I've read a lot recently that soy may not be good for us AND actually prevent people from losing weight.  Basically when Soy was first used in Asia it was fermented Soy but now we use it in just about everything (look on a label, just about everything has soy lechin in it) and it's unfermented Soy.  Supposedly its the amount of estrogen in the unfermented soy that's the problem.

I had switched from using Milk in my cereal and half and half in my coffee, to using Soy Milk and Soy creamer.  Not only was I not losing wieght, but I started to feel like I was burning up on and off. (I'm a guy so having hot flashes at 41 kind of freaked me out).  So instead I switched to Almond milk and Coconut milk creamer, and not only did I start to slowly lose wieght with this simple thing, but the hot flashes went away.  So now when ever I skinny girl a recipe I use Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (unsweetened of course) instead. 

Just wondering if anyone else has had reactions to soy, and even if say you are a woman over 40 if maybe using soy is helping you through menopause.

I have just started to eat  Soy products (I  buy toffu from the United States here in Saint-Petersburg), so I can not say anything about the effect it makes on loosing weight etc. I just like the taste and the feeling - light and nutricious. But my mother (55 yeras old) says that soy does help her through the menopouse. And she says the the american soy helps her much more than the russian.

I didn't switch to soy milk and soy creamer just to lose weight btw.  Like I said I'm 41 and since there isn't a taste difference when used for cooking, or in cereal or in coffee etc and I don't drink it straight it's just the more healthy alternative.  Almond milk, Coconut milk etc have good fats where regular milk, and half and half have the bad fats.  It's more of a heart healthy choice.

I can only get the coconut milk creamer at Wegmans (which is like heaven if you're trying out Bethenny's recipes, they are the only store out here that carries everything she uses), so last week I got soy creamer from Harris Teeters (they are open 24 hours out here) and didn't those hot flashes come back.  So it's definately either the estrogen or I'm allergic to unfermented soy.

I have been eating non-GMO soy products (tofu, tempe, soy milk etc.) at least twice a week for the last 20 years.  I noticed that I do not have night sweats, hot flashes or other problems associated with pari-menopause or menopause (I will be 56 in July).  It is wonderful! 

I recently lost a great deal of weight and the soy products are a great non-meat protein source that I can season as creatively as I want.  Sometimes when I cook Tofu (using non-stick olive oil cooking spray), I will stir in some salsa to give it a little kick.  Generally, I will use whatever seasonings I have at the ready. 

I have read that soy products in US are mostly all bio-engineered products like all our corn. For this reason many soy dairy products can not be labeled USDA organic. Now we are seeing a controversy over the estrogen levels of our soy. Is the bio-engineering to blame for this? Clearly soy is healthier than red meat w/ growth hormones & pesticides. I doubt the US food industry wants us to know exactly what's up. But it is extremely hard to get accurate information sometimes> any other info will be appreciated by people that really care about good health.