Hi, Does anyone know Dr. Sears' official position regarding the recent fuss about the alleged health dangers of soy (supposedly it is linked to cancers, thyroid disorders, Alzheimer's and dementia)? I love tofu and soy burgers as substitutes for meat and even fish (to limit my mercury intake), but I don't want to put myself at risk if these studies and reports are true. Any advice/knowledge you can offer is much appreciated! Thanks!

Hi KDP...I too love all the soy veggie foods and have read a lot lately about the pros and cons....most opinions seem to say that eating soy in the basic form...tofu or edame is the best...I have started to eat less soy and add a little chicken and turkey into my diet...I am going to add some wheat gluten too...I would say a varied diet is the best because an overload of any one food is probably not good...I myself would never give up soy but I will probably eat less of it...even in Japan where tofu is comsumed, the foods they eat are mostly vegetables with tofu, chicken and fish added in...I have also found a food product called Quorn which I just love but I eat that in moderation too...it is made from a fungus and even though I have read bad reports about side effects from eating it, I have never had a problem...it comes in tenders and fillets that taste like chicken and a turkey loaf and meatballs which unfortually I have not been able to find..I hope this long post helped somewhat...in the end we have to filter through all the pros and cons and decide which is best for us...Have a great day!...Carol :)

Hi! I just recently joined. I submitted an question to Dr. Sears but haven't heard back yet. I thought I'd post the same question here and wondered if there were other vegetarians who can not consume soy but find that they can stay in the Zone. Earlier this year, I was (finally) diagnosed with Endometriosis. I consider myself to be a healthy person, so when I started having symptoms, I was pretty concerned. My doctor recommended surgery, which I had, and it seemed to minimize the symptoms temporarily. But within two months, I was back to having severe pain, nausea, IBS-like symptoms, the whole deal. I did a little research and learned that people who are "estrogen sensitive" - like endo patients, and survivors of certain kinds of cancer - should avoid soy. Apparently, the way soy products are processed here in the states can cause estrogen levels to peak and plummet in some people. Bottom line is, because I was eating soy products daily, I was actually making my condition worse. Now I am trying to stay in the Zone, but my primary source of lean protein is gone! I rarely eat sea food and never eat any other kind of sentient being. I do use dairy products, but can not eat eggs unless they are an ingredient (they gross me out.) What's a girl to do?! Ideally, I would love a nutritionist to help me create a Zone menu I could follow that doesn't include soy or animals...

quick idea: try coming up with tons of low-density veggies, then i.e., I use boy chok, one block is 400 grams (not sure how many cups), and I add another block of something else -- sauted onions in my case -- and heap it on top of the boy chok. The six eggs pretty much disappears into the sheer amount of veggies involved. can u eat tuna? are you a strict veggie? Alexy

Hi K1r53n...The problem with soy products in the United States is that they are over processed...The over processing is what causes a rise in the bad estrogen in the body..if one eats soy they should stick to natural tofu, tempeh or edamame and stay away from the soy burgers, soy dogs,etc...since you need some kind of protein in your diet, then I would suggest wheat gluten if your not gluten intolerant, or eggs or fish...go to www.dr.weil.com and read what he has to say about the dangers of soy in one's diet. Dr. Weil keeps up on all the research done on this because he is a tofu consumer himself....Carol :)