I admit I’ve bought soy protein because it was cheap. I use protein powder daily for my breakfast pancake. I choose whey protein (isolate if you can afford it) sweetened with stevia. I know it was the best way to go but now there is science that proves it is better than soy protein when it comes to weight loss.
I love protein powder in my smoothies post workout as well. Having protein 20 minutes after your workout, helps repair your muscles so you can get that added calorie burn from your new muscles during rest. Chocolate protein powder with unsweetened vanilla almond milk also satisfies my sweet tooth late at night when I don’t want to eat carbs.
Genetically modified soy is also linked a number of illness here in the US. While there are not enough studies for the FDA to come out and make announcement, it’s safe to say we enough soy in our food that we do not need any more with protein powder. Most importantly, it has been linked to slowing down your thyroid!
This should be a red flag for anyone who struggles to maintain their weight. Unless you’d like to be on medication for the rest of your life, stop eating GMO Soy. Stick with organic version if you can afford it. If you cannot, avoid it.
If you are a vegan or vegetarian, I would invest in your health and purchase the soy products that are organic. Otherwise, you may end up spending that money (and much more) on medical expenses.
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Hi Sarah! Thanks for this post! What brand of protein powder do you use/recommend? Thank you!
I like designers whey because it’s the most affordable that uses Stevia! I also buy the generic whey at whole foods.
Interesting. I have to avoid soy as I’m allergic to it, and it is very hard to find products that don’t have it in there in some form. I even have to be careful w/ the isolate as well and soya flour is in nearly all of the breads here in Scotland!
Hey Sarah! What is your favorite protein powder?
I like designers whey because it’s affordable and uses stevia to sweetened it!
I personally love Sunwarrior protein. It can be a little pricey, but well worth it if you can afford it. It is 100% Raw Vegan, 83% Pure Protein,Non-GMO, & Gluten Free http://www.sunwarrior.com/products/sunwarrior-protein
As someone who is nearing 40 I stopped using GMO soy about a year ago due to concerns.
I haven’t tried sun warrior but I always see it on open sky and at whole foods. Guess i’ll have to give it a try.
I do the same thing….at night to avoid carbs….a protein drink will do the trick. I use either Jay Robb, or Natural Factors Whey Protein. Both are way expensive, but they are all natural. Thanks for the soy tip too.
I love Jay Robb but is more expensive. I buy it when it is on sale!
Hi,
When you do the Whey protein after a workout do you use the unsweetened almond as well or just at night? Thank you!!
I am a huge chocolate protein fan….I need to start making pancakes with it. This was very interesting, I never knew the difference between the benefits of soy and whey.
There is a lot of studies about Whey protein not being the greatest either, though! I agree with you that everyone should stop using GMO Soy Protein powder too, but I just wanted to put it out there that there are a ton of other options!
I use pea protein powder, and I love it. It gives everything a great “natural” taste, but there is also brown rice protein and yellow pea protein powder!
Hey Sarah,
I love your website and videos. I was just wondering if I should be eating whey protein. I workout
3-5 times a week and I do a variation of hot yoga, weight lifting, cardio. I’m currently trying to tone and lose 5-8 lbs. Let me know what you think. Thanks
Hi sarah, quick question. How much protien do u have a day in grams? I heard somewhere you should have the the same amount of protien in grams as your body wieght in pounds? Is that true?
Hmmm….found this info on a different website:
7. Soy Protein Isolate for Dieters
For years, bodybuilding gurus have recommended the use of soy protein for pre-contest bodybuilders who need to shed body fat while keeping as much lean muscle as possible. Normally when the body is forced into a low calorie diet program, it reacts by slowing down your metabolic rate. This will make it increasingly more difficult to lose body fat. Soy-protein isolate helps lessen this effect through several different pathways. First, soy-protein isolate has been found to enhance endogenous production of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxin (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroxin is the main player in the regulation of your metabolic rate. The more thyroxin you have the faster your metabolism will be. A faster metabolism insures that more of the food you eat will be used as fuel and less will be stored as fat, an important advantage to any dieter.
Another way soy accelerates fat loss is with its unique concentration of amino acids. Soy-protein isolate has the highest concentration of amino acids in what is called the “critical cluster”. This cluster of amino acids contains the three branch chain amino acids (BCAA’s) and two essential aminos -- glutamine and arginine. These critical amino acids help a bodybuilder spare muscle while losing body fat during a pre-contest diet. Any time you diet, your body tries to break down muscle glycogen in an effort to provide the body with more calories. In fact, your body will often try to use broken down muscle for fuel before it uses stored body fat. This is called muscle catabolism or muscle breakdown. These three branch chain amino acids are the first amino acids that are used for fuel when your body begins muscle catabolism. If you have a high amount of these branch chain amino acids in your diet, your body will first use these for fuel before it breaks down your stored muscle.
Just because u read it on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true. Soy from HMO sources is different than organic soy as well.
Sarah, i actually stumbled across you webpage…really enjoying the factual posts. Thank you.
Does whey protein contain the amino acids and essential amino acids found in soy?
High Sarah,
How about sprouted & roasted soya nuts. Is it ok against whey?