soy
Soy products, an affordable investment in your health, are now included in the USDA dietary guidelines. Studies also increasingly show that the phytoestrogens and antioxidant power of the phytonutrients in soy can be effective in protecting against cancer and diseases like emphysema (COPD). Soy is the #1 source of isoflavones and may provide protection against breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Consuming soy-based products has been shown to suppress the fat storage mechanism and to prevent increases in abdominal fat. Soymilk, though, like cow’s milk, may interfere with the benefits of tea such as chai. But as long as it’s shaken, it can provide the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk. Phytoestrogen intake through soy consumption in menopausal adult women may help to reduce hot flashes, while for young girls it is effective may help delay the onset of premature menarche and puberty. Since soy products such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame appear to help lower cholesterol (though not as much as other beans), a soy-based Atkins diet is not dangerous like a meat based one is (though the tofu should not be made with formaldehyde). Another benefit is that bacon derived from soy does not appear to emit carcinogens when cooked, unlike bacon derived from pigs.
See also the related blog posts: Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, Soy and breast cancer: an update
Topic summary contributed by Jim Merrikin.
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