From the WebMD Archives Soy once was relegated to an obscure corner of most supermarkets, if it was there at all. In most communities, if you really wanted to take a taste of tofu or other soy products, you had to venture instead into a health-food store, searching for soy somewhere between the bean sprouts and the herbal remedies. But these days, the soy fad has gone mainstream. Faster than you can say tempeh or edamame, more Americans than ever have become convinced that there might be some substance to the 5,000 years of Asian reliance on the simple soybean and the foods derived from it. Moreover, particularly as many menopausal women have become concerned about the safety of using prescription hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to cool down their hot flashes and related symptoms, soy just might be a sensible alternative worth trying.