isolated soy protein bad, but how about edemame?

[DebbieSLP]

I have seen clips of Dr. M's presentations about isolated soy protein being worse than dairy in terms of increasing IGF-1 which causes aging and cancer growth. At the very end of what I saw, he also condemned soy milk, I assume because it also increases IGF-1.

My question is whether eating the whole edemame bean is a problem, and whether using soy milk that is made from whole beans rather than soy protein isolates and water, is also a problem.

In general, I knew already that processed foods were not healthy, and isolated soy protein is highly processed. However, soy milk made from whole beans is minimally processed, as is tofu. In fact I can make these products at home with whole organic soybeans.

Am I feeding cancer cells a super-growth diet by having this kind of soy milk, edemame beans, or tofu 4-5 times a week?

Thanks for your input, as I have not found this information elsewhere on the site yet.

[Chumly]

Here are some previous discussions from Jeff Novick's forum on soy.


http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5916
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5966
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6066

Michael

[DebbieSLP]

These were all interesting discussions on sodium. I don't add sodium to my soy milk, and I no longer use Bragg's because of the isolated soy (MSG).

I did do a search for "Isolated soy protein" and "isolated soy protein and edemame" before posting, but there were many thousands of hits, and the first thirty or forty I read did not have soy as a main topic, and many did not even mention soy at all.

If there's a thread on this specific topic you remember, please let me know so I can try to find it.

[toadfood]

Edamame are a whole food, with all the fiber and nutrients intact, so they should not be a problem if eaten in moderation. Keep in mind that they are much higher in fat than other beans, though. Soy milk from whole soybeans is also considered fine in small amounts.

If you're worried about soy, you might want to try almond milk. I really like it.

[Chumly]

Sorry about that. Try these discussions instead.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5770
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5600
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7645

Michael

[DebbieSLP]

Thanks Michael.

In the second discussion, I found this from Jeff Novick:

"2) if someone were to consume soy, I would recommend they avoid the highly processed form of soy and soy products including soy pills, powders, chips, cookies bars, meat substitutes, burgers, supplements etc etc etc etc, and instead focus on the least processed forms including edamame, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc

3) I would also recommend that they think of these products as condiments and limit their intake to no more than a serving or two of these foods at most per day. Even better would be no more than the equivalent of 3-4x times per week.

4) For many of the benefits without the controversies, I would recommend the inclusion of a variety of other beans every day, including kidney, lima, black, garbanzo, pinto, etc."

This completely answers my question, and I am glad I don't have to give up my one serving of soy 4-5 days a week. Since I'm at my ideal weight, I don't need to be overly concerned with the fat in edemame and tofu (the latter being my least frequently eaten soy product). I tend to use low fat soy milk, and don't add salt to my edemame.

I do have a more processed soy product about once a month, but it's good to be reminded why burgers and TVP recipes should not be staples in the kitchen.

Thanks again.