Image courtesy of Zyance

A few days ago I posted an article on Green Mamma about how to navigate meat and dairy markets; specifically, I set out to understand the meanings and marketing behind the multitude of flesh food labels and seals of approval. From recent conversations I have had and from comments and e-mails regarding this post, I am coming more to believe that the motto “thinking global and eat local” is the way to go; that is, by purchasing produce, grains, dairy, and meats locally, consumers have help offset global warming and may still eat and live in a way that resonates with their culture and values.

On another note, my post took aim at flesh foods and highlighted how eating meats and other animal products can introduce unwanted hormones and antibiotics into our diets (if we do not pay attention to how foods were treated by farmers and manufacturers). My interest in the nutritional value of meat is for sake of knowing how to provide my husband and daughter with a healthful diet, which includes meat. At the same time, my own vegetarian diet includes foods made from soy, which is a food ingredient that may or may not be healthy, when consumed in large quantities, for the long term.

Today, I was forwarded an article entitled “The Evidence Against Soy” published on Mercola.com regarding whether or not soy foods are healthy; below is a segment from this article:

Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy foods in 1999 (which said diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease), soy sales have skyrocketed. In the years between 2000 and 2007, food manufacturers in the U.S. introduced over 2,700 new foods with soy as an ingredient, including 161 new products introduced in 2007 alone.

This has resulted in a booming multi-billion dollar business. From 1992 to 2007, soy food sales increased from a paltry $300 million to nearly $4 billion, according to the Soyfoods Association of North America.

However, the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January of this year, asking them to retract its heart-health claim from soy in light of the inconsistent and contradictory evidence showing benefits, and its many proven health risks.

To continue reading “The Evidence Against Soy”, click here.

While the verdict on whether or not soy is a healthful food to eat, vegetarians (and omnivores too) may choose from a wide variety of high protein foods sources that are plant based; a few to consider:

• lentils
• beans
• tempeh (Dr. Mercola says that fermented soy foods have reduced levels of dangerous isoflavones)
• nuts and nut butters
• seeds
• wheat and grains

What are your thoughts regarding whether soy is healthy or harmful? Also, continuing with the discussion of animal food products and their labeling, how do those of you who include meat and animal products in your diets, determine what and where to buy your foods from? Last, I would love to hear suggestions on other plant based protein sources.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 11:20 am and is filed under Green Living, Health and Nutrition, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.