is the protein in milk most people are allergic to when there’s a dairy
allergy. Newborns and young children are especially vulnerable to
curds because their intestines and immune systems are too immature
to tolerate this protein.
The Soy Story
While soy is a vegetarian source of a complete protein, it’s often a
problem for most people. One reason is that most soy in use today is
highly processed and concentrated. Whole green soybeans or
edamame are an example of a whole food, and a good source of pro-
tein. With a relatively small amount of simple processing soy can be
made into tofu, also a good food. This is how most soy has been con-
sumed for many years, and studies of these populations seem to show
that soy has health benefits when consumed as a food.
But most soy today highly processed and concentrated. For exam-
ple, many soy powders used in food products and supplements are so
concentrated that a serving or two would be like eating a pound or
more of real soybeans — something most people would never even
consider. For this reason, it’s best to avoid all processed soy products,
including soy-protein isolates and caseinates and hydrolyzed soy. The
more soy is processed, the worse it can be. Monosodium glutamate
(MSG), a one-time commonly used powder that makes food seeming-
ly taste better (still used in Chinese and other restaurants) is made by
processing soy. So products containing isolated or hydrolyzed soy
also include some MSG (but it is not required to be listed in the ingre-
dients).
Many people, especially children, may be intolerant and even
allergic to soy in all forms. In addition concentrated soy isoflavones,
used in dietary supplements can pose serious dangers, including hor-
monal imbalance, which can increase the risk of cancer, particularly
for post-menopausal women, the very audience these products are
marketed to by the big companies.
Protein Powders
Soy, milk, whey, egg and other foods are commonly sold to supple-
ment the diet. These have value when used cautiously. Certainly
avoid any of these powders if you’re intolerant to those foods. In
96 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH