds and contain all sorts of added sugar, salt and weird stuff!) Making your own is really easy - blog coming soon on how to! 
3. Hemp milk (again check ingredients) 
4. Coconut milk (check doesn't have tons of added sugar) 
5. Rice or oat milk (tend to be lower in protein and higher in carbs and often sugar though). 


Veggie alternatives to soy:

Lots of vegetarians and vegans eat soy as a protein source - instead, go for beans, legumes like chickpeas and peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, quinoa, buckwheat or organic eggs and dairy (if you’re not vegan).