Originally, farmers grew soy for crop rotation to enhance nitrogen in the soil. After developing the fermentation process, soy became useful as animal feed, while soy oil found its place in hydrogenated fats margarines and shortenings. As soy production rose dramatically during the last few decades so did the number of soy products.

This leads us to wonder if all the products we now face is of more benefit for the farmers growing soy than for us as consumers.

Advertisers have targeted vegetarians who are constantly looking for alternatives to meat proteins. Soy was there to fill the bill. Then you have the rest of us who are looking for ways to improve our health by eating better; again advertisers cashed in on that market.

We are bombarded with soy sauce, milk and oil, tofo, tempeh, miso, chocolate covered soy nuggets, and even soy candles. There are books teaching us how to cook with it, research telling us it decreases all sorts of medical risks and including research stating it hurts us more than it helps.

If there is one thing most Americans are—it is confused about soy! So I went in search of the truth. After reading countless articles and listening to my own doctor as well as other physicians addressing this subject, I have come to a very basic conclusion. Like all food sources, soy has good and bad qualities. It should be used with caution and not under certain medical conditions.

The bottom line is, as consumers we need to realize the soy industry's goal is to use all the soy they produce. It is up to us as consumers to not accept the idea that if a little is good, a lot must be great. For the majority of us, moderation is still the key to a healthy and happy life.