Rethinking Soy Isolates
John McDougall MD discusses cancer growth promoter IGF-1. Blood levels of IGF-1 are raised by consuming dairy products — and even more so by consuming *isolated* soy protein. If you avoid dairy because it promotes cancer and instead you eat soy veggie burgers or chicken strips, you may want to rethink your dietary choices.
Soy Isolate Free Plant-Based Protein
Soy itself is fine. But when you put it into a form that is so processed down, it is just like other processed foods. It loses what we are looking for to make it healthy. So Tofu, Tempeh, Soy Curls, etc are all fine. Some plant-based protein powders will actually have multiple plant proteins to help you get the full spectrum of essential amino acids. Here are some common plant protein sources:
- Peas and Coconuts
- Hemp and Chia Seeds
- Brown Rice and Quinoa
- Beans and Nuts
Benefits
A big plus for choosing plant-based protein over other types of protein powder is the added vitamins and minerals you get.
Fruits and vegetables are already chock full of the many types of vitamins and minerals that are good for your health.
They’re also rich in fiber. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies can help boost immune health and other necessary functions to keep your body working and rebuilding itself properly.
If you aren’t a huge fan of fruits or vegetables, plant-based protein powders are definitely a way to get the nutrients you need.
Plant based proteins contain much less fat than other forms of protein. Combine that with large amounts of fiber, and your body has a better chance at regulating or losing weight.
Part of weight loss means eating larger amounts of protein. Protein requires more energy to breakdown than other foods, which is why nutritionists and trainers will tell you to up your protein intake.
Of course, all of us need some fat in our diets. Plant protein still contains fat, but it’s much healthier than other forms of protein.
Common Vegan Foods That Contain Soy Isolates
The previous fears around soy as it turns out are specifically related to soy isolates. Soy itself is fine and there are many good articles from reputable medical specialists especially in the cancer industries that show that soy is good for you. The trick here is in the nuance. Some articles for reading:
Do soy foods increase cancer risk?
https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/september-2014/soy-cancer.html
Where do we stand on soy?
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/health/soy-foods-history-cancer-where-do-we-stand-explainer/index.html
Is Soy Good or Bad for You?
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2016-02-05/is-soy-good-or-bad-for-you
Alternatives if you need prefab foods
Morningstar, Gardenburger, and Boca burgers are the common burgers people think of for vegetarian burgers. They all have respectable amounts of protein but we didn’t include them in the list because almost none of their products are vegan, as they frequently use eggs or milk/dairy as binding agents and most of them have gluten as their primary ingredient. And as we see from the
Hilary’s Root Burgers are phenomenal. These are excellent sources of protein. They have a wide selection of options that are both gluten free and soy isolate free. I have included the ingredients so you can see.
Sunshine Burgers don’t taste like meat but I firmly believe that vegetable products should NOT taste like meat. Foods should taste like what they are. They are soy free and gluten free, but do contain brown rice.
Ingredients: organic cooked brown rice, organic ground raw sunflower seeds, organic carrots, organic spices, sea salt.
Most people say taste wise these are like the Sunshine Burger brand, because both use sunflower seeds as well as some higher-end ingredients. However Carla Lee’s products also contain cashews. If you have a cashew allergy you will have to avoid all of their products because they all have cashews.
Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic carrot juice, organic sunflower seeds, organic cashews, coconut aminos, (organic coconut sap and sea salt {less than 1%}), organic expeller-pressed sunflower oil, organic spices, sea salt
L’Chaim!
Terradon & Marianne
