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DrSugar Answers: Could Soy Cause Acne Outbreaks?

DrSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:24:16 -0800

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

I am struggling with acne and have been for a while; topical options just don't seem to cut it, and I'm not sure how I feel about antibiotics. Anyway, I eat a lot of soy products and recently have noticed that my acne gets worse during periods when I eat more of them. I've been doing my own research, but the opinions on the web are conflicting. Is there a link between soy and acne?
—Suspicious of Soy

No one likes to deal with blemishes. If you're curious what the doctor has to say about this matter,

Does Eating Soy Cause Breast Cancer?

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I will admit that soy scares me a little. I know it's an inexpensive, cholesterol-free source of protein that can be enjoyed in so many ways from tofu, to soymilk, from edamame, to soy ice cream. I've also heard that eating too much soy has been linked to breast cancer. That's because soy contains phytoestrogens, a group of chemicals that mimic the hormone estrogen. Women need estrogen to regulate their menstrual cycles, have babies, and it's also involved with bone and heart health. Some experts are concerned that these phytoestrogens will stimulate the growth of estrogen-sensitive cancers since high exposures of estrogen over a woman's lifetime are linked with an increased risk for breast cancer. Others may argue that these plant-based estrogens may actually prevent breast cancer since they block the activity of the stronger human estrogen.

So what's a soy lover to do? To find out

Tofu vs. Sprouted Tofu

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Even though I am not a vegetarian, I am still trying to eat less meat. So it makes me happy to see tofu becoming more popular. There is high blood pressure and high cholesterol in my family, this soy product is a great alternative to meat being that it's cholesterol free, low in sodium, and high in protein. Tofu is such a wonderful ingredient because it's so versatile. Since it naturally tastes very plain, you can add diced or crumbled up tofu to soups, tomato sauce, and casseroles for some added protein. You won't even know it's there because it takes on the flavor of whatever it's mixed with.

If you enjoy cooking this soy product at home, you may have noticed a new tofu on the scene — sprouted tofu. To find out how it compares with regular tofu

Soymilk Taste Test

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

So you grew up drinking cow's milk. Why would you even think of switching? Well, for starters, soymilk is a healthy option because it's cholesterol free, plus it's low in saturated fat and high in protein. It also comes in different flavors, like carob or chocolate, and you can bake and cook with the unsweetened or vanilla flavors.

Due to soymilk's current popularity many companies make it, and the the brands all taste different: some soymilk is thicker like Edensoy, all vanilla flavors are sweeter, and some taste more like real milk such as Silk brand. My advice is to taste more than one brand and flavor. Why not buy a few at a time and have a soymilk taste test. Don't drink them directly from the grocery-store sheIf; stick the container in the fridge for at least an hour or two because soymilk tastes much better cold.

Aside from texture and taste, the soymilk brands differ nutritionally as well. To see how they compare, just

Learn to Love: Edamame

FitSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Looking for a tasty snack that's full of protein and fiber but low in carbs and calories? I'm talking about edamame, baby soybeans still in the pod. Beans might not seem like the most delicious snack in the world, but once you try them, you'll fall for their fresh and slightly sweet flavor; plus they're a fun to eat finger-food. Sprinkle a little salt on them and they'll satisfy your salty cravings.

I first had edamame as an appetizer at a sushi restaurant, but you can pick some up to have at home too. Look for bags of frozen edamame. Buy them in the pods to eat as a snack, or for convenience sake buy them already shelled and add the beans to soups, salads, and stir-fries.

Just how healthy are these little soybeans? To find out

Food Review: Morningstar Farms Chicken Patties

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Although I'm not a full-fledged vegetarian, I do like to eat black-bean burgers, soy milk, and tempeh every once in a while because I like that they are cholesterol free. I never really go for meat alternatives that strive to look, taste, and feel like meat though, but since a good friend recommended Morningstar Farms Chik Patties, I reluctantly agreed to give them a try.

To see what I thought, just

What's Soy Lecithin Doing in My Chocolate?

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:30:00 -0700

I've been trying to eat more chocolate, only because it has antioxidants, can lower blood pressure, and can even soothe a cough. Well, I'm also addicted, but that's beside the point. I was checking out the label of a bar I picked up and noticed soy lecithin in the list of ingredients. Is it something I should avoid? To find out

Soy Wars: Tofu vs. Tempeh

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Whether you're a vegetarian or not, everyone can benefit from adding a little soy to their diet. Although there's some talk about a connection between soy and breast cancer, there's no evidence to back up the claim. Since soy products are a healthy source of protein they're a great alternative for people trying to cut back on meat and dairy products that are high in cholesterol.

Tofu and tempeh are both made from soybeans, but what's the difference between the two? Is one healthier than the other? To find out

Go Meat-Free This Thanksgiving With Tofurky

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:30:00 -0800

Just because you're a vegetarian doesn't mean you have to miss out on having some turkey-like protein at your meal. Plus going meatless means you can eat a cholesterol-free Tofurky instead. It's made from a revolutionary tofu-wheat protein blend, and is known for its incredible, turkey-like texture and flavor. Tofurky is hands down the best alternative to turkey.

You can cook up a Tofurky feast, complete with one Tofurky Roast, eight cranberry-apple potato dumplings, Tofurky Giblet and Mushroom Gravy, Tofurky Wild Rice Stuffing, and a Tofurky Jurky Wishbone (I love that little detail). This feast is 100 percent vegan and cooks in about one hour.

If you don't want the entire Tofurky feast, you can just pick up a Tofurky Roast to have as your main dish or as a meatless option for your vegetarian friends.

Want to see how turkey and Tofurky compare nutritionally? Then

How Much Do You Know About Miso?

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Now that Fall has blown in, it makes me crave bowls of steamy, warm soup. Miso is one of my favorites, since it has a light salty flavor that you can add just about anything to.

I remember the first time I heard about miso, I knew nothing about it. So let's test your knowledge to see what you know.

Baked Tofu: Full of Protein and Flavor

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:30:00 -0700

Since we know that eating soy is a great way to get protein without cholesterol or saturated fat, I'm always looking for new and delicious ways to eat it. Buying pre-made meat alternatives that contain soy such as Tofu Pups and Wildwood Burgers is great, but sometimes I want to make it myself.

Here's a great recipe for Baked Tofu. Since tofu tastes rather bland, you can always flavor it anyway you want. Plus when you bake tofu, it gets a firm and chewy consistency similar to chicken, so many meat eaters may even appreciate it.

You can eat this Baked Tofu alone, on salads, in sandwiches, as a pizza topping, or on crackers. It's a great way to get a healthy source of protein, especially if you are a vegetarian.

To see the recipe and a detailed "how to" just

FREE Sample Alert: Wildwood Soyogurt

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:15:00 -0700

Wildwood Organics, makers of the delicious Southwest tofu burgers, have just come out with a new product - Soyogurt.

To show you how delicious it is, they are offering free coupons to FitSugar readers. Just go to the Wildwood Organics website, fill out the information form, and they'll send you coupons for 2 free cups of Wildwood Soyogurt.

Want to hear more about this soyogurt and see what it really looks like? Then

Tofutti Cuties: Cholesterol and Lactose Free

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Since we all can agree that anything in moderation is good, including things made with soy, I had to tell you about a dairy-free dessert I love called Tofutti Cuties.

Not only do they have an adorable name, but they're made with protein-rich soy without the lactose (good to know if you are vegan, have high cholesterol, or are lactose intolerant).

They come in a ton of flavors, including the classic Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies 'n Cream, Totally Vanilla (the cookies are vanilla instead of chocolate), Strawberry Wave, Chocolate Wave, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate Chip, Coffee Break, Wild Berry, Blueberry Wave, and Key Lime.

Want to see the nutritional info and a picture of what they really look like? Then

Is Soy Safe?

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:45:00 -0700

I have heard much talk about the connection between soy and breast cancer. I've heard eating soy can prevent breast cancer, but I've also heard that it can increase your risk, or be harmful for breast cancer patients.

First off, let's bring up the fact that soy is not some new food we just discovered. It has been eaten in many Asian cultures for thousands of years, including products such as tofu, edamame (steamed whole soybean), soymilk, and fermented soy products such as tempeh, miso, and soy sauce.

Recently, in North America, soy has become a huge hit. All these products are becoming widely available, in addition to some new ones like soy nuts, soy-based meat alternatives, soy-based beverages, soy chips, soy ice cream, soy yogurt, and soy cheese.

Soy contains phytoestrogens, a group of chemicals that act like the hormone estrogen. Estrogen is a hormone necessary for having babies, and is also involved with bone and heart health in women. Higher exposure to estrogen over a lifetime is linked with increased breast cancer risk. Therefore, you can see why people might be worried about the estrogen-like phytoestrogens in soy products.

So can phytoestrogens from soy foods affect breast cancer risk? To find out

Healthy BBQ - Tofu Pups

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Although hot dogs hail from Frankfurt Germany, they are about as American as apple pie. Sometimes you don't want to eat processed meat or sodium nitrate that is found in most hot dogs.

I found a meatless alternative called Tofu Pups (cute name, eh?). The thing about regular hot dogs is that they pretty much taste like crap until the hot dog people add seasonings. That smoky kind of taste isn't from the meat - and the Tofu Pup people know that. They take good old healthy tofu, add the special hot dog flavor, shape it into a hot dog and voila - instant healthier hot dog. It has no cholesterol, no nitrites, half the fat and one-third the sodium of a meat hot dog.

Now when you go to try these - don't think they are going to be exactly like real hot dogs. The taste is similar, but the texture is completely different. Since Tofu Pups are made out of tofu, they're much softer than the meat version, which I actually prefer.

They take a lot less time to cook too, so make sure when you grill them, you watch them closely and turn them frequently. They don't need to be cooked - they just need to be warmed up.

Fit's Tips: If you find that grilling your Tofu Pups dries them out, try boiling them in water for a few minutes instead.

Soy Yogurt v. Cow's Milk Yogurt

FitSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:00:00 -0700

OK, so I already told you the unpleasant news that eating dairy can cause acne. So what's a yogurt lover to do?

You've got to give soy yogurt a try. My fave is made by Whole Soy & Co. They take soymilk (made from whole organic soybeans) and culture it with vegan cultures including L. Acidophilus and B. Bifidum. It's creamy and very much like cow's milk yogurt, but has all the benefits of soy protein, with no cholesterol.

You can try Whole Soy yogurt in 11 delicious flavors: Plain, Peach, Vanilla, Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Lemon, Blueberry, Apricot Mango, Strawberry Banana, and Mixed Berry.

I think it is worthwhile to compare soy yogurt with cow's milk yogurt. Here's the nutritional info:

	6 oz Whole Soy & Co. Vanilla	6 oz Fat Free Stonyfield Farms French Vanilla	6 oz LowFat Stonyfield Farms Vanilla	6 oz Whole Milk Stonyfield Farms Vanilla
Calories	150	140	140	190
Total Fat	3g	0g	1.5g	6g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg	5mg	25mg
Sodium	25mg	110mg	100mg	100mg
Carbs	28g	28g	25g	27g
Fiber	2g	2g	2g	3g
Sugar	12g	25g	23g	24g
Protein	6g	7g	7g	6g
Calcium	30%	35%	30%	25%

Eat Your Broccoli and Soy, Ladies

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0700

We all know that broccoli and soy are good for us, but how good are they? These magic foods have been linked to lower cancer rates, and now researchers at The University of California may have discovered why.

I'm not quite sure how they did this, but using cells in a petri dish, researchers found that diindolymethane (DIM), a compound resulting from the digestion of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, and genistein, an isoflavone in soy, both reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread.

These two compounds are thought to slow or prevent the spread of breast and ovarian cancer to other parts of the body, so current treatments would be more effective. Isn't that amazing? This theory will next be tested on mice, and hopefully will be successful.

The amount of DIM and genistein used in this study is probably comparable to high doses of supplements, and is likely not achievable through consumption of food alone (you'd have to eat a ton of broccoli and tofu).

Fit's Tips: Who knows - down the road cancer preventing drugs may be made from broccoli and soy, so for now, it can't hurt to get your fill of these two healthy foods.

My SOYJOY Bars Arrived!!!

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Do you remember a little while back I told you about SOYJOY bars. If you gave them your address, they promised to send you 3 free bars.

As exciting as it was to get free treats in the mail, I'm sorry to say these bars are pretty gross. They look homemade which is cool, but they tasted more like cookies gone bad.

First of all, they smelled kind of funky, like the health food stores my gramma dragged me to as a child. When I opened them, they looked dark and brick-like. When I tried all 3 flavors they sent me - Raisin Almond, Berry, and Apple - all 3 of them tasted pretty much the same - yucky!

They were really dense, dry, and truthfully, it weirded me out that "frozen eggs" was listed in the ingredients. Butter was also listed, but I sure didn't taste it.

Looking at the label, they do have 240mg of potassium, 3g of fiber, 4% of your daily iron intake, and 4g of protein from the soy. That's impressive for a tiny 130 calorie bar.

Tell Me: Have any of you ever tried a SOYJOY bar? Did you send away for your free bars? What did you think?

Spread the SOYJOY: They're Free!

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:04:09 -0700

I've never actually tried these nutrition bars from SOYJOY, but that's okay because they'll send me (and you too) 3 bars to try for free. They want you to try 1, and promise to share the other 2 with your friends. Give them your info and you should receive the bars in about 3-4 weeks.

These bars are made with soy, butter, frozen egg, dried fruits like raisins, papaya, mango, and pineapple, and almonds. There are 4 flavors that sound very tasty - Raisin Almond, Mango Coconut, Apple, and Berry.

Soy protein is a complete protein, so this could be a great afternoon snack to give you a pep in your step. Not only that, soy enhances bone density and can help to reduce your risk of certain cancers.

Has anyone ever tried them? I'd be curious to know what you thought, so tell me below.

Health By Chocolate

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:55:00 -0800

I know when I have PMS, I crave sweet treats, particularly chocolate. I just found a chocolate bar that's specially formulated to soothe my PMS symptoms.

Ecco Bella, known for its beauty products, is branching out and has created Health by Chocolate bars, made with organic, dark chocolate and enhanced with herbs, antioxidants, and minerals to soothe your mood, build your bones, and help your skin. The Women's Wonder Bar is made with a blend of soy, Chaste Tree berry (clinically proven to relieve symptoms), and pampering rose oil to soothe and alleviate the symptoms of PMS and menopause.

Their Beautiful Bones Bar is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K to support healthy bones. It is flavored with a hint of orange.

The Instant Bliss Beauty Bar is a delicious way to "feed" your skin. It contains lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene, and astaxanthin. These powerful antioxidants are derived from marigolds, tomatoes, carrots, blueberries, and algae and have great skin protecting powers.

Well, now you can eat your chocolate knowing not only does it soothe the soul, but it's great for your body too. You can buy them directly from the Ecco Bella website in packages of 24 bars for $82.

Mooooove Over Cow's Milk: Soy and Rice Milk Explained

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 02:30:00 -0800

There are many beverage choices for people who are lactose intolerant. We're lucky enough in this day and age to be growing up with delicious and nutritious non-dairy, milk alternatives.

So the 2 main ones to choose from are soy milk and rice milk. What's the difference?

Soy milk originated in China and is made, obviously, using soybeans. They are soaked and then ground up with water.

Nutritionally, its protein content is naturally close to cow's milk. Most soy milk is enriched with added vitamins such as B12. Manufacturers also add calcium. Soy milk has very little saturated fat, making it a healthy chose for people watching their cholesterol.

Some popular brands are Silk and Edensoy.

Rice milk is mostly made with brown rice and sweetened with sugarcane syrup.

Compared to cow's milk, it contains more carbs, but not a significant amount of protein or calcium. It's a good alternative for people who are trying to avoid cholesterol, because rice milk has none. It is fortified with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin B12 and iron.

Rice Dream and Pacific Rice Milk are common brands.

Soy Milk is healthier for you, but rice milk is more like cow's milk in taste and consistency. It's really a matter of personal preference so give them both a try to see which one you like.