Soy has been a source of controversy for some time now. It is used in a ton of foods and is also the main ingrediant in foods that are used as alternates to meat, such as tofu turkey, and "veggie" burgers. It is currently trending as edamame - a much fancier name for soy. Soy can wreak havoc on your body and you should avoid it as much as possible.
Most beans and legumes contain Isoflavones. Isoflavones act at phytoestrogens, which are essentially plant hormones. Depending upon how the soybean is processed, soy products can contain a significant level of phytoestrogens which can effect the hormonal balance in humans when ingested. Soy has been know to help certain conditions as well, such as lowering blood pressure, protecting the heart, and decreasing symptoms of menopause. But, overall the harmful effects out weigh the positive effects.
Hormones
Because soy effects hormone levels in the body it can impede thyroid function. It has been added to so many mainstream foods in the US that you probably don't even know you are ingesting it. Canned soups, lunch meat, premade cakes and cookies, breads, frozen deserts, instant coffee, hot cocoa, some fruit juices, and cereals are just a few of the products on grocery stores shelve that contain soy. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have some type of thyroid disease and many of them are not even aware of it. I would argue that soy is most likely a contributing factor to that astronomical number! Soy has also been linked to decreased sperm counts, lower testosterone levels, and has been linked to breast cancer because of it's hormonal effect on the body.
GMO
Over 90% of soybeans grown in the USU have been grown as a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO). A lot of GMO foods are designed to withstand weed killers (such as Roundup) and will absorb the weed killer. The chemicals in these weed killers are harmful to the human body. Organic soy should have far less harmful additives in them than GMO soy, but given the fact that most soy in the US contains GMO it is probably not safe.
Digestion and Absorption
Because soy is difficult to digest it can cause issues such as gas and bloating and may sometimes cause nausea, constipation, bloating and diarrhea for those with a fragile gut. Soy also contains phytate which can negatively effect the absorption of minerals. It can block the absorption of key minerals in our body suck as iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. If you intake a lot of soy, you may be deficient in these minerals that you body needs to maintain a healthy immune system. Soy is also considered illegal on the SCD for many of the reasons above and should not be eaten.
This is just a brief overview of soy and its' effect on the body. Given all of this information, soybeans still remain a controversial subject. I would definitely error on side of caution and avoid it as it is not necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle and immune system and may adversely effect your wellbeing.
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