Is soy healthy or not? Will it mess up my hormone balance? I keep reading conflicting reports about it.

I'm not a fan of soy. Used in small quantities it is a decent protein, but it also is a phytoestrogen, meaning your body misreads it as an estrogenic compound, and it may hide problems caused by lack of estrogen or induce problems caused by too much estrogen.

In fact, if you take estrogen, which all of us need as we age, you may get undesirable side effects because soy may block your estrogen receptors.

The best way to use it is in moderation as a dietary supplement like tofu or small amounts of soy milk.