I like to question even the articles in the so called reputable medical journals such as JAMA – hell, I worked down the hallway from a scientist who recently made big news because her work that was published in all the important medical journals and considered the breakthrough discovery turned out to be somewhat fabricated.

I guess I take the old adage “Do not believe everything your read” a bit too seriously.

Jaehwan: Exactly. Just as pharmaceutical companies can and will influence medical doctors to promote one drug over another, FDA is not above influence. I’ve seen nutritionists flip flop between food groups that are bad or good for you. FDA research done 50 years ago can easily have less merit than a layperson’s research done over the information found on the internet. So my philosophy is usually to go with the tried and true. However, being human, I still have to research all information, whether it sounds like an alarmist propaganda or not, if it is relevant to my child’s wellbeing.

Yeah, there’s a reason why tofu is considered monk food in Asia. Even though Tibetan monks are vegetarian and eat tofu, they’re not vegan. They drink a glass of butter milk everyday.

Anyway, soy as a condiment is not a big deal. I can’t eat my sushi without wasabi mixed in soy sauce!

Thanks for the link, man. That’s cool stuff. I eat WAY too much meat, so I should probably check out the pesco-vegetarian diet.

Here’s an ethnic edge to the fish question: I’m not too crazy about Euro-style fish; I really only like fish when it’s prepared Asian style. And my Chinese cooking leaves lots to be desired…

The first time I heard negative news about soy was in the gym. They have a huge bulletin board where the trainers post stuff. Someone posted an article that basically said the same thing as what those articles say–that soy increases estrogen, limits testosterone, and is unsuitable for a bodybuilding lifestyle. It’s significant in Portland because of our big vegan movement.

In the article, someone asked about the Chinese and tofu. The author cited a study that said the Chinese don’t eat as much tofu as would increase estrogen. I’m Chinese, and I think this is probably true–we eat tofu, but we also eat pork, fish, beef, shrimp, and all kinds of veggies. I think the author was writing in response to certain vegan diets that heavily stress tempeh and tofu burgers.

I think Gandhi once recommended vegetarianism because he said it decreased people’s tendencies towards violence. I have no idea if this was a plug for soy or statement about reducing testosterone or karmic growth by not killing animals, but I do agree with him–I’ve never met a violent vegan.

So I do think there is some qualitative difference between meat eaters and those who eat lots of tofu. The reason they need to have a “vegan bodybuilding contest” is because vegans are at a disadvantage.

As for the children thing raised by Mama Nabi and P2H (and this is my view only, and I realize that many or most may disagree with me):

Dieticians keep going back and forth on their recommendations. They used to say carbs were really good, and now they’re bad. Eggs used to have too much cholesterol, and now they’re good. I usually go along with the recommendations of the time–for me. (except for beer–dieticians always say beer is bad, but I always drink it anyway because, well, what the hell do they know?)

Occasionally, there will be some huge news that has all force and reason behind it–a good example is the move from formula to breast milk–it’s virtually universally accepted that breast milk is superior to formula, and even the formula companies have had to acknowledge this. But by and large, sweeping changes such as this are rare.

So for my kids, I’m more or less strictly traditional. I give them what children have eaten for centuries. I remember years ago when Paul McCartney started touring Britain and telling parents to eliminate cow’s milk from their children’s diets. While I think there are some possible logical reasons for taking it out, I’m a traditionalist who says that we’re probably best off continuing to do what has worked over generations. Sure, there are hormones that farmers inject into cows that were not so common fifty years ago, but drinking modern milk, to me, seems a whole lot less risky than eliminating it completely. Kids need that protein to grow, and if you don’t give them what they need at a young age, the results will be present for the rest of their lives. My older one (younger one still doesn’t eat) eats fish, veggies, rice, dairy, and tofu in whatever form or ratio he wants. I usually have to push him to eat certain foods, but this is how kids were raised in the past, so this is how I do it with him.

Is this the best way to feed a child? I don’t know. I figure that since so many people have done it before successfully, I might as well continue the tradition. So if my son wants it, and it is a natural food, I don’t worry about ratios or volume–I just give it to him. I do, however, make sure that he eats a little of everything. It’s not good to be a picky eater.

However, I’ve found that doing single leg squats on a stability ball actually increases lower body strength and thereby increases speed. This is because the act of sprinting requires a significant amount of lower body biomotor capabilities that a lot of athletes have not yet developed.

By the way, I should perhaps say that I’m training athletes between 14 and 19 years of age. So perhaps it is different for younger athletes than older athletes who have already done advanced training.

Yeah, I think we’re both on the same page that being balanced and healthy in all aspects is important.

flax oil is fine, but I would limit it to 1 tablespoon a day, as there is some evidence it has negative effects on the prostate.

Yeah I’m sure you’ve read “The China Study.” Taking meat out of your diet leads to a much longer life. Look at the 7th Day Adventists. They’re vegetarians, and they have a high number of centenarians in their congregations.

I don’t knock the vegetarian lifestyle. I happen to be on pesco-vegetarian diet: http://strengthandphysique.blogspot.com/search?q=vegetarian

So I wholeheartedly embrace vegetarianism for health, but what I despise about vegan propagandists is when they distort the truth about what is healthy. I can’t say veganism is healthier than vegetarianism.

“Now, what’s important is to look at what it means to be vegan. It does NOT mean eating soy exclusively. I think that’s for lazy vegans.”

People develop food allergies when their diets are limited. So if you eat soy all the time, then those side effects are more likely to happen.

You should define yourself by what you are, not what you are not. Being a vegetarian or vegan means eating vegetables. I’ve run into plenty of vegans who eat veggie pizzas and eat tons of starchy carbs, but very little vegetables.

Yeah, I’m not a big fan of medicine ball pushups or stability balls or wobble boards. Exercises on unstable surfaces won’t do anything to increase your strength or speed. In fact, you will become weaker and slower.

The reason is that random motor units start firing all over just to keep you in balance, so no one motor unit actually gets worked enough to develop further.

Those exercises are great for the non-athlete, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the athlete.

As for the pushup-dumbbell row combo, they’re OK. You have to isometrically your entire body just to maintain that position while you row and pushup, so it is definitely challenging. I can’t say there is much carryover to athletics.

We seem to have started off on the wrong foot here, so let’s start over. In my opinion, 288 studies by the FDA is much better than what 2 people put up as an authoritative article on their website. The links that you posted didn’t even refer to scientific studies to refute the claims that soy is estrogenic and affects development, whether child development or muscular development.

There is plenty of research out there, and I’ve provided a whole list of articles and studies. Here are some notable studies. Note that these are from scientific journals such as the JAMA and those specializing in reproduction and pediatrics. They are not web articles written for a vegan propaganda site:

Sharpe RM and others. Infant feeding with soy formula milk: effects on the testis and on blood testosterone levels in marmoset monkeys during the period of neonatal testicular activity. Hum Reprod 2002 Jul;17(7):1692-703; Strauss L and others. Genistein exerts estrogen-like effects in male mouse reproductive tract. Mol Cell Endocrinol 1998 Sep 25;144(1-2):83-93

Chorazy PA (1995). Persistent hypothyroidism in an infant receiving a soy formula: case report and review of the literature. Pediatrics Jul: 96 (1 Pt 1): 148-50

Irvine CHG (1998). Phytoestrogens in soy-based infant foods: concentrations, daily intake, and possible biological effects. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med1998 Mar; 217 (3): 247-53)

Nagata C (2000). Inverse association of soy product intake with serum androgen and estrogen concentrations in Japanese men. Nutr Cancer; 36 (1): 14-8

O’Donnell L and others. Phyto-estrogens and Infant Formulas. Endocr Rev 2001 Jun;22(3):289-318; Sharpe RM and Skakkebaek NE. Are Oestrogens Involved in Falling Sperm Counts and Disorders of the Male Reproductive Tract? The Lancet, 1993 May 29;341(8857):1392-1395.

Irvine CH and others. Phytoestrogens in soy-based infant foods: concentrations, daily intake, and possible biological effects. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1998 Mar 217:3 247-53.

Strom B and others. Exposure to Soy-Based Formulas in infacy and Endocrinological and Reproductive Outcomes in Young Adulthood. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001 Nov 12;286(19):2402-3.