Today, soyfoods play a significant role in the diets of many vegans and vegetarians. And looking toward Asian cuisine can give some guidance about how much and what types of soy to eat. Unfortunately, soy detractors have done a fairly good job of confusing these issues, leading many vegans to believe that Asians use soy only in small amounts—as a condiment

We don’t need a lot of iodine; recommendations are expressed in micrograms (a microgram is one-millionth of a gram). Without adequate iodine, however, babies’ brains don’t develop properly, children and adults can become hypothyroid, and pregnancies are more likely to end in miscarriage and stillbirth.

Raising our children as vegans offers a lot of obvious benefits. They’ll avoid the naturally occurring hormones found in all dairy; they’ll never be exposed to the carcinogens and saturated animal fats present in meat; their food will be full of fiber, healthy plant fats, and protective antioxidants.