I have a history with Soya bean, good bad and ugly. When I got married in 2008, my hubby and I, both were doing our postgraduate training. Due to erratic schedules, we often ended up eating late. My favorite snack was a glass of cold milk and a cream biscuit. Now, this came to such a pass that I was having 1 liter of milk a day. Skimmed milk was not always available. Plus the packaged variety was expensive. We were med students saving money for our own home.
But I was gaining weight. This I didn’t like. Because that meant restricted eating out and no chocolates. So I thought I will shift to soymilk. A very popular brand had delicious chocolate flavored variety. I loved it.
Decreased dairy. Started soya bean diet. Great, soya milk benefits, right?Not really.
Back then I didn’t really research what I was putting in my body,even after being a doctor.That’s the power of shiny advertising.. Luckily my hubby was more aware. Back then soya was the greatest high protein health food. A dream food.Cheap and high-quality, with only a few high-quality research talking about the negatives. There is more source of hidden soya that you never knew. The effect of soya the good bad and ugly has as many stories, as there are stars in the sky.
Table of contents
The 3 main things which determine the effect of soya :
- Amount: Not more than 6 grams per day(1 teaspoon roughly)
- Type of soya: Fermentation products are preferred
- Age: Better avoid in children until discussed with a pediatrician.
The 10 truths about soya bean nutrition
#Truth 1:The Good of soya: soyabean benefits
- Cheap high-quality protein source useful for supplementing protein requirement for certain at risk people..
- May help in improving bone health in postmenopausal women(controversial).
- Maybe protective against breast cancer and prostate cancer.Research is going on.
- Helps with certain perimenopausal and menopausal problems.Soy sauce,miso tempeh,tofu are the products which are helpful when used in moderation.
# Truth 2 :Hidden soy in your daily diet?
Next soya shock.Since it’s a cheap source of first-class protein. In fact, it’s the only plant source of complete protein. It’s added in many packaged food which shows enhanced protein content. You have more soya in your diet than you knew. It’s present in paneer chunks (they will not tell you) and many packaged bakery products, including instant noodles.
#Truth 3: What’s soya bean ?The Bad and the ugly of soya.
The bean of soya is used to make soya oil, tofu, soya lecithin(added in baby food), soya milk.The soya that you eat is a byproduct of soya oil and was initially used strictly as animal feed,chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, and even fish.That’s the bad part of soya.
Soya is a known common food allergen. Food allergies never go away. They just become worse and you don’t know why.
The soya bean plant due to its high-quality nitrogen was used to improve soil quality during rotation of crops.In Asian countries, it has been used for centuries but mostly as fermented products. Soya sauce, miso, tempeh. But even in China, Japan they don’t have more than 8 gram of soya product per day.
What does soya have?
- Protein
- Phytestrogens
- Phytates and other antinutrients(nutrient blockers)
#Truth 4 :Is soya processed food?
Soya protein isolates need:
- Acid wash
- Alkaline baths
- Heat
- Hexane extraction and much more.
The journey to isolate the soya protein makes it impossible to digest. It can get rid of many but not all the antinutrients. Imagine what’s going into your body as soya nuggets and soya chaap!
In a diet where soya is the main protein source, FDA suggests fortification with extra methionine, lysine, vitamins, and mineral. So does that make this a good option?Not really.
#Truth 5: Nutrient blockers
- Soya has certain nutrient blockers
These are compounds which prevent your body from utilizing certain nutrients present in soya and other food.
Enzyme inhibitor:Phytates
These compounds are present in most beans and pulses. They form insoluble complexes with calcium iron zinc , iodine and prevents their absorption in the body. Soya has the highest Phytates among most grains and pulses.It does not break down with soaking or slow cooking(The way we remove Phytates from pulses)The only way to break it down is Fermentation. Soya milk, soya nuggets, soya granules, and soya dust have high Phytate levels.
The raw soya product is horrible to taste and smell. They add artificial flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and synthetic nutrients. The cattle feed makes a tasty meat substitute for us. Just imagine.Doesn’t it make you want to take out every bit of soya from your kitchen? I did.
My kitchen is a Soya Free zone(almost)
Free from soya nuggets, chunks, soya dust or soya milk-even those promoted by celebs. But soy sauce, miso, tempeh has much fewer problems and are useful sources of phytoestrogen for perimenopausal and menopausal women.Tofu is in between these two as it is formed by a separate process.So yes, you can still have these .I do but in moderation.
# Truth 6:Soy milk
Soya milk benefits are a myth. Soy milk is the fastest way to obesity, hypothyroidism. When you have tasty soya milk it’s very easy to drink a lot. That way our daily soy intake is more than the amount recommended in a year.
# Truth 7 Health problems by overuse of soya
- Thyroid problems
Related :Hypothyroidism prevention diet
- Male infertility. Lower spermatogenesis counts in men on a majorly soya-based diet. Lower testosterone.
- Irregular menstrual bleeding, endometriosis polyps
- Kidney stones: Soya also has oxalate which with calcium forms insoluble compounds and cause kidney stones.
- Brain atrophy. Research is going on regarding nature and process.
# Truth 8 :Soya in case of kids
Soya is present as the major protein source in most of the low lactose baby formulas.They are recommended when there is severe lactose intolerance and the child needs the nutrition ,nay which way. Don’t ever forget to read the label. Should you give soya to children? Soya has phytoestrogens. The good which protects against hot flushes can cause many problems in children. It’s like giving them growth hormone ( HGH) supplementation.
All problems in adults are exacerbated in children. Baby girls may show sign of puberty very early. Cases of puberty happening at 3 years has made doctors careful about giving soy-based baby food.
I stopped drinking my favorite chocolate soya milk. Soya has a market share of 2 million in 1980 and 1 billion in the USA now. Do you think they are going to stop producing something which is making them rich? Do you think the people who produce soya milk drink it?
Think again. Moderation is always the key. Soya is not great, but it’s not evil in small amounts. The problem is knowing the right kind to have and in the right amount. What’s your opinion on the good bad and ugly of soya? Comment below to let me know.
Updated : October 2021
Reference:
1)White LR, Petrovitch H, Ross GW, Masaki KH, et al. “Brain aging and midlife tofu consumption.” J Am Coll Nutr 2000 Apr;19(2):242-55.
2)Julia R. Barrett. “The Science of Soy: What Do We Really Know?” Environ Health Perspect. 2006 June; 114(6): A352-A358. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480510/
3)Yan L, Spitznagel EL. “Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of the meta-analysis.” Am J Clin Nut. 2009; 89: 1155-63. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19211820
4)Villegas R, Gao YT, Yang G, Li HL, Elasy TA, Zheng W, Shu XO. “Legume and soy food intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Shanghai Women’s
Health Study.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):162-7http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18175751
5)Taku, Kyoko; Melby, Melissa K.; Kronenberg, et al. “Extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones reduce menopausal hot flash frequency and severity:
systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Menopause. 19(7):776-790, July 2012http://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/
6)Choy Leng Yeong. “Dean Says U.S. Soy-Milk Sales May Reach $1 Billion (Update2).” Bloomberg. June 15, 2009. (Accessed 9 Sept 2012.)http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aX1Je8Kr7S6U
7)Havarro JE, Toth TL, Sadio SM, Hauser R. “Soy food and isoflavone intake in relation to semen quality parameters among men from an infertility clinic.”Hum Reprod. 2008 Nov;23(11):2584-90. Epub 2008 Jul 23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18650557
8)Chandrareddy A et al. (2008). Adverse effects of phytoestrogens on reproductive health: a report of three cases. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 14(2):132-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18396257
9)”Soybean Milk and the Production of Goitre.” Can Med Assoc J. 1960 Sep 10;83(11):608.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1938649/pdf/canmedaj00856-0043b.pdf
10)Setchell, K.D. et al., “Isoflavone content of infant formulas and the metabolic fate of these early phytoestrogens in early life.” American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, December 1998 Supplement, 1453S-1461S.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/68/6/1453S.full.pdf
11)Is your child’s protein sufficient for the Second and last Growth Spurt?
12)Protinex :All that you wanted to know
13)Muscle loss with Age:Can we Control it?
14) Riaz MN (2006). Soy applications in food. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 155–84. ISBN 0-8493-2981-7.
15 Soy protein products: processing and use
E W Lusas 1, M N Riaz https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7884536/
Healthcare is an individual decision and needs careful discussion and professional consultation before taking any decision. The author is sharing her professional knowledge.Th is post is meant as educational information and all decision to be taken at own risk after consulting own doctor in person.
Health information is constantly being updated and while Healthwealthbridge tries it’s best to keep updated information, the author and the website shall not be held liable for any reliance placed on such content for any reason whatsoever.
Thanks a lot for such useful information . Really helpful article thanks again.
thanks for sharing such amazing information
Many of these were beyond my knowledge, thanks for sharing.
Glad you found this useful.
Very useful post
Thanks Esha
Informative post. Soya is available as cheap source of plant derived protein source. Tofu is available in many supermarkets abroad. I guess key is to consume it in moderation within permissible limits, reading labels and consulting physician in case one becomes overly dependent of soya product.
Exactly moderation and reading labels are very important points.Also no following fads blindly
I seriously had no idea that soy bean has a dark side too. Since I am a vegetarian, I used to rely on Soy bean for the protein. But not anymore… Guess I will have to look for other sources of veg protein.
And thank you Dramrita for sharing this.
This was really an eye opener. Glad you wrote about it
Thank you
Amazing blog post. I learnt here some good about soya bean.
Wonderful info that not many people are aware of.
U made me aware of the soya in any form is vulnerable. Never knew, always thought it was great substitute of proteins for vegetarian. I as a user only use soya chunks often in vegetable subzi when greens are not around, now need to be careful
I havent tried soy products bit this shows that we should just not follow any fad without knowing details
even rajiv dixit also talk about in their videos !!
Oh My God!!! superb information Amrita… I will keep these things in mind.,,, Thanks so much
I am not a huge consumer of soya, though I do make soya chunks subji sometimes, but that is rare. However, I am even reconsidering that now. Soya sauce is more frequent, but that’s also in moderation.
Anyway, this was an eye-opening read. I had never realized that there might be so many downsides to soya, which is so often promoted as a super-food.
Growing up on a soybean farm, there’s so much more to them than milk and food.
I had always thought that soya was good for you and had no idea that it’s the fastest way to obesity. I don’t tend to eat soya nowadays. Very informative post and will be sharing this.
That’s shocking! While I rarely use Soya, this post will ensure it never enters my kitchen. Thanks for sharing !!
Hi! I hopped over from Sirimiri (Mayuri’s blog). I have hypothyroidism. Long ago, I read somewhere that soy inhibits the functioning of the thyroid gland. So I removed it from my kitchen. I always check the list of ingredients on packets to make sure they don’t contain any soy. This was a good article.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog.Mayuri’s blog is such a pleasure to read .I am really glad you found the info helpful.Its very smart of you to check food labels.Thats one way of keeping us safe.Do visit again
I am bit confused as I saw many articles before which list soya milk as healthy product but few Big sites like Authoritynutrition/livestrong etc says its not good. Even my daughter’s doctor prescribed that, when my daughter was just 1 year old and she diagnosed with Lactose allergy, So her doctor suggested us Zerolac Milk, Which is a Soya milk. My daughter drink that around 2 years and she is fine, May be due to they removed all bad content from it ? You can also view that at
We also used to make Soya Chunk curry from a good brand, but someone told us, these are animal food not for humans. Even nothing such written on the package. OMG…
Now a days i am trying to lose some weight and thinking to add Soya milk in my protein diet, now as it has so many drawbacks, will not add that. Thanks Dramrita mam for listing all points with examples and references.
Seema
The brand you mentioned has a considerable amount of soya .Lactose intolerant childrein are often given that .Its ok till 6 months but after that not ideal .Excessive phtoestrogen in soya causes hormonal problems.If baby is 2 try others like casein and whey protein after consulting with your pediatrician.All soya info you can check from the refernces I have given.Soya curry not a good idea.Soya milk absolutely not good.
Exercise ,balanced diet should help you with ypour weight issues.Thanks for reading Seema
I had no clue that, soya could have so many vices. I think like they say, excess of everything is bad!
Wow! I only knew Soya was good for you. this is an eye opener for me. I had been on a diet once where in I was given soy amilk instead of the dairy one and I had hated it, plus tofu was unbearable. So gave up soya since and am so glad that I have….
Thank you for the lowdown on the soybeans. It always leaves me confused and you clarified it.
Thanks Valerie.
Love soya. In fact I drink soya milk everyday and I really don’t care what media have to say. For me, everything done in moderation is good.
Yes moderation is important. And I never believe media .Only meta analysis derived scuentufic results 🙂
Great post ! Very informative! I like soy and try to add it in my diet once a week but I was not aware so many facts about it! I need to be careful about it! Thanks for sharing !
Thanks Rita.Yes soya has been hyped so much that we forgot to look at the cons.
It’s best to be careful
Wow..lot of details on soya which I was not aware of at all. Thanks for sharing them with us. 🙂
Yes soya has infiltrated our diet in so many forms.People are caught unaware abput it’s effects
Oh my..I have soy milk, a ton of it I just bought… We use it here and there in our smoothies. And I drink lots of it because we can’t have dairy…
Nothing is safe!!! 🙁 Ugh.
That’s quite informative, Amrita! Glad that I’m not a fan of soya 😛
I was shocked when I read that soy milk is the fastest way to obesity. Many people promote it as a healthy option that is a great alternative to diary.
Gosh this is shocking. I give my 4 year old soya milk regularly .. I never knew that there was a possibility that it may not be a healthy option. I would research it a bit more .. thanks for sharing this!!
Soy beans are so difficult to digest that they must be processed (whether industrially or by you at home, but that’s not recommended). But even processed, there are so many downsides to soy that I wouldn’t consider it a healthful food. It’s high in protein, yes, but it’s very high in unhealthful substances as well, including a high proportion of Omega 6 oil to Omega 3, and polyunsaturated fats are damaged by the kind of processing needed to make soy remotely edible
Soy beans are so difficult to digest that they must be processed (whether industrially or by you at home, but that’s not recommended). But even processed, there are so many downsides to soy that I wouldn’t consider it a healthful food. It’s high in protein, yes, but it’s very high in unhealthful substances as well, including a high proportion of Omega 6 oil to Omega 3, and polyunsaturated fats are damaged by the kind of processing needed to make soy remotely edible.
Absolutely .That is the scary part of soya.Additionally there is no disclaimer given by soya sellers.
Shocking
I didn’t know some facts about soy milk, but I don’t drink it so that is good.
Yes its great that you don’t drink it.
Soya milk increases infertility in women, i read that somewhere. I am not very fond of soya , myself – tasteless completely.
You are very smart .Yes it can cause infertility by causing hypothyroidism. Definitely a pr5
You are very smart .Yes it can cause infertility by causing hypothyroidism. Definitely a problem
great research as always…Thanks
Thanks Geetika glad you liked it.
Good lord! I did not know so many things. I am allergic to soy and even otherwise don’t like the taste of it. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks Ramya.Glad ypu found it useful
Each post of yours is a myth busting eye opener…simply WOW…
Thanks Mayura that’s very kind of you.Glad ypu liked it
I was thinking of moving from dairy milk to Soy milk. But I am gonna give it a second thought. Thank you for writing this.
It’s definitely one of the doubtful health fads.The research definitely is not supporting use of soya milk.
Glad you found it useful.
Amrita ..this one is a well researched and useful post. I knew some of it but some of it is new to me too 🙂
Thanks Deepa I am so happy that you found it useful.Means a lot to me.
And my Dad used to tell me that it is chicken curry which he had made, just so that I will have Soya! 🙂 Good that it is not a favorite of mine. Wuld have it only once in 6 months or so! 😛
Even I never really liked soya .I thought it tasted like sawdust.
Thanks for reading
Quite informative. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks
nice article, soybean and sunflower are produced in excess in western countries and dumped here, thus their health benefits skyrocketting
Absolutely right. Thanks for reading
Omg, I’m shocked to read all this, as I also like soy milk. I’ve heard that we should eat/drink soy with moderation, but based on what you wrote, soy seems to have more negative effects than positive… Better be careful… Thanks for sharing!
Hi Renata yes unfortunately soya milk is hyperpromoted.It’s best to make informed choices
Oh I need to check the ingredients then… There’s no soy product in my kitchen from what I know. I remember reading an article about Soya and since then stopped eat. Soyabeans are so cheap that I remember it was cooked almost every week in our hostel mess. Thanks for sharing this.
Yes its the hidden stuff which these companies don’t tell us that’s scary
Very well research post about Soyabean you brought everything under one roof 🙂 learn a lot bookmark it & will convey this to my fellas 🙂
Glad you liked it.Do share