Is Soy Really Healthy?

Fashion is something that heavily affects our lives. Cosmetics, clothes, the movies we see, the restaurants we select, the fitness program we choose are all somehow affected by the fashion models that run the entire society.

Each new craze throws the old one in oblivion. And the 'it' thing for today receives an anathema the next.

Soy foods are just another fashionable item that should be discarded by the rational person looking for a healthy lifestyle.

I still remember the first time my mom brought soy meat substitute home. It looked yucky to my 12-year old brain. Upon trying it, I discovered that the taste was no better than the looks of it. Apart from the way it tastes and looks, why should soy foods be embraced or thrown in the trash bin?

I believe in the fact that no food consumed in moderate quantities should be substituted with something questionable. Is something wrong with meat and milk? Or with cheese? Oh, I forgot, soy is supposed to help you in losing weight, or is that just another marketing trick?

Yes, soy is low in calories. But how healthy is it really? And is it that impossible to actually lose weight without depriving oneself of the pleasures of real food?

Another fact to consider is that the amount of genetically modified soy used in the food industry is increasing. I am in no way saying that these foods are necessarily bad. Yet, I feel uncomfortable with the idea that somebody is playing with my food in order to make it bigger, better and prettier.

Following that logic, it might turn out that taking vitamins out of a medicine bottle is better that eating a piece of fruit. Sorry, but this theory fails to convinceme. When it comes to genetically modified foods, we should be aware that these contain unknown to the human organism proteins and artificially modified genetic material.

One claim is that genetically modified foods might force the human immune system to react in unusual ways to the alien proteins. Yet, the issue is much more complex and no simple conclusion can be drawn.

Just ask yourself a simple question why are organic foods so much more expensive than genetically modified products?

If you want to be responsible to yourself, you have to simply exercise a bit of will to limit the intake of harmful foods. Substituting some of them will not do the trick. Convincing yourself that you are doing good by using soy products will.

Not convincing enough? Let me share a personal story. I have been overweight through the biggest part of my life. I tried all the lazy ways of losing weight and feeling more confident and healthier. It never worked. Until I found the will to throw bread, snacks and fast food out of my menu. The result was the loss of 10 kg in about four months. I never stopped consuming meat or milk and dairy products. I just pursued rational feeding habits.

A piece of advice: accept all kinds of substitutes and modified foods with caution. After all, original foods have proven to be good over centuries. It will still take soy some time to do the same.