Yesterday my sister-in-law wrote, "I found this article about soy products?" I took this to mean she had read an article that worried her. She continued, 'I eat edamame and drink soy milk quite a bit and have for over 4 yrs so I am a bit worried ... what do you think? Let me know."
I didn't read the article myself, but I frequently get women asking about estrogen in soy. The soy eaten on a macrobiotic diet is in the form of miso soup (a one cup serving) daily or several times a week), organic whole black soybeans, or three or four ounces of organic tofu a once or twice a week, or occasionally I think edemame is a great snack. Whole soy products.
Occasionally, I might have soy milk, but not on a regular basis. Nor do I comsume soy protein powders or pills. But, if I were given the choice of soy or cow's milk, I'd definitely choose the soy, hands down ... just not a lot of it.
I — and others who practice macrobiotics — eat a lot of different kinds of beans, but soy is only a small percentage of what we eat. I don't eat a lot of soy products that resemble meat either (fake soy meats), though I might eat one in place of a hamburger if I went to a summer barbecue. For me, processed foods are limited or occasional.
The things to worry MORE about is ALL the animal protein (saturated fat) ... all cuts of meat are 50-75 percent fat ... and, high fat from junk foods and non-nutritive foods ... cakes, pies, cookies, crackers, etc. Estrogens are stored in an animal's body fat, then our body fat and this is worse because of xenotrogens (substances like DDT, PCB's, hormones, and other toxins). These mimic estrogens, sending signals to the breast tissue to grow, unchecked. It is implicated in cancer growth.
I recommend limiting animal protein intake or cutting it out all together and eating a variety of organic grains, beans and vegetables. These are lower in fat and have negligible amounts of xenoestrogens, compared to meat, poultry, and dairy products. For fats, try using "good" oils such as olive, sesame, or some safflower or sunflower.
Some suggested reading: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, T he Food Revolution by John Robbins, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by John R. Lee.
I didn't read the article myself, but I frequently get women asking about estrogen in soy. The soy eaten on a macrobiotic diet is in the form of miso soup (a one cup serving) daily or several times a week), organic whole black soybeans, or three or four ounces of organic tofu a once or twice a week, or occasionally I think edemame is a great snack. Whole soy products.
Occasionally, I might have soy milk, but not on a regular basis. Nor do I comsume soy protein powders or pills. But, if I were given the choice of soy or cow's milk, I'd definitely choose the soy, hands down ... just not a lot of it.
I — and others who practice macrobiotics — eat a lot of different kinds of beans, but soy is only a small percentage of what we eat. I don't eat a lot of soy products that resemble meat either (fake soy meats), though I might eat one in place of a hamburger if I went to a summer barbecue. For me, processed foods are limited or occasional.
The things to worry MORE about is ALL the animal protein (saturated fat) ... all cuts of meat are 50-75 percent fat ... and, high fat from junk foods and non-nutritive foods ... cakes, pies, cookies, crackers, etc. Estrogens are stored in an animal's body fat, then our body fat and this is worse because of xenotrogens (substances like DDT, PCB's, hormones, and other toxins). These mimic estrogens, sending signals to the breast tissue to grow, unchecked. It is implicated in cancer growth.
I recommend limiting animal protein intake or cutting it out all together and eating a variety of organic grains, beans and vegetables. These are lower in fat and have negligible amounts of xenoestrogens, compared to meat, poultry, and dairy products. For fats, try using "good" oils such as olive, sesame, or some safflower or sunflower.
Some suggested reading: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, T he Food Revolution by John Robbins, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by John R. Lee.