You've probably heard claims of the health benefits of soy, but you may not be aware of the claims of its dangers - the internet is crawling with pages damning soy from our kitchens. The topic is quite broad and certainly controversial and I'm only presenting a very brief outline here, just so you know there are strong anti-soy sentiments out there.
The alleged risks of consuming soy are many and range right up to causing birth defects and cancer.
Most of the negative soy information online can be traced to Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig and their site The Weston A Price Foundation.
On the flip side the pro-soy brigade make broad claims too, from relieving menopause to preventing heart disease and cancer.
When trying to make sense of this web of information perhaps the biggest obstacle is unweaving the claims of interested parties from those of truly independent sources, which indeed taints anything I say because I sell soy products.
The Australian Consumers' Association, who publish the Choice magazines and website, present their opinion on soy here. (My thoughts on Choice itself are another matter, see note below.1)
One undisputed feature of soy is that it's a good alternative protein source to meat and dairy.
I regularly consume soy products, mainly in the form of Zone bars.