Vegetarians and soy: friend or foe?

Soya. It’s a food that has created a lot of controversy over the years, with advocates on both sides of the argument.

Some suggest it’s a fantastic food to eat with many health benefits, while others suggest it’s dangerous, that it can increase the risk of certain cancers and disrupt your hormones.

Thankfully, there is a clearer answer to the whole is soya good or bad debate, and we’ll explore it in this episode.

I’m going to cover the concerns around breast cancer, thyroid disruption, muscle building, menopause and more so that by the end of it, you know the ins and outs of consuming soya and whether it’s something you should be including in your diet.


How to Include Soya in Your Diet:

Let’s look at some practical ways to include soya in your daily diet, and a couple of my favourite recipes. Links to these recipes are in the shownotes so that you can check them out:

• Breakfast: Try using soya milk with your cereal instead of cow’s milk or a smoothie like our Vegan Blackberry Smoothie. This is a great way to get lots of protein in your breakfast because soya milk is naturally high in protein. This is a biggie by the way, because other alternative milks like almond and oat milk don’t contain much protein.
• Lunch: Consider using tofu or tempeh as a protein source in your salads or wraps, like we do in our Crunchy Asian Tofu Salad
• Dinner: Add tofu to a curry to bump up the protein content of any evening meal, like our Marvellous Mango Curry. I love this recipe, and we make it regularly in bulk and freeze it for a speedy meal at a later date.
• Snacks: Edamame beans are a brilliant little snack that can be super transportable and handy, especially if you’re travelling. We have a Smashed Cucumber and Edamame recipe that is sooo good. It’s a simple little snack to prepare but is full of flavor, protein, and fibre, and it’s definitely worth trying.
• Dessert: Soya yogurt can be a great alternative to dairy-based options. For extra sweetness, you could top it with fresh fruit and honey or maple syrup.
  
  Studies used in this podcast:
• Neither soyfoods nor isoflavones warrant classification as endocrine disruptors
• Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones
• No difference between the effects of supplementing with soy protein versus animal protein on gains in muscle mass and strength in response to resistance exercise
• Daily supplementation with whey, soy, or whey-soy blended protein for 6 months maintained lean muscle mass and physical performance in older adults with low lean mass
• High-protein plant-based diet versus a protein-matched omnivorous diet to support resistance training adaptations
• Soy products in the management of breast cancer

----
Want to try a free, high protein vegetarian meal plan that comes with an automatic grocery list?

👉 Check it out here: https://hurrythefoodup.com/try to see how amazing, filling and rewarding the vegetarian diet can be!