Monoculture, soy: Hi everyone, I've... - Vegan Foods for Life

Vegan Foods for Life

997 membersโ€ข1,611 posts

Monoculture, soy

Aretak profile image
Aretak
โ€ข12 Replies

Hi everyone,

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!).

Found this article helpful, not so biased:

civileats.com/2009/01/27/a-...

It's in our power what we demand from food companies. ๐Ÿ‘Š

Written by
Aretak profile image
Aretak
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
12 Replies
โ€ข

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...๐Ÿ˜Š

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply to

Hi Jerry,

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.

benwl profile image
benwlVolunteer

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 worldโ€™s soybean crop is fed to livestock, especially chickens".

wwf.panda.org/our_work/food...

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.

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply tobenwl

Hi benwl,

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. ๐Ÿค”That's what you would expect in a profit based system.

benwl profile image
benwlVolunteerโ€ข in reply toAretak

I think it's possible to avoid GMO soy, but otherwise it probably does all get lumped together regardless of origin.

I did try searching for single origin soybeans but without much luck so far.

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply tobenwl

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 milks๐Ÿ˜Š

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply toAretak

Oops forgot to paste the article:

gentleworld.org/as-we-soy-s...

Agoodenough profile image
Agoodenough

Hi Iโ€™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 itโ€™s got high estrogen but Iโ€™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 itโ€™s fine if itโ€™s organic. I think you are best to make your own food and you know whatโ€™s in it. As you have said it really isnโ€™t clear whether it is good or bad and you read yourself round in circles trying to figure it out. I suppose a little wonโ€™t do any harm and processed foods are best avoided whether vegan or not. Sorry I canโ€™t be of more conclusive help ๐ŸŒฑ

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply toAgoodenough

Hi,

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 sometimes๐Ÿ˜Š 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 bestโ˜บ๏ธ๐Ÿ’•

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbsVolunteer

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.

Aretak profile image
Aretakโ€ข in reply toandyswarbs

Hi Andy,

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 own๐Ÿ˜Š

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.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Lunch/Brunch: Baked plant based meatballs and veggies with pesto sauce. ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ˜‹โค๏ธ

Hello everyone, hope you have a great midweek so far! ๐Ÿค— Iโ€™m happy to finally found a great plant...
โ€ข

Hello Everyone ๐Ÿ‘‹, I hope the ๐ŸŒž shines through in any part of the globe ๐ŸŒ as we raise our high vibes! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™โค๏ธ

I hope you all have a joyful day so far! ๐Ÿค— Itโ€™s a journey for me when it comes to my food intakes...
โ€ข

Iron deficiancy anaemia, gluten allergy and how to carry on following a path that causes least harm

G'day Folks, As the title suggests, I could do with a bit of advice (and perhaps some good ideas...
Cookie101 profile image
โ€ข

This is the vicious cycle of poor health and climate crisis happening on this Earth. How can we make a difference? ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ˜Š๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ’š

Hello Everyone, hope you are keeping warm, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy your day!๐Ÿค— This is...
โ€ข

Moderation team

Kitten-whiskers profile image
Kitten-whiskersAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.