I've been thinking a lot again about soy even when I'm in the supermarket trying to get meat alternatives. So many vegan products based with soy and they are the cheapest.
I wonder if the soy industry is subsidised just like meat and dairy?
Everywhere I look soy soy soy. And lots of other products have it as like soy lecithin for example. I feel like it's getting as bad as palm oil.
Checked a few vegan sites but they were all biased. Nothing is black and white. I just don't want to support an industry which is unsustainably growing food i.e. soy (monoculture!).
Hi Aretak, you are not alone in having concerns about soy it has been GM'd for over 30 years and has powerful amino acids/isoflavones.
Personally I like vegetables so don't crave meat alternatives as veggies in a sauce or pie are fab in my book, my trouble is I like veggies too much so don't eat enough carbs.
So to me its all about balance and soy in moderation has a place in my diet.
I do think that soy seems to affect the thyroid gland in some people so can see why those who are hyperthyroid avoid it.
I think that the problem with soy milk/yoghurt is the soy protein isolates which we consume rather than all the bean. (Like freshly squeezed fruit juice turns out to be very high in sugar because we have removed the remainder of the fruit, hence an imbalance in nutritional qualities. And fermented soy is defiantly healthier for us.
Being proactive is the only way to treat the food industry as they want our money for their goods so 'we' have to vote with our pockets and let manufacturers know what we want.
I'm also a great believer in 'us' the consumer being aware of what we are really eating so an interesting link.
And I agree about power of the free from/vegan special diet pound...😊
I do have thyroid problem so I definitely have to watch how much of soy I get into my body. Also I do try to buy local foods, get some of the veg from Riverford, still feel this is not enough. I wish I had a garden, would love to practice veganic permaculture. Guess I just really try to change my lifestyle into low impact.
Thanks for posting that interesting article. One thing that it didn't emphasize though, was that the majority of soy is going into the animal industry. So as people eat less meat, the demand for soy as animal feed will fall. According to this WWF article "In fact 80% of the world’s soybean crop is fed to livestock, especially chickens".
However, the industry is subsidized, in the US and China at least, and one can imagine that if this happens they will seek alternative usages for their product in soy burgers and such like. Its a bit like high fructose corn syrup which started due to subsidized over production of corn.
Thanks for the info. Today I did some research and found that most articles said they do subsidise soy. I had read previously that 80% is used as animal feed. I'm also wondering if it's from the same source that is used for animal feed and for other food products including vegan and vegetarian food. 🤔That's what you would expect in a profit based system.
Same here. Though found this article from 2011. Pretty depressing. I won't buy much soy products for sure. Stopped eating processed foods anyway and prefer homemade nut milks😊
Hi I’m not sure about soy. Only have a very small amount in my diet but saying that it is the most confusing thing I have ever looked in to. Apparently it can mess up your hormone levels as it’s got high estrogen but I’ve heard this can be good if you are low in estrogen. People who have had breast cancer are told not to eat it and others say it’s fine if it’s organic. I think you are best to make your own food and you know what’s in it. As you have said it really isn’t clear whether it is good or bad and you read yourself round in circles trying to figure it out. I suppose a little won’t do any harm and processed foods are best avoided whether vegan or not. Sorry I can’t be of more conclusive help 🌱
Thanks for your reply. I had to change my diet a few months back, trying to eat real food, no more gluten, no more processed food, well sometimes😊 Booya Booya ice cream, can't say no. Once a month won't hurt and there's no soy in it. Still homemade ice cream is the best☺️💕
I very rarely have any soy. This is partly because I have recently identified it as a trigger for my arthritis but also because I feel more and more that by consuming soy I am implicated in supporting the animal feed industry. Add on to the GM and soy's fate is sealed for me.
I have a similar aversion to corn. As well as these crops being a mainstay of animal agriculture, they take over vast swathes of land and thus reduce planetary diversity.
Agreed, I also feel the same with corn too. The best thing is to buy local veg from small organic farms or if you can grow your own😊
If anybody is oblivious, soy sauce is also a derivative of soy/soya...................Just saying. . .
Natto is also a fermented version of soya/soy often encountered in health food stores. You can get organic soya/soy products. But be more wary of the containers of the foods as well as the foods you would be eating.
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