Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Curse of Soy

My husband picked up a new prescription today and read me the warning label. He might as well have been holding raw mercury in his hand for all the things this medicine might do to him. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if it had come with a hazmat suit. No matter, I will be wearing one before I get in bed with him tonight.

But that's the way it is these days. Everything we thought was good for us is going to kill us now.
Here's a giant "for-instance:" soy. Now that my cholesterol is creeping up, I have been eschewing (I love that word--can't pronounce it, but writing it, well, that's cool) meat for a while now, substituting veggies or tofu whenever I can. I have also switched to soy milk for cooking and cereal. The reason? It helps with symptoms of menopause like hot flashes.

If you know me, then in your mind's eye, you're seeing me fanning myself even now.

So I have been happy to kill those two birds--cholesterol and hot flashes-- with one tasty stone.

Yesterday Scott tells me as he's reading the paper (the clarion call of doom) that THEY have found that soy may cause an increase in breast cancer. OF COURSE IT DOES! Whatever in soy that helps hot flashes must have an estrogen-like characteristic and a curse from the devil.

Bottom line--for those of us who eschewed estrogen to avoid breast cancer and have suffered through hot flashes, crying jags, forgetfulness, have drunk the soy milk, munched on tofu and sucked the edamame out of the pods (so ladylike), JOKE'S ON US!

Too late now. Anyone for a soymilk frappe?

4 comments:

kathy hess said...

Doncha just hate when that happens? Seems we're darned if we do or darned if we don't .... Doesn't really matter, does it? Something's gonna get us in the end, right?

Cindy Causey said...

Unfortunately, yes, but it seems that the odds are stacked against us.

Nankin said...

I think I've tried everything under the sun for those pesky power surges, and nothing has worked. Now, in my efforts to fight the relentless pull of gravity, I've started exercising regularly, and guess what? The hot flashes have gotten better.

Linda Poitevin said...

Actually, I believe the real culprit is something that they remove from soy to add to other foods -- soy isoflavones -- so you may not have to give up on everything! You should be able to google it...and thanks for visiting my Website and commenting on my new cover, btw...it's nice to meet you! :-)