So from this week forward I will use this Friday blog to answer just some of the many queries that I have had, starting with a query earlier this week about soy products.
The woman in question told me that she had had some symptoms that seemed hormonal and assumed that it was the beginning of the perimenopause and so she had started to consume a variety of soy products because they contain phyto-oestrogen. As it transpired it was another cause which was treated but the woman has continued with the soy products believing them to be good for her. She wanted to know what I thought about them.
Not all soy is equal and even the countries in which soy has always been consumed eat less of it than we currently do. A small amount of soy may be good for our health but in larger amounts, especially in the form of soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein can have negative effects on our health. Some of the chemicals naturally occurring in soy can block the uptake of minerals and can reduce gastric digestion. In one study done in 1991 in Japan it was found that 2 tablespoons a day results in an increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone which actually reduces the amount of circulating thyroxin causing fatigue, lethargy and goitre (swollen thyroid gland in the neck). There some other rather concerning possible side-effects that would suggest that only a small amount of soy is consumed on a regular basis.
The best soy products are miso, tofu, temph and other fermented soy products which can usually be found in health food shops and in some supermarkets.
If you would like your question answered please write it below or email me at:
sarah@beautifullybalanced.com.au
love
Sarah
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