Should I Avoid Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

michele...my doctor told me to stay away from all soy products.  I used to eat soy nuts like crazy, before BC.  So, now...i avoid any and all soy products.

Good rule of thumb.  Don't eat any food to the exclusion of others.  Moderation is the key.

You will be eliminating a good part of your diet if you exclude all phytoestrogens.

Like Rose says --just avoid the supplements----

Enjoy the sweet potatoes and yams and a well rounded diet.

You won't eat much of anything if you cut out all phytoestrogens

Here are just some (not all)of the things you would have to eliminate ----Not at all reasonable!

Foods rich in phytoestrogens, a natural estrogen:

    * Soy.
    * Millet.
    * Barley.
    * Flax seed.
    * Lentils.
    * Kidney beans.
    * Lima beans.
    * Rye.
    * Clover.
    * Fennel.
    * Chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

Other foods containing the estrogen compound phytoestrogen include;

    * Apples.
    * Alfalfa sprouts.
    * Celery.
    * Parsley.
    * Beets.
    * Bok choy.
    * Broccoli.
    * Cauliflower.
    * Carrots.
    * Cucumbers.
    * Mushrooms.
    * Brussel sprouts.
    * Seaweeds.
    * Squash.
    * Pumpkin seeds.
    * Sunflower seeds.
    * Cherries.
    * Olives.
    * Pears.
    * Plums.
    * Tomatoes.
    * Prunes.
    * Barley.
    * Oats.
    * Brown rice.
    * Wheat germ.
    * Bulgur.
    * Brewer’s Yeast.
    * Black-eye peas.
    * Mung bean sprouts.
    * Navy beans.
    * Red beans.
    * Split peas.
    * Spices; cloves, ginger, hops, oregano, red raspberry, sage tea, thyme, turmeric.

Now what does that leave you?  Don't stress about this stuff.  If you are getting it in normal portions in a varied diet--none of this should be anything to worry about.  Supplements however, are another matter and a bone of contention.

Micheled--I avoid soy as well; But I don't let that stop me from enjoying a nice bowl of Hot and Sour soup now and then especially on a cold night.---And when I do, I don't give it another thought except for how much I'm enjoying the soup.----Just finished a helping if sweet potatoes---yummy!

I saw (and bought) a box of instant sweet potatoes a few weeks ago.

I'm going to break them out next week.  

I am also subscribing to the theory that phytoestrogens from foods are ok but not from supplements.  I've been eating ground flaxseed for breakfast since May.  I choose to believe that it is beneficial to my health. 

Even as a cancer survivor, I still believe that good health is a matter of CHOOSING it.  My diagnosis certainly debunked that theory, but I've managed to readopt my 'mind over matter' beliefs as my diagnosis drifts steadily into the past.  

My daughters and I used to eat and drink a lot of soy products.  We've all had biopsies and tumors, but I don't know if it is related to soy. 

I talked to my oncologist and he said that you can eat yams and all the other foods that contain estogens. It does have hormones, but very little hormones. People with pos cancer can still enjoy yams.

Happy Holidays,