My best friend, Alex, was sixteen when she decided to stop eating meat. Her love of animals and her distaste for the sinewy feeling of meat between her teeth left her seeking vegetarian alternatives to her old steak and chicken staples. When she discovered soy products, she quickly became a fan; not only could she continue to make her beloved “beef” tacos, but soy substitutes were also a good protein supplement. “The taste wasn’t too different,” Alex says. “It helped me feel like I was still eating substantial meals.”
But how healthy is soy, really? The plant has been a dietary staple in East Asian cultures for thousands of years, and Americans have jumped on the bandwagon recently—between 1992 and 2008, soy-product sales increased from $300 million to $4 billion in the U.S. Whereas soy used to be relegated to health-food stores, now we can find it in just about every supermarket. Are we on our way to longer, healthier lives?
Not exactly. “The bulk of soy products that you can buy in the States are processed and altered so much that the original East Asian consumers wouldn’t even recognize them,” says Alex, who recently earned a degree in nutrition science.
Some studies have linked soy to infertility, breast cancer, thyroid problems, and other health issues. How true are these claims? Is soy a truly healthy alternative to dairy? What are our other options? I dove into the research surrounding some of these questions to see what scientists have really discovered—sans spin and sensational headlines.
All Soy Isn’t Created Equal
Luckily, conflicting claims about soy are mostly reconcilable—we just have to get a little more specific. Jenny Geyser, a San Diego–based personal trainer, cautions people on eating overly processed soy in particular, which she claims has “lately been shown, through many studies, to be harmful.” Avoiding this potential harm means steering clear all processed soy products, including the “soy protein isolate” found in powders, bars, and those soy hot dogs, ice creams, protein shakes, and meats you see.
We’ve taken soy to a whole new level—just think about all the new soy products you see in grocery aisles (we’re not talking just miso soup and tofu anymore). All those studies touting the benefit of soy are correct—the fermented soy present in traditional Asian diets does have great health benefits. But tofurkey? Not so much.
