Should You Choose Soy-Free Eggs?

Over the past few months and years, you’ve probably noticed an overwhelming variety of eggs at the grocery store: organic, grass-fed, free-range, soy-free, and vegetarian. Understandably, it can be hard to keep up with all of these labels.

Soy has been the subject of many studies that seem to contradict each other and leave consumers wondering if soy brings valuable health benefits or if it’s best avoided.

Soy Basics

According to an article published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “Soy is unique in that it contains a high concentration of isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen (phytoestrogen) that is similar in function to human estrogen but with much weaker effects. Soy isoflavones can bind to estrogen receptors in the body and cause either weak estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity.”

In other words, soy affects estrogen hormone levels; these effects vary depending on existing levels of hormones in the body. The effects of soy on humans also depend on the individual’s ethnicity and the type of soy — whole soy vs. processed soy, fermented vs. unfermented, and supplements with isoflavones or soy protein.

Studies have shown that consuming soy can lead to early onset of puberty in female children and increase the risk of GMO contamination. On the other hand, soy protein is a complete protein and is rich in B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. For these reasons, soy has been accepted as healthy food and adopted as a key ingredient in “livestock feed, baby formula, protein powder, soy-milk, soy burgers, [and] tofu,” according to an article by Organic Chicken Feed.

Can We Find a Balance?

But how much soy is good for humans? And is it possible to find a balance between the positive and negative effects of consuming soy? Further research is necessary to identify how much soy we should be eating. Until then, the better question to ask may be, “Can we obtain the health benefits of soy from other foods, without sustaining the negative effects on hormones?” Of course, the answer is “yes”.

Why We Offer Soy-Free Eggs

Early on, we followed the controversy surrounding soy. Some studies showed results that highlighted soy’s benefits, while others focused on soy’s negative effects. Because soy is relatively cheap and easy to produce, many farmers and egg producers were quick to jump on the “soy bandwagon” and started adding soy to livestock feed. We, however, decided to give our customers the choice. We believe that each consumer is responsible for their food choices and it is our responsibility to support the freedom to choose. So whether you’re for or against consuming soy, we let you choose which eggs to purchase.