21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Buy this book if you have a specific interest in soy or think you may have an allergy, July 13, 2008
This review is from: The Hidden Dangers of Soy (Paperback)
I like to read a lot of general interest books - medical, health, etc, and I have long suspected that soy, in the quantities that we eat it, is probably not healthy. I read an article a while back in a science magazine that said as much - that as a healthy food which we eat in small quantities, it is fine and even beneficial, but used as an additive in everything, as a formula for babies, to replace milk or meat products, or as a supplement, can cause some really unfortunate health effects in otherwise healthy and non soy-sensitive people, and even the soy growers associations had said that it's only healthy in certain doses, and isn't recommended as a supplement/ pill.
So I was interested and sympathetic to this message, and I learned some new information and gained some new tips on avoiding soy additives in my food.
The thing that I did feel could use improvement about this book is that while the message and information were on point and important, the critical information for most people to know could be condensed down into a five-page article. For example, there is a soy-free recipe section that, while it includes some delightful-sounding recipes, the recipes are for things that, when I make them at least, don't contain soy anyway. They were mostly meat-containing recipes, so while a few of the side dishes would be helpful to vegetarians, there wasn't really a good consideration given to how to replace soy products in a vegetarian lifestyle.
The majority of the book is personal stories of people who have had problems with soy. If you suspect you are a person suffering from a problem with soy, then you may see yourself in these stories and this could be a very valuable book for you. Doctors with an interest in soy may also like to read this to hear some of the anecdotes of people who have had an issue with soy.
The problem for me with most of the book being personal stories is that I feel like you can construct a case for anything using hand-selected personal stories from people. I really wanted a meaty scientific analysis, or a lot of case studies from multiple doctors, or something more to make it feel like this was really given a thorough scientific consideration.
This gets four starts because it is dealing with a topic that is really being ignored and deserves to be considered and researched more, and for those with a specific issue, it could be a lifesaver. For the average reader, if you use moderation when eating soy, watch out for hidden soy in your food by reading labels, and don't take soy supplements or give soy formula or milk to children, you probably don't need to read this book.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beware: Soy is not a health food, April 6, 2008
This review is from: The Hidden Dangers of Soy (Paperback)
I am glad Dianne Gregg wrote this book and shared her experience with soy with her readers. After adding more soy to her diet as advised by all the health media she gained 18 pounds and started having health problems that eventually culminated in an anaphylactic shock that would have killed her if she were not in the hospital when it happened. She learned through her own research that she has a soy allergy. What she discovered in her attempt to not consume soy is that the food industry has added it to almost all processed foods in grocery stores through soy flour, soybean oil, and soy protein isolate. It is very difficult to eat anything except whole foods with out eating soy in some form.
The message of the book is that the soy industry has pushed the health benefits of soy to increase their profits. The truth is that many studies have concerns about the safety of soy because of its proteins and its hormonal effects on estrogen in humans. The book contains numerous accounts of individuals who have experienced goiters, weight gain, heart palpitations, and even their children having birth defects due to the over consumption of soy. The most cited problem is the numerous thyroid issues that people report that improve after the removal of soy from the diet.
The book is very useful in showing all the names for soy that could appear on food labels and includes recipes with no soy. Whether you have a soy allergy or not this book gave me enough information to avoid soy. Contrary to common belief soy made up a very small portion of oriental diets and may very well be a human toxin that is only beginning to be understood through the huge experiment going on in our modern diet.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Soy is dangerous and not the miracle it touted to be., June 26, 2010
This review is from: The Hidden Dangers of Soy (Paperback)
My daughter is safe now that she is keeping away from soy and the many products that contain soy. She became a vegetarian and ate soy for protein. She was a good weight for her height. She began gaining weight and complained of heart palpatations and never feeling good. She had thyroid problems.
A visit to the Dr. showed that she was nutritionally depleated. So she ate more soy and got sicker. I was introduced to The Hidden Dangers of Soy and told my daughter about the dangers. She cut out all soy and in 6 weeks time lost 11 pounds and is off the thyroid medication. she is happier and healthy once again thanks to Dianne Gregg. The book is well written and easy to understand and a way back to good eating and good health. Dianne is also available to answer any questions you may have.
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