Of the many protein sources available today, here are five reasons why you should avoid soy in your protein powder.
1. Extremely like to be genetically modified (GMOs)
Did you know that soy protein powders are made from soybean which is the number one genetically modified crop in the world? In fact, over 90 percent of the soy grown in the world is made from genetically modified seeds. Genetically modified crops are terrible not only for our health in the long-run, but also for the biodiversity of our soil - the foundation of our environment.
2. Use of Hexane for extraction
The processing of soybean involves the use of hexane which is a neurotoxin and a hazardous air pollutant. Despite of hexane being bad it is commonly used because it is cheap and highly efficient way of extracting conventional soy oil and protein ingredients. In order to separate the soybeans’ oil from its protein, whole soybeans are literally bathed in hexane.
3.Unsustainable
Soybeans are often grown through a highly unsustainable method of agriculture called monoculture agriculture. In this method of farming a single crop is repeatedly grown on the same land. This causes certain nutrients to become depleted from the soil because a particular type of crop requires particular kinds of nutrients. On the other hand, when you rotate different crops on the same land the nutrients and vitamins that are found in the soil get naturally restored.
4. Isolated Soy Protein Contains Concentrated Amounts of Estrogen
Soy contains large amounts of biologically active compounds called isoflavones which function as phytoestrogens. These are plant-based compounds that can cause changes in the estrogen activity within our body. They can act as endocrine disruptors and can interfere with the normal function of hormones and in turn disrupt our body’s normal functioning.
5. Very common allergen
Did you know that soy is one of the 8 most common allergens and soybean along with 7 other foods account for about 90% of all food allergies? So, if you are allergic to soy like many others then you must avoid it completely.
