Question: “My daughter has decided to become a vegetarian. She’s including soy for protein in her diet. Is this wise or what would you recommend?”

Answer: Soy is a very controversial subject (e.g. see article above). If you line up 10 experts, 5 will be pro-soy and 5 will be in the anti-soy movement. I personally fall into the anti-soy movement due to the fact that the vast majority of soy is genetically modified, soy blocks absorption of important nutrients that support thyroid function, and soy has serious estrogenic activity in the body that can have major consequences (too many to list here). If your daughter is going to eat soy, it should be organic and inmoderation. Other good sources of protein for vegetarians would include quinoa, natural peanut butter, eggs, beans, and nuts, to name a few. Moreover, it’s important that vegetarians supplement with vitamin B12 since the only sources are animal products.