Body Blog: How Much Soy is Too Much Soy?

These days the type of milk to put in your cereal or pair with your latte is confusing. I hear more and more people in line with me at the ‘Bucks ordering their lattes with soy. At the grocery store, I see those around me grabbing for soy “chicken” nuggets, soy “sausage,” soy ice-cream and soy based cheeses and coffee creamer. I’m surprised that soy hasn’t infiltrated our pre-games with soy-tinis or soy beer. Though I’m sure that’s next.

On one hand, it feels like a GREAT move for people; stepping away from non-organic dairy and meat, both of which are often pumped with hormones and antibiotics and really are just not good for you (or the animals and the environment). But is switching everything out for soy products the answer?

Soy is found in just about EVERYTHING these days. So much so that soy consumption in the U.S. has skyrocketed since the early 1990s. Sales climbed from $300 million in 1992 to over $4 billion in 2008. It’s cheap to produce (mainly because the government subsidizes its growth) and is in tons of packaged products. Seriously, check your food labels in your cabinet; I’m willing to bet Soy Lecithin or Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) is in a lot of things you wouldn’t even think would have soy in it! Read More »


Adventures in Veganism: Day 4

burrito.jpgHello all, welcome to day 4 of my week-long vegan eating extravaganza.

I can honestly say that I’m getting used to eating vegan, although I did wake up in a cold panic last night thinking I’d accidentally had nonfat milk instead of soy milk in my morning coffee yesterday, so maybe I take that back…

Breakfast: Breakfast is definitely the hardest meal for a vegan. I think cereal with soy milk is an acquired taste (or maybe just always gross), and as I found out yesterday, scrambled tofu is just plain nasty. I looked up some vegan recipes online, but everything requires baking. You can make versions of muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc, but who has time for this when running out of the house in the morning? Today, I have oatmeal and a Starbucks soy latte for breakfast… again.

Lunch: Nothing. Nothing. Read More »


My Favorite (Healthy) Snacking Secrets

peanutbutterSo usually, I bring you a recipe or two each week that won’t cut into your tv time and will save that cash of yours to be spent on more important things (like Soko lime shots)

But, when the weekend rolls around and we spend our days hung-over and hungry on the couch, let’s be real, the last thing we are going to do is cook.

Enter… my favorite munchies I’ve discovered that are yummy and healthy(ish)

Better N Peanut Butter: This all natural treat is made out of peanuts, but has only 100 calories and 2.5 grams of fat per serving. While it doesn’t taste exactly like its cousin, PB, it’s close enough, and is a great alternative (also great in smoothies, or when cooking to get that PB flavor without the PB fat)

Trader Joe’s Flax Seed Chips. They look like tortilla chips, they taste even better and they come in different flavors. While they are higher in Calorie (140 per serving), they are full of complex carbs, are all natural and hits the salty-craving spot. Read More »