5 Reasons Why There’s No Joy In Soy

While touted as a health food, soy can adversely impact your thyroid, brain, sex hormones, and more. Here’s why.

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Soy is touted as a health food. It’s not.

You know how it goes… You think you have your diet all figured out, and then bam. A new study comes out on your favorite health food and suddenly you have no idea what to believe! That’s the story with soy.

For decades, soy has been positioned as a healthy alternative to meat and dairy. As a result, food manufacturers now use it as an ingredient in an endless variety of products to make you think you’re buying something good for your body.

It’s about time we revisit the science behind soy recommendations. Does it live up to its health halo?

Why Is Soy Considered a Health Food?

Soy foods are derived from soybean. Ever snacked on edamame right from the pod? That’s whole, natural soy. You can also find fermented, whole soy in the form of tofu, tempeh, and miso. It’s high in protein, contains healthy fat and fiber, and delivers a good dose of micronutrients like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.

As with any plant food, however, soy has the capacity to be health-supportive — or the complete opposite, depending on the source.

It can be a part of a healthy diet in its unprocessed form, and is in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, that’s not how most Americans are consuming this legume.

Sure, people in Asia have been eating soy for millennia. But having lived in Japan, I can tell you that I never saw anyone eat soy ice cream, soy cheese, soy hot dogs, soy burgers, soy pops, or soy milk.

How We Eat Soy In the U.S.

True, soy is part of the traditional Asian diet, but they do not eat a big pile of it like in the U.S. You have a little miso soup, some tofu in a stir-fry, or some soy sauce with your sushi. You don’t drink a big soy shake in the morning, have a soy yogurt at lunch, and have a soy “meat” covered in soy cheese for dinner.

Basically, in Asia, soy is a condiment. It is not a replacement for animal proteins. Plus, the soy in Asia is organic — no GMOs and no chemicals in the fertilizer. And Asian soy is very fermented, which helps reduce phytates and lectins (more on that later).

“The soy associated with the Asian diet is a whole different animal from the soy we’ve been sold in America as a health food,” says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

“There, they eat naturally fermented soy foods like tempeh and miso and old-fashioned fermented soy sauce — and they eat way less of it than you might imagine. It’s also far from clear that the health benefits they get from their diet are attributable to eating soy rather than the fish and sea vegetables they consume regularly.”

In other words, if you ate soy the way they do in Asia — organic, fermented, and in small amounts — it would probably be okay. But living in the United States, that is nearly impossible to do, and just about all of our soy crop has been genetically modified.

Think faux burgers, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, chicken, and more. Fake meats engineered to look like the real stuff. Unrecognizable from its original form — with a bonus serving of added sugar, possible gluten, and other potentially harmful ingredients.

Those Frankenfoods aren’t the only way we’re consuming soy. Our food system has figured out how to produce it so cheaply that it’s made its way into everything from packaged snacks and chocolate to soaps and plastics, and takes advantage of soy’s healthy reputation to sell you products that may actually be making you sick.

5 Reasons Why There’s No Joy In Soy

Soy has been marketed as the miracle food of all time, maybe because it can be produced cheaply and some big companies have invested in its production and modification.

By the time soy gets to your kitchen, it has most likely been extremely processed and stripped of its nutrients.

Manufacturers and some experts position soy as an ideal protein source for vegans and vegetarians. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in the form that Americans are consuming it in. It is low in one of the essential amino acids, methionine, and research shows that further processing of the soybean diminishes its protein value, especially if it is genetically modified. (1)

Even if you are sticking to the unprocessed versions, soy is one of the most common food allergens. It’s worth exploring if an intolerance to this food is at the root of your symptoms. Common health concerns related to soy include digestive issues, hormonal balances, brain and neurological issues, and more.

Looking at the science behind soy, I’ve gathered a few of the many reasons why you may want to reduce or eliminate it from your diet:

Reason 1: Soy Is Highly Processed

If you’re consuming a product that uses soy protein — which is what many packaged “plant-based” goods are using — you’ll want to consider how that extraction process actually happens.

Food manufacturers use hexane to pull the protein from the soybeans. Hexane is a petroleum byproduct that is classified as a neurotoxin by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2)

Note: You may come across an ingredient called “soy lecithin” as you inspect your Nutrition Facts panels. This is not the same as soy protein.

Soy lecithin is the byproduct of soy oil extraction and is a food additive often used as an emulsifier and an antioxidant. It doesn’t trigger intolerance, so it’s not an ingredient you need to worry about.

After the protein has been extracted, it is then further processed into soy-based “food” items that also usually come with a heavy dose of salt, sugar, fat, fillers, and other unnecessary additives.

Soy can mess with your thyroid, which can create problems throughout your body.

Reason 2: Soy May Impact Your Thyroid

Soy and food made from soy contain goitrogens. These are compounds that can suppress thyroid function by interfering with iodine absorption and causing goiter (irregular growth of the thyroid gland). (3)

Many heavy soy eaters also have elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), indicating potential hypothyroidism. When I see this in clients, I’ve asked them to remove soy from their diets and — guess what? Their numbers came back to normal pretty quickly.

Elevated TSH could also signal that there’s a problem converting TSH to its active form, which may have its root in the gut.

If you suspect thyroid problems, make sure your doctor runs the full panel of thyroid tests, including TSH, free T3, T4, and thyroid antibodies so you get a full picture of what’s going on.

Soy can trigger an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where your body makes antibodies that attack your thyroid hormone. As a result, even if your thyroid gland is making enough of this vital biochemical, your body doesn’t get what it needs because the antibodies are destroying it. (A high level of thyroid antibodies often indicates some kind of autoimmune condition.)

Conversely, people who have Hashimoto’s often have trouble with soy.

“I’ve found that about 41 percent of people with Hashimoto’s are sensitive to soy, and 60 percent of them have reported gut symptoms such as abdominal pain, loose stools, nausea, or vomiting when ingesting soy,” says Izabella Wentz, PharmaD.

She notes that goitrogens and phytoestrogens are among the reasons why soy can be problematic for people with Hashimoto’s. (4)

If your thyroid comprehensive blood test panel reveals a high level of antibodies, you need to pull out all the potentially reactive foods immediately. I’ve found that when people pull problem foods like gluten, dairy, and soy, antibodies often quickly come down.

Reason 3: Soy Contains Anti-Nutrients

Although legumes can be highly nutritious, not everyone tolerates them well.

Soy can impact digestion by inhibiting an enzyme needed to digest protein, called trypsin. (5) Poorly digested protein can cause foul-smelling gas and uncomfortable bloating.

Legumes also contain anti-nutrients known as phytates or phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc, among other nutrients. (6)

In fact, soy has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume studied. While this is a natural protection mechanism of the plant, this makes the food less bioavailable in its raw form, meaning you’re not getting as much nutrition from your beans as you think.

Lectins are another naturally occurring anti-nutrient found in legumes like soy. They bind to epithelial cells that line and protect your digestive tract. If you have leaky gut or another digestive issue that you’re trying to heal from, lectins can stop that healing in its tracks. (7)

It is true that cooking and fermentation can neutralize lectins and phytic acid, so organic sources of fermented soy like tofu, tempeh, and miso will be more nutritious than their alternatives. But that’s not the form in which most Americans are consuming soy.

Most soy — over 90% — in the US is highly processed and genetically modified. (8) GMO soy has been found to reduce digestive enzymes in animal studies, leading to further potential for GI issues. (9)

Reason 4: Soy Can Mess With Your Sex Hormones

Soy contains compounds known as phytoestrogens. These mimic the estrogen that we produce in our bodies, though they are a weaker form. What they do is bind to our estrogen receptors.

In some cases, science shows that phytoestrogens may be beneficial (for menopausal symptoms, cardiovascular health, and more), though the evidence isn’t strong. (10)

For those reasons, I’d prefer you get dietary phytoestrogens from foods like flaxseed. You’re trading more risk for reward when you get it from soy, and there are plenty more health benefits, too.

Other research shows that soy protein powder can lower testosterone production in healthy men. (11)

For those in their menstrual years, there is evidence that soy-derived phytoestrogens are linked with infertility in animal studies — for both male and female reproductive systems. (12)

If you do have a successful pregnancy, feeding your baby soy-based formula may contribute to early puberty and other reproductive irregularities. (13)

Reason 5: Soy May Be Bad For Your Brain

Processed soy has also been associated with an impact on children’s development, shrinking brains in men, and dementia in both men and women. Researchers have argued that “soy consumption may be a significant contributor to Alzheimer’s, and it cannot be excluded as a possible contributing cause.” (14)

Other research shows that eating two servings of tofu every week can increase the risk of late-life cognitive impairment and dementia in both men and women. (15)

Because it is nearly 30 percent fat, soy is also really good at absorbing pesticides. Pesticide exposure, especially over time, can produce long-term effects on neurological and cognitive function.

Trade your soy milk for almond milk.

Simple Swaps for Soy

As I mentioned earlier, organic, non-GMO sources of soy like edamame, tofu, and tempeh can be part of a healthy diet. I recommend treating it more as a condiment, and to use it sparingly.

If you’re trying to avoid processed versions or are swapping it out entirely while on The Virgin Diet, you’ll want to know where else it’s hiding. Soy goes by many names and in many forms.

Here are some ingredients to look out for:

• Tamari (a type of soy sauce)
• Shoyu (another kind of soy sauce)
• Teriyaki Sauce (a cooking sauce made with soy)
• Miso (fermented soybean paste, though you can find some made with chickpeas or rice)
• Tempeh (fermented soybean cake)
• Natto (fermented soybeans)
• Textured Vegetable Protein (usually used as a meat replacement and often made from soy)
• Vegan Cheese (sometimes contains soy)
• Vegan Fro-Yo (often contains soy)
• Veggie Burgers (frequently made with soy protein)
• Protein Powder (soy is often a primary ingredient — opt for one of our All-In-One Shakes instead)
• Soya (another name for soy)
• Bean Sprouts (some varieties are soybean)

Luckily, soy is not the only wonder-food that can be turned into dairy and meat alternatives. We have coconut, oats, almonds, cashews, and other whole nuts, seeds, and gluten-free grains that can serve as our homemade milk and cheese replacements.

If you’re simply looking for high-protein foods to use instead of soy, you have plenty of options:

• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Pinto, kidney, or black beans
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Sesame seeds (and tahini)
• Flax seeds
• Chia seeds
• Pistachios
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Oats (make sure they’re gluten-free)
• Chlorella
• Spirulina
• Grass-fed meat

Opting for animal proteins? Keep in mind that you are what you eat ate. Meaning: if your chickens and cows and pigs were given soy-based feed, remnants of that feed can make their way to your body. This is especially important if you have a soy allergy!

If you’re going vegetarian, mushrooms, walnuts, and pecans can be transformed into delicious, whole-food substitutes for meat instead of highly processed soy imitations. It just takes a little open-mindedness in the kitchen — and creative ingredients, too!

The Bottom Line

If you don’t react to soy and don’t have thyroid or estrogen issues, you can incorporate a small amount of fermented soy into your diet, but only organic, please, and not daily — just a couple of times a week.

You won’t know whether it’s okay to put soy back in until you take it out. So, for Cycle 1, I want you to be 100 percent soy-free. During this time, you’ve got to be incredibly vigilant because soy hides in really sneaky places, including veggie burgers, protein bars and shakes, and many Asian foods.

In Cycle 2, you’ll challenge soy and see how you react. Each week, you’ll eat one challenge food for four days — soy, gluten, dairy, and eggs — and then stop eating it for the next three. If you stay symptom-free and continue to feel terrific, you’re good to go. For the time being, you can have limited quantities of that food in your diet.

Even if you can occasionally tolerate soy, I want you to keep it out about 95 percent of the time.

You may find soy works great for your body — or you may decide rewards aren’t worth the potential risk.

As you can see, the food industry doesn’t tip the scales in our favor when it comes to this heavily processed ingredient.

On top of this, nutrition facts can be so hard to wade through, especially when we’re always getting conflicting information from different headlines.

The only way to truly know what works for your body and what doesn’t is to try it out for yourself. Moving through an elimination plan like The Virgin Diet is tremendously helpful in navigating the most common food intolerances like soy and other potentially harmful ingredients.

Cookie bites, freezer fudge, brownies… are you drooling yet? Want to hear the best part? All of these recipes are healthy and soy-free! You’ll find them and lots more in my Sweet Treats Recipe Guide. Get the sweet, decadent, guilt-free recipes here.

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The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. The information here is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or condition. Statements contained here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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