dr matthew nagra nd holding an apple

Are you confused about whether soy is good for you? Or, is it bad for you? The internet really gets its knickers in a knot about soy…but what about the actual science? 

I’ve asked one of my favourite nutrition science communicators, Dr Matthew Nagra ND, to come and untangle the web of controversy about soy and serve some straight up science to help us eat with confidence. Dr Nagra is an amazing resource when it comes to evaluating the science of nutrition and I value the way he breaks down new research into very digestible (ha!) posts on his Instagram. We’re both big fans of science (and tofu!) so this was a really fun conversation about how we go from research to recommendations to total nutrition confusion.

About Dr Matthew Nagra ND

Dr. Matthew Nagra is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing at Tonume (To-New-Me) Integrated Health in Vancouver, BC. He has a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Victoria and completed his ND training at the Boucher Institute. He has been vegan for over 10 years, is certified in plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, and regularly shares information regarding nutrition and health across his social media pages. In addition, he volunteers for multiple non-profit organizations including Nutritionfacts.org and The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary, and most recently acted as a scientific reviewer for the new book, “The Proof is in the Plants,” by Simon Hill.

On this episode, we talk about:

  • Dr Nagra’s own health journey, including how he went from being a total McDonald’s lover to eating a whole food, plant-based diet 
  • His path to becoming a naturopath
  • What the heck a phytoestrogen actually is and why it’s different than your body’s estrogen
  • The science-based health benefits of soy foods
  • Why animal studies make for confusing dietary advice
  • Soy’s connection to breast cancer and other cancers
  • How soy affects hormone balance in men
  • Soy protein quality of soy, and how it stacks up to whey protein in the research
  • Can you build muscle on soy foods?
  • The problematic nature of internet nutrition advice and why not all health professionals are actually evidence-informed
  • How much soy you can safely eat in a day
  • Whether you should give soy milk to your kids
  • Do you need to worry about GMOs? What about lectins?
  • The truth about nutrition books that might surprise you, and Dr Nagra’s work on Simon Hill’s new book, The Proof is in the Plants

Dr Nagra is a deep well of information on plant-based nutrition and I hope this episode will finally put to rest the confusion on soy! When you’re new to a plant-based diet, I know that it can be confusing to sort through all of the conflicting nutrition information out there.

Let’s keep the conversation going…screenshot this episode and tag us @desireenielsenrd @theallsortspod @dr.matthewnagra with your thoughts and questions. 

Connect with Dr Nagra

Website: https://drmatthewnagra.com

Instagram: @dr.matthewnagra

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