I’ve been living free from dairy and soy
for over a year now, while I breastfeed my son who is intolerant to both (CMPI
/ MSPI). While I have every hope of trying to introduce some dairy back
into both of our diets at some point, I have absolutely no intention of doing
the same with soy. Soy is one of the more difficult foods to eliminate because it is in so many products, but now that we've done it, I'm not going back!
I used to consume quite a lot of soy prior
to eliminating it from my diet for the Stuntman’s sake – I’m lactose
intolerant, and soy was the most convenient and seemingly-healthy dairy
alternative I’d heard about. A year or so ago I could easily have 3
takeaway soy flat whites a day, as well as maybe some soy yogurt at breakfast,
and soy cheese with lunch. Not to mention all the sneaky soy that is used in
processed foods (as filler, as flavour, and sometimes to ‘improve’ texture). Then add in soy sauce, tofu and miso, and I was swimming in soy soup!
Soy can be found in most commercial breads, biscuits and baked goods, is included in many sauces (not just Asian flavours), stocks, margarine, mayo, deli meats and is heavily featured in many dairy-free and vegetarian/vegan products. Soy is present in foods under a number of different names, including Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein (HVP) or Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), MSG, soy lecithin, soy protein isolate and soybean oil.
Soy can be found in most commercial breads, biscuits and baked goods, is included in many sauces (not just Asian flavours), stocks, margarine, mayo, deli meats and is heavily featured in many dairy-free and vegetarian/vegan products. Soy is present in foods under a number of different names, including Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein (HVP) or Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), MSG, soy lecithin, soy protein isolate and soybean oil.
Soy was (and is) promoted as a healthy
alternative to cow’s milk - marketers say it lowers cholesterol, prevents heart
disease, aids weight loss and even prevents osteoporosis - and I believed the hype.
 |
| A selection of healthy? soy foods |
These days, however, my eyes have been
opened to the dangers of soy; it is getting an increasingly bad rap from
consumers and health professionals, with the media starting to take notice as
well.
Stories like this week’s one from
Australia, where a group of Bonsoy drinkers have been awarded $25 million for
health issues directly linked to drinking that particular brand of soy milk,
(although in that case the problem was the iodine levels from the production method, rather than the soy
itself).
The main issue with soy, it seems, is its tendency
to mimic the effects of oestrogen in the body, for both males and females. The
chemicals within soy that do this are called ‘isoflavones’, and they are
classed as endocrine disruptors, AKA nasty little buggers that interfere with
the normal function of hormones in the body.
Excessive soy consumption has been linked
to an increased risk of breast cancer, and may have an impact on the fertility
of both males and females. Soy can also interfere with thyroid function.
Anecdotally, I’ve heard lots and lots of stories of women who’ve been big soy consumers,
who now have serious reproductive problems, or other hormonal issues. Lots of
these stories come from vegetarians (or former vego’s), who included soy as a
significant protein source in their diets.
The soy product that scares me most is soy-based
baby formula. There have now been several statistically significant research
projects conducted which have all shown soy-based formula to be detrimental to
the health of babies. Issues such as increased breast tissue in female toddlers,
early puberty (for girls), and behavioural and developmental concerns have all been
directly linked to soy formula, as well as ongoing hormonal issues as these
babies grow into adults, including having longer menstrual cycles and increased
pain during periods.
And yet, soy-based baby formulas are still
sold, still recommended by (some) doctors, and still used by a lot of
unsuspecting parents. I just cannot comprehend how a product that has been
scientifically proven to be detrimental to the health of babies is still
produced, marketed and sold as the ‘ideal’ sole source of nutrition for tiny little babies.
So while I hope to one day delete the ‘dairy-free’
label from this blog, the ‘soy-free’ one is here to stay.
References & Further Reading:
- http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Soybeans
- http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm
- http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/02/12/straight-talk-about-soy/
- http://foodallergies.about.com/od/soyallergies/a/List-Of-Soy-Ingredients-To-Avoid-When-Following-A-Soy-Free-Diet.htm
