Yes to soy or no to soy? Please help me find an answer to this!

Swimmom2

I find conflicting information on this. Can I continue to eat tofu and soy products (boca burgers?). I'm not a vegetarian but I like my meatless protein too.  Any good articles on this? BTW I'm ER +,  I'll assume that's a factor. 

MelissaDallas

My oncologist says a serving a day is fine and here is some info:

http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/aacr-in-the...

moni731

Confusing, right?  I am also receiving conflicting info. My onc said it is ok, GP said no.  I am also ER+ and not on Tam or AI. I am lactose intolerant so soy milk is what I have been using. I guess if more definitive proof comes out about the use of soy and BC, I'll re-evaluate it then. Guess you gotta go with your gut about some things.

wenweb

Never ending confusion. I've been told to avoid soy isolates which is not what makes up tofu or soy milk. It's what is in soy protein supplements and energy/protein bars, and probably Boca Burgers. Good-luck!!

Swimmom2

thanks everyone - I wish it was more clear cut!

Moderators

Hi ladies! For more information, you can also take a look at the main Breastcancer.org site's article "Soy". Hope this helps!

The Mods 

bethq

It's all so confusing to me. I had been vegan for four years ending a few months ago with a trip to Jamaica where I ate everything. Prior to that I ate soy at every meal. I still was eating soy after the trip too. So now I wonder, did I get breast cancer because of the soy, or because I stopped eating a vegan diet? I know it isn't that cut and dry but it makes me wonder what to eat! I am thinking I will throw away all of my soy products today and switch over to almond milk.

NatsFan

Unfortunately the studies are all over the place on soy.  I'm 100% ER+ so I was worried about it, but my onc said that until there are more definitive studies on soy, her advice was not to stress about it.  She said don't go out of your way to eat soy, and don't go out of your way to avoid soy.  On the other hand, the studies are almost universal in finding that b/c survivors who exercise daily have a much lower rate of recurrence.  So rather than spend energy worrying about soy, which may or may not be harmful, my onc said it would be a far better use of my time and energy to get my butt out there and do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.  I thought it was good advice. 

bethq

Great advice! I've been a sloth since this has all happened. That is a motivator!

dlb823

I was told (UCLA) that if you like soy and have always eaten it that high quality soy foods -- with the EXCEPTION of soy protein isolate (e.g. soy protein powder) because it's highly concentrated -- are fine -- in moderation.  Unfortunately, soy protein isolate is in many soy based foods.  Not sure about the soy in some veggie patties, but there are excellent ones that don't contain soy, although I'm not sure how the protein content compares to ones with soy.

Soy quality is a huge issue though because something like 70% of the US soy crop is GMO.  Then the various processes that break down the soy beans concentrate this poisonous sludge even further.  So I think it's one food where organic is really important, to avoid a dose of herbicides and pesticides in your tofu.        Deanna

NatsFan

Beth - If you want some motivation and support for starting an exercise program, come on over to the Let's Post our Daily Exercise thread in the Fitness section.  The idea is to post whatever exercise we've done every day - the desire to post that you've exercised that day can be quite a motivator!  We have women at all levels of treatment - some are still in active treatment and a walk to the corner and back is a major victory for them.  Others of us are years out of treatment and over time have built up a good level of fitness.  Some women have never worked out before, so for them a daily 20 minute walk is as much of a triumph as running a 5K is for someone else.  Some are runners, some take classes at a gym, some are walkers, some do Pilates and yoga, some do exercise DVDs at home - we're different in the kinds of exercise we do, but we're all the same in that we know we need to exercise.  We celebrate each other's triumphs.  There's no judging - just encouragement and support for anyone who is trying to get back into exercise after b/c.  Also, we're a lot of fun. 

Here's a link: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/58/topic/...

Scroll through the last few pages and I think you'll get an idea of what we're like.   We'd love to see you there!

SpecialK

I had difficulty losing weight gained during chemo and on Femara/Arimidex.  My former boss had started a food elimination diet (the Virgin Diet) to try to control her severe arthritis in her hands - she is a medical technologist and needs to maintain fine motor control in the lab to keep her licensure.  Her husband discovered this diet online so they decided to try it - she lost 23 pounds over about six months without any exercise.  This was not her goal when starting the diet - she had gained a pound or two each year as she had approached menopause and thought that was pretty normal.  I would not have considered her overweight by any stretch - she probably wore a size 10.  She is now in a size 4-6, her size in college, and her hand pain  and synovial cysts are gone.  For this diet you eliminate seven foods that are most likely to cause sensitivity, and in turn, inflammation.  One of these foods is soy - because people are sensitive to it, and because much of it in this country is GMO as Deanna said above.  I decided to try this diet because 1200 calories a day and daily exercise were not moving the scale at all. I had already been avoiding soy because of the uncertainty for those of us with BC, gluten to try to help with joint pain, and most dairy because it is from a lactating animal, and even if organic it contains hormones.  The other four foods to avoid are corn (also GMO), peanuts, eggs, sugar.  I began losing weight slowly, with intermittent exercise due to some problems with AI induced knee pain and a couple of surgeries.  I have lost 20 pounds since Jan. 1 (cliché, I know!).  The goal of this diet is to get to a non-inflammatory state and then re-introduce some foods and see if they affect you.  I have decided not to do that, but rather continue not eating these things.  I have adapted to eating this way and have not found that I miss these things anymore.  Not long after starting this diet I went to a lecture at the U of S FL by Jeffrey Smith on GMOs in our food.  It was actually pretty shocking - and it is important to remember that when consuming animal protein you are eating what they ate.  His info is linked below.  I found it difficult at first to try to eliminate soy because it is in so many things, but now that I have identified things I like without soy it is not as labor intensive to avoid it.  I also eat much that is not processed, which makes the avoidance easier.

http://seedsofdeception.com/

lisa137

I've decided on my own to say "no" to soy for one simple reason: Before chemo stopped my periods (and may they never return) I had *extremely* painful cramps with every period, the sort of thing that kept me in bed taking ibuprofen and flexoril for the duration of my period every month. 

BUT, I found out that if I drank just one half cup of soy milk ever day during the month, I'd have NO CRAMPS. None. Nothing. That's some pretty powerful stuff.

bethq

Just wondering are there any vegans out there?