Conclusion: The effects of soya on health and the environment

This post is the final part of a four part series of posts. You can find the introduction (part one) here, part two here and part three here. I've been asked many questions about soya and I've heard contradictory opinions too, so I asked Sagar Kirit Shah to write an article it. Here's his conclusion.

Conclusion - the effects of soya on health and the environment

In summary, my view is that soya not a health risk, but is certainly not a health panacea and is by no means necessary for good health on a vegan diet.

Buying power

I also believe it is relatively straight forward to avoid some of the adverse environmental effects by purchasing soya products made with non-GM beans from plantations not associated with rainforest destruction.

Lightly processed vs highly processed

I believe there is nothing wrong with enjoying the taste and convenience of soya products as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Just try and remember it is much better to go for lightly processed, whole bean, products (e.g. whole bean soya milk, tofu, tempeh, natto, miso, edamame) than for products which are highly processed (e.g. meat analogues made using texturised soya protein, soya alternatives to single cream and soya ice cream).

Previous articles in this series

Part 1 - Should we consume soya or not?

Part 2 - Does soya consumption have a negative impact on health?

Part 3 - Is soya good for the environment?

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“I've been vegan for about 10 and a half years. It's been all good. I'm obviously much healthier.”
- Woody Harrelson

How the environment reacts to what we eat, how we grow it and what we waste

There's a lot of debate about how our choices and actions have an impact on the environment. It effects everyone in one way or another and because, our motivations are different, reaching a solution that all parties will be happy with, is a hard task. The video below sums up how our dietary choices, the way we meet this demand, and how we deal with waste, impacts on the environment.

A few points to look out  for as you watch the video:-

1. How much of the greenhouse emissions are caused by dairy and meat? 
2. How much of the greenhouse emissions are caused by aviation?
3. What is the one of the primary causes of water table pollution in the U.S.?
4. Which method of fishing is described as not harming the environment?

More about this film...

The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -

• an exciting lifestyle
• eating delicious food
• consuming healthy food
• tackling the ethics behind making this shift
• global challenges that we face now and in the future.

It was produced by The Vegan Society.

Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today. As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management. It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

Source - The Guardian