The Truth About Soy.....or not.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
So I live with a couple of vegans They don't preach to me but on occasion they do inform me about why I might consider another form of diet that doesn't effect animals. Aren't cows used for poop to fertilize plants? And what about that poor little defenseless broccoli losing its head to satisfy somebody? In reality they might have a point considering the torture and inhumane treatment many animals must go through to be our food. My concern when I hear "I am a vegan" is how do you get your protein? We need protein in our diet. We need protein in our diet. We need protein in our diet.
You can search online until the "cows" come home and you will find many studies telling you how much protein we need but only one thing will be consistent...we need protein in our diets. How much is a good question. Most bodybuilders consume massive amounts of protein from many sources. How do they get it? They must eat meat right? The fact is there are body builders who are vegans and they seem to do just fine. Many of my vegan/vegetarian friends are what I would call skinny fat people. They have muscle atrophy on a big scale. Poor diet, crash diets, and ill informed vegan style diets will cause this without a doubt. My problem with excluding animal products is not only because I love to eat meat, etc. My problem is how do I get my protein? It is true that we can get protein from plants but can we get enough? Read the labels (you already do this anyhow right?) of the different veggies you eat and you will find protein amounts are very low. I suppose we can get what we need but we would have to eat a lot of food and mix and match just right to get all of the essentials we need. Who has that kind of discipline or time? Pro athletes? Probably!
Soy beans arguably provide the complete protein "package"(in the non-animal product eating world). Or do they? Maybe, but at what cost? I recently read an interesting article about soy products and I was not really that surprised. It seems that soy may be the "egg" of non meat eating people but apparently like anything else there are concerns. Personally I mix and match what I eat. I eat meat, fish, poultry, and most animal products. All in moderation and that is probably the key...moderation. I don't have the time needed to eat without animal products so I eat them and they taste great! Sorry! I also try to make sure that about 70 percent of my plate consists of fruits and veggies. Let’s face it, mankind has always eaten what was available and animal products top the list. When we dwelled in caves we probably ate whatever we could get
our hands on. We therefore ate a variety of things and in moderation. It could not have been easy trying to kill a 30' tall animal with a stick. In todays world everything is mass produced which would explain the poor treatment of the animals we use for food. Natives all over the world have blended with nature, used only what they needed, and survived.
In todays world (especially North America) we are over stuffed, out of shape, and just plain greedy. If you are offended by the treatment of animals and choose not to eat animal products then eat what you like but be certain you get the nutrients you need to live a long healthy life. Whatever you choose to eat will be controversial with someone but choose wisely. Most studies are designed to get a result and you will never know for sure what is "good" or "bad". So what is soy? Is it good or bad? You make the call.
Feel free to contact me at www.tfabfitness.com to voice your opinion.
Tom is a father, a husband, an athlete, and a Canfit Pro certified personal trainer. I have been playing sports all of my life and as such I always had the need to stay fit and be strong. As a youngster playing hockey I was always skinny. I found myself working out with weights and eating everything and anything I could to get bigger and stronger after all hockey requires strength and size. Once I hit about 30 my competitive brain continued but my body required new methods of staying in shape, it certainly didn't need the same amount of food I once fed it. I also didn't need to get any bigger. I began playing volleyball when I was 38 and volleyball is a sport that requires strength, speed, and power but extra weight is not a requirement, in fact weight it is detrimental. Needless to say my work outs changed as did my diet. Now at 50 I still play sports and I am as competitive as ever. I love sport, I love competition, and I love to stay lean and fit. I have spent over 30 years researching fitness and exercise techniques for my own benefit at the time and now to help others. My passion for fitness training drove me to become a certified trainer which has enabled me to help others achieve their fitness goals. Good luck on your fitness goals and remember fitness is a lifestyle.
