Fitness & Wellness

Is Monk Fruit A Good Sugar Alternative?

Is Monk Fruit A Good Sugar Alternative?

Published by on December 25, 2022 | Leave a response

What is monk fruit? It’s a fruit that looks like a smaller version of a watermelon and was grown by Buddhist monks for centuries. Its home is southern China and northern Thailand, which is still where most of the fruit is grown. The outside rind and seeds are removed, then it’s crushed to remove the juice. That juice is dried down until it’s a powder that has the concentrated sweetness of the fruit and can be used as a sugar replacement. It contains glucose and fructose, like many fruits, but also contains mogrosides, making it 250 times sweeter than sugar, yet it has no calories, fat or carbs per teaspoon, according to the USDA.

Monk fruit was used in Chinese medicine for centuries.

One focus in Chinese medicine is the yin and yang nature of the body, with the yin being cool and yang being hot. Luo Han Guo—the Chinese name for monk fruit– helps balance the yin and yang, while the sweet taste slows down reactions and detoxifies, plus acts as a tonic. Western medicine has found that the sweet taste of this fruit with the low glycemic index is a great alternative sweetener for people with diabetes. It’s also helpful in preventing complications from diabetes. Some studies find that it not only doesn’t cause blood sugar to rise, but it may also reduce blood sugar levels.

Since it has no carbs or calories, it may promote weight loss.

Think of how many calories you might save if all the sugar in your diet had no calories. Also think of how important that would be for your waistline. While there’s research still going on to the benefits and drawbacks of monk fruit, most scientists believe that it could be a huge benefit to help control the epidemic of obesity and aid diabetics. However, just like many sweeteners can have unintended consequences, the same may be true of monk fruit. There’s simply not enough research to declare it the panacea for weight loss and other health issues.

The mogrosides that make it sweet also provide another benefit.

Monk fruit is best known for its sweetening properties, but it also has another benefit. It’s anti-inflammatory. It’s the mogrosides that make it super sweet that are antioxidants and provide that benefit. It also helps to slow the growth of harmful cells, has antioxidant properties and can aid in the prevention of chronic disease.

  • Because of its extreme sweetness, a little goes a long way. You don’t have to use much to get the sweet flavor. Some manufacturers combine it with other types of sugar, like corn syrup or sugar alcohol that aren’t as beneficial and have some of the negative factors of the other sweetener.
  • Monk fruit has an aftertaste. Some people like it, but others find it’s a deterrent to using it. However, most people believe it’s far less bitter than other types of sugar substitutes.
  • Even if it doesn’t have carbs or calories, overusing sweets can have a detrimental effect on your body. It can cause weight gain, cravings and even digestive issues, since it may affect the microbiome of the gut.
  • You can use monk fruit to sweeten most things. It can be used in frostings, sauces, oatmeal, tea, coffee, smoothies and salad dressings. If you have a serious health condition, always check with your health care provider before adding monk fruit to your diet.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Benefits Of Lemon Water And Sea Salt

Benefits Of Lemon Water And Sea Salt

Published by on December 15, 2022 | Leave a response

At Iron Fit in San Antonio, TX, clients are concerned about all issues that make their lifestyle better. One of the latest trends is to drink a glass of warm lemon water and pink Himalayan Sea salt every morning to get a healthier start of the day. Is this trend beneficial? Are there any dangers to doing it? There are a number of different recipes, with some recommending four cups of warm water, 2 teaspoons of Himalayan pink salt, but the recipe found most often mixes 1/4 teaspoon of pink Himalayan Sea salt with 1 1/2 cups of warm water or room temperature filtered water then add the juice of ½ medium lemon.

One of the benefits is aid in balancing the body’s pH, but there are more.

The lemon juice has an alkalizing effect on the body, while aiding in nutrient and water absorption by cleansing the colon and providing minerals necessary for the task. The lemon is anti-inflammatory, which can help in a lot of areas, from reducing inflammation of the joints, to preventing heart disease. One study found this drink may be beneficial for people with osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis.

This drink may help you during allergy season.

While it’s not been proven, some find this home remedy good for allergies and believe that the combination of lemon and salt in warm water acts as an antihistamine. Since one lemon provides almost 140% of your DV for vitamin C, the juice from half a lemon provides 70%, boosting your immune system. This blend has also been used for years, especially at spas, to help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Who shouldn’t use this drink?

No matter how healthy pink Himalayan salt is still salt, even if it has additional minerals. If you’re on a low sodium diet, this drink isn’t for you! Too much can cause problems with muscle spasms, weakness, confusion and even seizures. It can cause irregular heartbeat, vomiting, nausea and a rise in blood pressure. Excess consumption should be avoided no matter who you are. If you have diabetes, kidney problems, high blood pressure, edema, heart issues or IBS, avoid this drink completely.

  • The drink is also known as a colon flush or liver detox. The mineral content, vitamin C and extra fiber has a laxative effect on the body and can get your bowels moving in as little as 30 minutes. However, its excess consumption can cause vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.
  • The lemon water may help break up oxalate kidney stones. It’s the citrate in the lemon water that breaks up the stones and dissolves them. Drinking extra water in the morning can help avoid all kidney stones.
  • Drinking this mixture every morning may help you feel fuller for longer. That can be an aid for weight loss. It also may help control blood sugar levels from the fiber in the lemon juice, which can improve insulin intake.
  • The vitamin C in the lemon is necessary to produce glutathione. It plays an important role in detoxing the liver. It has antiseptic properties that also benefit the liver.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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The Connection Between Diet And Anxiety

The Connection Between Diet And Anxiety

Published by on December 5, 2022 | Leave a response

You are what you eat. Those words are especially true when you’re talking about mental health and the role your diet plays with issues like depression, aggression or anxiety. There have been a series of studies conducted to see the effect of a healthier diet or the use of dietary supplements to reduce violence and aggression in prisons. All studies showed that boosting omega-3 and other improvements to diet created a dramatic 33% reduction in violent incidents, while reducing levels of anxiety. Other studies focusing on anxiety specifically show how changing your diet can affect your anxiety levels.

Your brain and your belly control your anxiety levels.

It’s about how the brain functions, the neurotransmitters and the brain-gut connection. The bacteria in the gut help create neurotransmitters, while reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system. Serotonin is one of those neurotransmitters that make you feel less stressed and happier. There are other brain-gut connections. Not only can stress cause you to have digestive issues, but digestive issues can also cause you to have anxiety, depression and stress. Keeping the microbes in the gut happy can also improve your mood and reduce anxiety. Fermented foods, like sauerkraut or yogurt, can help do that.

Foods high in potassium are also good for anxiety.

Foods high in potassium are known to help lower blood pressure by aiding in reducing excess sodium, which increases blood volume and increases blood pressure. However, low levels of potassium also have another effect. It can cause symptoms of anxiety, stress and mental fatigue. Bananas are a good source of potassium, while also providing other nutrients that help with symptoms of anxiety. They also have B vitamins and tryptophan—the precursor of serotonin, which reduces anxiety. Foods high in potassium include green leafy vegetables, avocados and citrus. Foods high in tryptophan include eggs

Eggs are a good source of vitamin D and tryptophan.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Low levels of antioxidants, like vitamin C, also affect your brain health and mood. Blueberries, a good source of vitamin C and flavonoids, have been linked to improving symptoms of anxiety. The vitamin E in almonds and healthy fat can help boost your mood and improve anxiety.

  • Drinking unsweetened green tea instead of sugary soft drinks helps anxiety in two ways. Green tea contains L-theanine, EGCG, and other nutrients that relieve anxiety. The reduction of sugar in your diet also plays a positive role in improved mental health.
  • If you love chocolate, there’s good news. Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, antioxidants that boost your mood and reduce anxiety. It needs to be low in sugar and only consumed in moderation.
  • Salmon is loaded with anxiety reducing nutrients. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, EPA and DHA, all of which are good for symptoms of anxiety.
  • Foods high in B6 and B12 are good for reducing symptoms of anxiety. Beef, turkey, salmon, tuna, sweet potatoes, bananas, nuts, potatoes, raisins and winter squash are some good sources.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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What's The Difference Between Portion Size & Serving Size?

What’s The Difference Between Portion Size & Serving Size?

Published by on November 25, 2022 | Leave a response

If you’re snacking from a family size bag of chips the serving size is 1 ounce, about 15 chips. However, your portion size may be a lot bigger, especially if you’re eating the chips while watching TV or are on the computer. Portion sizes vary. If you order food at a very expensive restaurant, often portion sizes are much smaller than in less expensive ones. If you have a person in the family who is a feeder, constantly offering more and more food, that person’s idea of a portion is often far greater than the average person’s, especially if the food is for someone else.

As competition grew, so did portion sizes.

Many mom-and-pop restaurants and even some of the bigger chains use larger portions as a draw. Unfortunately, the food that was focused on increasing was normally the least nourishing and most fattening. For instance, endless bread, tortilla chips, pasta or appetizers often precede the meal, but just fill you up, add calories and provide very little nutrition. It’s not unusual to see people, particularly seniors, share a plate because portions are larger. Sometimes, ordering from the kid’s menu is the perfect serving size. It’s no wonder the American diet has increased 300 calories per day in the last 35 years.

You decide what your portion will be.

It’s up to you to decide how much you’re going to eat, but the calories on most apps and literature are based on serving size. Your portion size may be twice that of the legitimate serving size, so it contains far more calories. Learning what the serving size looks like will help put you back in control. It may be difficult to judge, but you can make it easier by doing meal prep and packing individual servings ahead of time.

For some food, you need to make sure you get enough.

For others, make sure you aren’t eating too much. For foods like fresh vegetables, eating too much is normally not the problem, but getting enough is. That doesn’t include starchy vegetables like potatoes. For grains, one serving can be a slice of bread, a cup of cereal flakes, a half cup cooked rice or pasta or 3 cups of popcorn. An ounce of cheese or a cup of milk or yogurt is the serving size for dairy. A tablespoon of peanut butter, one egg or an ounce of cooked meat, poultry or seafood is protein serving size.

  • You can save calories and stick with serving size by skipping appetizers and starting the meal with a salad. Share your meal with a companion or carve out the serving size and take home the rest for another meal.
  • Order the small version of the meal and never supersize. For instance, ordering the smaller pizza will mean each piece is smaller, so you’ll eat less, even if you normally only eat one piece.
  • Individually pack snacks for one serving size, especially if you’re eating the snacks while watching TV, when you’re apt to be engrossed in the show and eat more than you intended.
  • Add extra vegetables to every meal, just make sure they don’t have extra sauce, like hollandaise or cheese sauce. Eating a big salad packed with fresh veggies can also fill you up and make it easier to stick with serving size for higher calorie foods, like bread or rice.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Meal Plan Like A Pro

Meal Plan Like A Pro

Published by on November 15, 2022 | Leave a response

There’s a reason we have a Macros Coach available. Focusing on diet can help increase fat loss and speed up the process. That’s also why we suggest that people meal plan for the best results. What does the process entail? It involves planning meals and cooking them ahead in a day or two, then packing those meals in individual serving sizes. Most people use the weekends to cook and do the planning and shopping mid-week. Some people double the recipes and pack extra away for a later use, ultimately having enough reserves to skip meal planning for a week or more.

In order to do anything worthwhile, you need to plan.

Planning a week’s menu is the tough part for most people, but we’re here to provide assistance. People who plan often use the weekly sales or coupons available to help save money. You create your shopping list and then check your pantry and refrigerator to make sure you need the items on the list. That can save duplicate purchases and prevent waste. When you meal plan, try to use meats and vegetables in a number of ways. For instance, if you have baked chicken one day, make chicken salad the next and use some of the meat for soup another day. The same is true for vegetables. Roasted veggies can taste quite delicious on a salad.

When you do all the cooking at once, you don’t use as much energy.

If you’re roasting a chicken and beef at the same time, the cost of running the oven is cut in half. For those veggies, washing and preparing them for use, such as cutting celery sticks, can provide easy additions to salads and soup, plus be great as a snack that’s healthy. When you’re boiling a chicken, you can add celery, carrots and onion to make a stock for soup. If you have any leftover veggies at the end of the week, they can be used in a soup for the weekend or following week.

Save money on gas and groceries.

As noted before, meal plans help you save by planning your menu around sales and coupons. It also helps ensure you don’t have to run to the grocery every day but can shop all at once. Make sure you eat before you make your shopping trip so you stick with the list and don’t add extras like cookies and snacks. It can be another big savings.

  • Freeze broth, extra meat or poultry and fresh herbs that aren’t used for another week. Always make sure you date and label what you freeze. Organize your freezer to keep all items segregated in their own category.
  • Make sure you include snacks in your meal plans. You can make your own trail mix, create fruit and yogurt parfaits or create other healthy, yet lower calorie or carbohydrate snacks. Having fruit like watermelon cubed and ready will make it easier to use as a snack.
  • Plan meals around seasonal fruits and vegetables to save money. Try to buy from local farmers to ensure your produce is fresher. If you find a great deal on produce, buy extra and freeze it.
  • Pack food in individual serving sizes. Most people use freezer containers with sections, so when they’re ready to eat, all that is necessary is heating and serving. It’s quicker than waiting in the drive-through line.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Do You Know Your BMI?

Do You Know Your BMI?

Published by on November 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Most clients at Iron Fit in San Antonio, TX, know their BMI and its significance. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it’s a measure of fitness. It uses the relationship between height and weight to evaluate whether a person is underweight, normal, obese class I, obese class II or is extremely obese. While it can be a wake-up call for some people, it still has flaws and isn’t the ultimate answer to whether weight loss is necessary.

One flaw is that it doesn’t account for a very muscular body.

When someone is extremely muscular, they’ll look thinner than someone who is the same height and weighs the same but isn’t muscular. That’s because a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat tissue. Twenty pounds of fat would require a bigger container than twenty pounds of muscle. A very muscular person might appear to be overweight if you simply looked at his or her BMI, but in reality, would be very fit. It takes additional information to be conclusive about the person’s health and fitness.

How do you find your BMI?

The process is quite simple. There are charts available on the internet. In fact, your health care professional probably has one in his or her office. It’s a shortcut for the doctor. BMI uses a grid where either the weight is across the top of the chart in vertical rows and height is along the side in horizontal rows, or vice versa, and where the row with the height intersects with the row with the weight, that’s the person’s BMI number. When the number is below 18.5, it’s considered underweight, between 18.5 and 24.0 is normal and 25 to 29.9 it’s overweight. Numbers higher than that enter into the realm of obesity.

There are other variants besides the amount of muscle tissue that make BMI less predictive

People who have a larger bone structure will have a higher BMI number, even though they may be fitter. Bone structure and amount of muscle tissue aren’t the only things that need to be considered. Age, gender and how the fat is distributed also make a difference. If you’re relatively thin, but have a huge mid-section, your BMI might not reflect a problem. However, the fat that accumulates around the middle is the most dangerous type of fat for health, called visceral fat, yet the BMI didn’t identify the problem.

  • BMI is just one measure. It’s important to get a thorough assessment of health, including using waist circumference as an indicator. For men with a waist bigger than 40 inches and women with a waist bigger than 34 inches, the risk of serious conditions increases.
  • A newer method called RFM is actually a better indicator of overall health than BMI. It uses a formula that compares height to waist measurement. It can be used in conjunction with BMI.
  • Most doctors still use BMI, as do insurance companies. The reason is that it’s simply easier to do. For doctors, it’s just one starting point with observation and other indicators used.
  • Other tests to check for amount of besides BMI are either more expensive or less reliable. They include underwater weighing, MRI scans and skinfold tests.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Are All Types Of Lettuce Created Equal?

Are All Types Of Lettuce Created Equal?

Published by on October 25, 2022 | Leave a response

If you only know of one kind of lettuce, iceberg or head lettuce, you’re missing a lot of delicious flavors and a world of nutrients. There are many types of lettuce and most of them are far more nutritious than the lettuce you find in salads from restaurants, on your hamburger deluxe/Big Mac or at the salad bar. Iceberg lettuce may be popular, but it’s not nutritious and is mostly water. Making some changes to other types of lettuce can boost your nutritional intake.

Some salad bars have Caesar salad with Romaine lettuce, which is better.

Just like dark green leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce contains vitamin K and many other types of antioxidants that help boost your immune system and prevent serious conditions, such as cancer, just not as many as the dark green leafy lettuce, but far more than iceberg lettuce. Romaine lettuce has higher amounts of vitamins and minerals. It’s a great source of folate, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Green leaf and red leaf lettuce also fare better than iceberg.

If you’re faithfully eating those packaged salads of iceberg lettuce with a few croutons and shavings of carrots, you’re not getting all the benefits you should be getting and paying far too much. Try some green leaf and red leaf lettuce with baby spinach leaves instead. Not only will the baby spinach leaves add nutrition, the green leaf, oakleaf and red leaf lettuce have more nutrients than iceberg, but fewer than Romaine.

Oakleaf lettuce has a nutty flavor.

Oakleaf lettuce has a distinctively nutty flavor that can add a lot to a salad. It contains higher amounts of vitamin K and A, with minor amounts of C, B9, B6 and B3. Oakleaf lettuce also provides phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, fiber and selenium to your diet, but is still 95% water. The extra flavor it adds makes it well worth adding to a salad. Boston, also called bibb and buttercrunch lettuce, has a buttery flavor. Arugula tastes peppery. Baby gem lettuce tastes sweet and crispy.

  • Not all lettuce is really lettuce. For instance, arugula comes from a different family called the brassica family, which is more closely related to mustard than lettuce.
  • Endives, like radicchio and frisee, are often considered part of the group containing lettuce. Just like arugula, they come from a different family, the chicory family. These types of lettucey substitutes are more bitter.
  • If you’re looking for more flavorful types of lettuce that are also unique in appearance, consider heirloom varieties like Lollo Rosso, which is deep burgundy with ruffled leaves. It also has a nutty taste.
  • Including a mix of lettuce and leafy greens like spinach and kale, can create a salad rife with nutrients. Using baby greens can also create a delicious salad that will add to your nutritional profile.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Ditch The Diet Culture And Get Healthy For Good

Ditch The Diet Culture And Get Healthy For Good

Published by on October 15, 2022 | Leave a response

A lot of people in San Antonio, TX, are extremely focused on diet. They almost make it their life’s focus. They are the people that are part of the diet culture. What’s wrong with that? It not only takes the focus off real living, but it also gives you a warped relationship with food. You should enjoy food, not make it your enemy or best friend. It’s one of life’s pleasures that also keeps you fueled and healthy. If you want the best way to get healthy, quit the diet culture and start focusing instead on healthier foods you enjoy.

Focusing on diet, especially a strict diet, is counterproductive.

The diet culture entraps you in a life of deprivation and shame. That’s right! If you’re constantly on a diet, you’re constantly depriving yourself of the things you want to eat but “can’t.” When you do step out of the shadow of a diet and consume a special treat, then most people fall into the pit of shame that they’ve destroyed their diet and have failed. That constant rebuffing takes all the pleasure out of life.

When you fail at a diet, what’s normally the next step?

If you ate that cookie or cake, it feels good to give yourself a treat after being so deprived. People with a diet mindset often feel they’ve failed, so why bother? Instead of just eating a cookie, they often eat the whole dozen and clean up the entire quart of ice cream, too. It’s an all-or-nothing part of people in the diet culture. When you focus more on eating healthy, rather than a specific diet, you can eat a cookie or two without feeling ashamed or depressed. You simply don’t make it a habit.

You make food too important in your life when you have a diet mindset.

You can’t go to specific restaurants or any restaurant for that matter, if you’re part of the diet culture. Even those with salad bars may not carry the food you’re supposed to eat at supper or lunch. It takes all the pleasure out of eating and puts the focus more on the exact food, calorie count or precise serving. You’d be far better off and enjoy life and your meals more if you simply focused on replacing starchy foods with more green, leafy ones and limiting the amount of foods you eat that contain added sugar.

  • Savor the food you eat. Start with healthy food and eat slowly, focusing on flavor and texture with each bite. It’s called mindful eating and can help you lose weight without all the drama of dieting.
  • Some people think of sweet treats and fattening foods as rewards. Don’t do that. It makes unhealthy food far more important than it should be.
  • Learning more about your own eating habits can be more important than a diet. Do you eat when you’re sad, frustrated or bored? Find a better way to deal with those emotions and eat healthy meals at other times.
  • You can do many things to help curb your appetite that don’t involve dieting. Drinking a cold glass of water before a meal, getting up and moving around or having healthy snacks, like fresh veggies, ready help.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Is Chick-Fil-A Healthy?

Is Chick-Fil-A Healthy?

Published by on October 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Are you surprised to hear that some Chick-Fil-A menu items are actually healthy ? While their original fried chicken sandwiches and dipping chicken fingers might not make the cut, there are healthy items on the menu. Just switching from fried chicken to grilled chicken can make a huge difference and provide a healthy protein option. It not only cuts the calories, it cuts the fat and leaves you feeling less tired after you eat.

Have a breakfast option that’s nutritious and delicious.

A healthy breakfast is a good way to start the day. There’s nothing better than the Chick-Fil-A egg white grill. It’s low in calories with only 290 and has only 8 grams of fat. You’ll boost your protein intake with 26 grams, which can help you feel full the entire morning. Scrambled eggs, hash browns and two types of cheese blend in the hash brown scramble bowl. You can personalize it and make it healthier by including grilled fillet and removing the hash browns.

If you want a healthy lunch or dinner, try one of their salads.

Whether you choose the grilled chicken filet salad or the lemon kale Caesar salad with grilled nuggets, you’ll be opting for a healthy choice, just choose a vinaigrette for the grilled chicken filet salad and cut back on the salad dressing for the Caesar salad. The market salad has a wonderful mix of lean protein with fruit and vegetables and a little fat from the blue cheese. The spicy Southwest salad is another good option, but again, watch out for the dressing. It’s high in extra calories.

Side dishes provide extra fruit and nutrients.

The fruit cup is one option that is perfect for a healthy diet. It contains mandarin oranges, strawberries, apples and blueberries. It has 60 calories, has zero fat and even contains a gram of protein. Another fruity option for dessert is the Greek yogurt parfait. For an extra 210 calories, totaling 270, the Greek yogurt cup also includes fresh berries, nut harvest granola and of course, Greek yogurt, which is an excellent protein source.

  • The Chick-Fil-A cool wrap is another healthy lunch or dinner option that’s not just healthy, but easy to eat on the go. It has 660 calories and contains grilled chicken, green leaf lettuce, Monterey Jack and cheddar rolled in a flaxseed flour flatbread.
  • The grilled Chick-Fil-A nuggets are a healthy alternative to the fried nuggets and a good choice if you’re cutting carbs and calories. Just be mindful of the extra calories and fat in the sauces before you dip.
  • If you have a hankering for fries that you just can’t shake, the waffle potato fries at Chick-Fil-A could be a better option. They have more potato than a thinner fry, so less fat. It’s not the best option, but better than regular fries.
  • The kale crunch side salad can be a side, a mid-afternoon snack or a whole meal. Choose it instead of the regular side salad that adds avocado lime ranch dressing for an extra 310 calories.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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Is Soy A Good Source Of Protein?

Is Soy A Good Source Of Protein?

Published by on September 25, 2022 | Leave a response

At Iron Fit in San Antonio, TX, we help clients with both nutritional information and an exercise program. One important part of providing the nutrients for building muscles is making sure you have adequate protein. For those who choose a more plant based diet, it can be more difficult to get the quality of complete proteins unless you have careful planning. What are good plant protein sources? Soy is one of the options that is often named as a top source of protein.

Soy is extremely versatile.

There are a lot of ways to get soy into your diet. You can use soy milk, opt for tempeh, tofu, natto, miso or use soy protein powder as an alternative protein source. Soy adds more than just protein to your diet. It has many vitamins and minerals, as well. Edamame, whole soybeans, have even become a favorite snack food. Like animal milk, soy milk is made into cheese like spongy curds, called tofu. Tofu is versatile and often used for extra protein at a meal.

The soy products you choose makes a difference.

Soy is generally a good source of protein, though the specific nutrient makeup depends on the form. For instance, soy protein isolate has much more protein per serving than tofu or soy milk. Traditional uses of soy, such as miso, tempeh, edamame, natto and miso are minimally processed compared to protein powders from soy. A half cup of firm calcium-set tofu has 22 grams of protein compared to 8 grams of protein in soy milk.

Soy is a good source of protein, but not the best.

While soy protein is a complete protein and a good choice for people who opt for a plant based lifestyle, it’s not necessarily the best protein if you want to boost your protein intake. A cup of milk made from soybeans has 8 grams of protein as noted previously. That’s the same amount of protein in a cup of cow’s milk, but you don’t get the same benefits from it if you’re building muscle. Soy isn’t as bioavailable, digestible or has the same muscle building capacity. It does contain methionine and lysine, necessary for muscle building, but not as significant amounts as animal protein sources. For building muscles, focus more on animal products like those with whey protein or casein.

  • Soy does have other benefits. Soy outshines red meat when it comes to reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. It’s linked lower LDL and triglyceride levels. The phytoestrogens in soy may be the reason for that.
  • Soy protein may also help you lose weight easier and benefit your blood glucose levels. Due to many of the nutrients, it’s also known for reducing the risk of chronic disease.
  • You’ll get a wide variety of nutrients from consuming soy protein. It’s higher in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and dietary fiber.
  • People are often worried about consuming too much soy, due to fears of the phytoestrogens causing cancer, genetic modification or the antinutrients in soy that block the ability to absorb calcium, iron and zinc. If you eat a varied diet, there’s no evidence these fears are substantiated.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

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