Desperately Seeking Alternatives… Advice on Herbal Supplements and Soy Products

MY FAVORITE WAYS TO EAT SOY

If you haven't tried soyfoods, you're in for a treat. My favorite ways to get soy are edamame, or cooked soybeans, miso soup and dry roasted soybeans. You can try edamame (pronounced ED-ah-mommy) at just about any Japanese restaurant or sushi place, or you can buy them in the frozen veggies section of the grocery. You microwave or steam then, add a touch of salt, and eat them from the pod. Don't eat the pod. You put the whole pod in your mouth and squeeze out the beans; usually there are three beans to a pod. Kinda fun actually.

They are often served as an appetizer and are really good for you. I have them at least once or twice a week. Miso soup is fabulous, though I haven't made it at home yet. Every time I go to a restaurant that offers it, I order it. I get dry roasted soy nuts at the grocery store to eat as a snack. I haven't switched to soymilk yet though I should, but soy yogurt is very good. I can handle tofu in smoothies but I don't eat much of it. Many people swear by it.

Soyfoods have isoflavones which seem to have numerous health-protecting advantages, but here again, the science goes both ways. All I can tell you is that some women report that soy helps reduce the number and/or intensity of hot flashes, and from my research, in moderation, it doesn't appear soy can hurt you. Note that some people are allergic to it, so any allergic symptoms (hives or itching) should make you stop eating it.

Whole-food soy, such as soybeans and tofu, are more effective than soy supplements bought in a bottle, and provide you with health benefits that something from a jar just can't do.

Go on-try something new. You might like it.  Let me know how it works for you.