Best Soy, Worst Soy, Should You Eat Soy?

Um, not the most appetizing selection of foods, would you agree?

I could write about my friends coming over to cook Friday. We made delicious red lentil soup and I learned the most efficient way to cut cauliflower. I also could write about the NYC marathon yesterday (congrats to our Foodtrainers' clients who completed the race). There are many easier topics to write about than soy but I’ve postponed this doozy long enough. One of my closest friends from the past sent me a note asking “soy -is it good or bad? How much is ok? Is the amount different for men and women? What about little girls?”

To let the “soy” cat out of the bag, I don’t think soy is the wonder substance or cure-all it has been made out to be. The way we eat soy in this country bastardizes how soy was traditionally eaten. This is a blog post and not a research paper so I will tell you my soy questions started in graduate school. One of our teachers, a vegetarian, explained how she had been nicknamed Ms. Tofu (I think that was it) for her love of all things soy. She changed her view after a breast cancer diagnosis and did suspect soy played a role in the development of her disease. This was someone who ate soy immoderately (admittedly) and there is no way to prove the truth of her hypothesis but it definitely made me reevaluate soy and how I eat it and how I suggest others eat it. The isoflavones in soy, genistein and diadzein, are similar to human estrogen and may fuel certain cancer growth in cells with estrogen receptors. 

For starters, there are some forms of soy you should avoid. TVP, which stands for textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolates and soy protein concentrates are shoddy, inferior examples of soy. Read your labels and skip foods with these in it. Additionally, do a pantry, fridge and freezer check (Boca Burger or Luna bar anyone?) and toss foods with these ingredients. Soy protein powder, protein bars and faux meats commonly use soy isolates and TVP. These ingredients are also common in fast food and school lunch programs. For those of you who purchased the Skinny Bitch book these items figured prominently in that food plan. 

To make soy protein isolates or TVP takes heavy machinery, potent chemicals and leaves behind the fiber and many nutrients found in the original soybean. Additionally there are worrisome levels of certain substances, such as aluminum, left with the soy protein. Think of bathing in toxic bath oil, even once you dry yourself off, some residue remains. Want to eat that residue? Speaking of drying, the spray drying method used for soy forms nitrites. According to the Cornucopia Institute many processed soy foods, including some “made from organic soybeans” utilize hexane a pollutant and neurotoxin. The cancer connection for processed soy foods is stronger than for traditional whole soy. Processed, mangled estrogen, carcinogens, neurotoxins? Not for my family. 

Fermented soy products are probably the best soy foods to consume. Examples of these are miso (delicious), tempeh, natto and soy sauce. Fermentation increases the digestibility of soy and adds “good” bacteria and reduces the plant estrogen content in soy foods. When we look at Asian diets in Japan about half of soy consumption is from fermented soy and the other half tofu and dried soybeans. In China, soy consumption originated when it was discovered how to ferment soy. 

In terms of children, I was interested to hear the Israeli health ministry issued an advisory saying babies should not get soy formula and children under 18 should limit soy in their diets. Other countries such as the UK and Australia have soy warnings as well. As with food dyes and many other questionable ingredients, the U.S. says these foods are safe. As far as men, they unknowingly consume soy in many bars, shakes and “muscle building” products. These are concentrated sources of processed soy. Very high soy consumption can affect testosterone, estrogen and thyroid hormone levels as well as iron absorption. For this reason, anyone with a thyroid condition or trying to conceive should, in my opinion, skip soy that is unfermented. Women with breast cancer or at high risk for breast cancer should skip unfermented soy as well. 

As far as actionable steps:

• First, take stock of soy’s role in your diet. Look at everything from your bread to your snacks.
• Next, dabble in fermented soy. Natto is not a big part of my diet but I’ll glaze fish or vegetables with miso and my kids love miso soup.
• If you do buy tofu or edamame, look for organic or non GMO (organic assures it’s non GMO) though in some cases it’s hard to know if these are “organic” Chinese soybeans or US organic where standards are actually enforced.
• I’m not convinced you should add tofu or edamame to your diet if it isn’t there already. You want a rule I’d go with eating these foods once a week (max).
• And finally, for new moms reading this, do try to avoid soy formulas.

There are so many angles in the soy discussion that I was forced to simplify things. Let’s see where your questions lie and perhaps we can revisit this topic. In the mean time:
How often do you eat soy? Have you tried miso or tempeh? Do your kids have soy? Would you have rather read about cutting cauliflower? 
NYC readers- I’m giving a fun talk at the YinOva Center the evening of Thursday, 11/17, 7pm
Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Savvy Girls' Guide to the Holidays 
Call 212-533-2255 to register, bring a "savvy" friend and all your holiday food questions.

Eat Less with Activity Foods

About a month ago I was encouraging a client to add more fruit to her diet. Pushing fruit in February is like selling pork in an Orthodox neighborhood. It isn’t easy.  At the time I was loving Cara Cara oranges and suggested them to my client. “Oranges are too much work,” she said.  “What do you mean an orange is work?” I asked. “The peel, the juice, the mess, I don’t have the time.” I let it go and I think we settled on apples (less work).  It got me thinking though, this “work” my client referred to is a good thing when it comes to food. “Activity Foods” as I call them are foods that take time to eat. This slows us down and may just lead to eating less. Convenience isn't always a good thing when it comes to food. Here are my favorite activity foods:

Nuts/Nutcrackers

My first memory of eating nuts was in my Grandparents den. There was always a bowl of nuts on the table. The nuts were whole and a silver nutcracker rested next to them. As a child I remember many failed attempts at nut cracking. I probably consumed 1 nut per day back then. I don’t even know that my kids would know nutcrackers are used for eating nuts.  I vote for a nutcracker revival.

Edamame

Edamame are a great source of protein and the ultimate activity food. Buy edamame in the shell, non-GMO. Enjoy them as a snack with some sea salt and a little cayenne.

Shellfish

Attending college in New Orleans, some of my favorite memories are chowing down on crawfish or peel and eat shrimp. You really work for your food when eating these. Other shellfish options are mussels and lobster.

Artichokes

One of my favorite spring vegetables is artichokes. Artichokes take a little work to prepare and time to eat. Watch what you “dip” into. Artichokes are low calorie and high fiber, creamy sauces aren’t.

Olives

As much as I love a dirty martini, I love olives on their own too. Olives are high in fat (good fat) but fairly low in calories. Make sure to buy olives with their pits. Again, the pitting (and spitting) takes time.

Whole Fish

People are scared of whole fish (or grossed out) and I think that’s a mistake. Cooking fish whole renders a delicious end product and is a very healthy method of preparation. Furthermore, find me someone who can race through eating whole fish, you can’t.

Pistachios

If you’re not up for nutcracking, try pistachios. Pistachios are great as they lower LDL cholesterol and also because you can eat more (for same calories) than other nuts. Removing the shells is sort of fun…unless you had a manicure recently.

If you’re a speedy eater, activity foods will slow you down leaving time to savor the food that you’re eating and realize when you’re full (or tired of “working”).

Do you like activity foods? Any good ones I left off this list? Do you think oranges are a lot of work?