Is soy protein a vegan friend or foe?

By Gloria Stovall

I pray you are well and thriving as this has been a year…I know for many of us it has been a tough year, but never give up hope as this too shall pass, so hang in there a little longer and try focusing on the positive instead of the negative.  Turn off the news and watch a funny movie! I know it has been a while since my last post and I apologize for that…no need to worry though, all is well with me, I have been working hard, taking care of important things I had put off doing; and now I am wholeheartedly looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas and eating my favorite Thanksgiving vegan dish…Tofurky Roast!  For those of you who are new to the vegan community, Tofurky Roast is a vegan substitute for turkey and is comprised of tofu, wild rice, wheat, bread crumb stuffing and gravy.  It is 100% vegan and dangerously delicious! 

The focus of this blog entry will be about soy protein, a popular source of protein for vegans, but before diving into that topic, I would like to briefly touch base about a couple of other topics.  Plant protein and the consumption of plant-based food is on the rise as more people worldwide are changing their diets and lifestyles for health, ethical and even financial reasons. Did you know a Dutch city has decided to ban the advertisements of meat in hopes of reducing meat consumption and combatting greenhouse emissions; and I can only hope the major cities in the United States will one day follow suit. Recent studies show that global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions, with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of plant-based foods. 

The cost of meat before the inflation was already high, but because of inflation, meat prices have reached an all-time high; and economists are telling people to eat their veggies to beat inflation!  I know for me personally, going vegan 14 years ago helped me save money as the cost of meat, eggs, cheese and animal products in general was getting to be too expensive, so switching to a whole food vegan diet helped keep some money in the bank; but unfortunately I cannot say that for the processed vegan foods that are my nemesis such as vegan pizza, veggie burgers and sausages, chips, macaroni and cheese as they are super expensive, not to mention so unhealthy.  The good news is that older I get and the longer I am a vegan, I am finding it much easier to resist walking down the aisles at the grocery store that have the unhealthy, expensive, and processed vegan foods begging for my attention.  Moderation is the key and if you are like me and find it almost impossible to eat the yummy processed vegan foods in moderation, then the wisest thing to do is to adopt a whole food vegan diet and maybe once or twice a week, treat yourself to a veggie burger.  

Up until a couple of years ago, soy protein was my main source of plant protein for a significant amount of time, and I can honestly say it helped strengthen my bones, muscles, immune system, hair, energy, and digestive system.  For those of you who do not know, tofu is made from soybeans, which is why it is so high in protein and antioxidants. Tofu was my favorite; and I would devour a package of the Trader Joe’s organic super firm high protein tofu daily, making it quite easy to obtain the daily recommended protein intake for my weight, as an entire package of this delectable tofu yielded a total of 70 grams of complete protein, so I would eat that with fresh broccoli and a vegan protein shake and I was set for the day!  Unfortunately, after consuming tons and tons of soy protein-tofu year after year, my body no longer tolerated it, and I began to get sick, which could have been for several reasons…including I was consuming way too much soy protein, I was getting older, and I was not eating a variety of plant protein.  

I had always been and still am an advocate of soy protein despite some of the negative attention it has received as I never had any issues with it until I realized I was consuming too much of it.  As with anything else, moderation is the key and if you cannot control your proportions of a certain food, then you should eliminate it from your diet, otherwise there will be negative side effects, even if it is a plant.  Eating too much of a certain protein and not a variety of proteins can be detrimental to your body, so as a vegan, it is especially essential to vary the sources of plant protein you consume, otherwise you can cause harm to your body.  I found this out the hard way as it was a lesson to learn, and now I eat a variety of plant protein instead of just soy protein, and I feel wonderful.  

Are you a vegan or considering becoming a vegan?  Please send me a note or a comment as I would love to hear from you.  I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please do not be shy.  Thank you always for following my blog and I wish you and your loved ones a blessed Thanksgiving!  Have a wonderful week and I will be in touch soon!