In the Asian population, soybeans are present in many traditional dishes and are cooked in various ways, such as heated, blended or even fermented. Today, soybeans have also been introduced into the Western diet [1]. In fact, soybeans have some characteristics that make them perfect for Jimmy Joy Plenny.
Soy is low in carbohydrates but high in protein. It is a good source of protein because it has a much lower ecological footprint than animal protein, has a complete amino acid profile and a protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of 1.00 [1], which is the best possible score. It is much better than other plant-based protein sources, for example rice 0.42 or pea 0.7 [7] [8]
As you may have read in our blog about macronutrients , proteins are made of many amino acids and the PDCAAS evaluates the quality of that protein by comparing its amino acid composition to what our body can use. The highest PDCAAS value any protein can achieve is 1.0, which is the case for whey protein, casein, and our favorite plant-based protein: soy! [2]
What are the health effects of soy?
First of all, soy flour contains 40% protein, which has a complete bulletproof amino acid profile, providing all essential amino acids. Therefore, with the use of soy flour and the additional soy protein isolate, each Plenny Shake meal provides all the necessary protein and all the essential amino acids needed.
Soy flour contains 20% fat, of which half is polyunsaturated fat and a quarter is monounsaturated fat. Fats are very helpful in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and, due to their slow digestion, fats provide a long and satisfying feeling of being full after eating a Plenny meal.
Because of the soy flour, Plenny also gets a lot of fiber from the soybean hull. A staggering 14.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams of soy flour! And to top it off, soy provides lots of nice minerals and some vitamins.
Not only do we use soy for its excellent nutritional values, but it also tastes great. Each Plenny shake has a very pleasant nutty flavor tone due to the use of soy flour as an ingredient.
Phytoestrogens and lack of masculinity, myth or reality?
Soy contains isoflavones, which have a similar molecular structure to estrogen, which is why they are called phytoestrogens. Phyto means plant. The way our body processes phytoestrogens is by first digesting them with the help of the intestinal microflora, then, they are absorbed by the intestinal epithelial cells and finally, they are conjugated in the liver until they are finally excreted [3]. Due to the similarities in chemical structure with estrogens, phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors and exert a similar function to them [4].
It is true that estrogens have traditionally been considered the female hormone. However, in the 1990s there was a paradigm shift since it was discovered that estrogen was also present in men. Initial studies suggested that estrogens had a harmful effect on male reproduction. More recent studies have reported that estrogens are actually necessary for normal male development [4].
Studies report that phytoestrogens have a beneficial effect on health, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, breast cancer, or type 2 diabetes, among others [5]. Soy is safe for everyone to consume, except for people who are allergic to soy, which is a relatively uncommon allergy compared to other allergies.
Will eating soy give me (male) boobs?
Wow, relax. Where does this question come from? We've barely explained what soy is. But apparently this is a very pressing question for many of you, so let's get into it.
First, the science. This concern could stem from a similar structure found between soy isoflavones and estrogen, the hormone that causes typically feminine characteristics, such as breast development. [6] Ooh, the B word. How scary.
Fear not! According to a study published by nutritional scientist Trudy Voortman and her colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, there is no scientific reason to fear extreme hormonal activity or imbalance as a side effect of soy consumption. THANK GOD! As it turns out, isoflavones are actually good for you.
Isoflavones have an immensely positive effect on how your body consumes and uses protein, right down to your blood vessels and cells. This information comes from the highly reliable research book Sustainable Protein Sources by Sudarshan Nadathur, Janitha PD Wanasundara and Laurie Scanlin.
Voortman also cited studies showing that isoflavones in soy may even help reduce the risk of prostate cancer for men. And not getting prostate cancer is a lot better than having to buy a bra.
But wait, there's more!
Soy saves water
Eating a 100g soya burger instead of a 100g burger saves 1,327 litres of water. That's roughly the equivalent of taking a fifteen-hour shower.
Crops account for 12% of the earth's surface. 75% of these crops are used for animal feed. So instead of using crops as food, we feed them to livestock, like cows. Very inefficient.
Livestock farming takes up 26% of the earth's surface and is actually the leading cause of deforestation. Its merciless methane farts are also destructive to the ozone layer, which is pretty much the only thing stopping the sun from turning us into a human barbecue. We're basically cutting down large parts of the world's forest to make room for farting cows who also consume 75% of our crops.
Food science is an ever-evolving field of science that we continue to monitor with great care to deliver the healthiest food possible. Below we list the sources so you can do the same.
Sources
1.Rizzo, G. and L. Baroni,Soy, Soy Foods and Their Role in Vegetarian Diets.Nutrients, 2018.10 (1): p. 43.
2. Hess, J., & Slavin, J. (2016). Defining "Protein" Foods. Nutrition today , 51 (3), 117–120. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000157
3. Desmawati, D. and D. Sulastri,Phytoestrogens and Their Health Effect.Open access Macedonian journal of medical sciences, 2019.7 (3): p. 495-499.
4.Hess, RA and PS Cooke,Estrogen in the male: a historical perspective.Biol Reprod, 2018.99 (1): p. 27-44.
5.Rietjens, I.M., J. Louisse, and K. Beekmann,The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogens.British journal of pharmacology, 2017.174 (11): p. 1263-1280.
6.Messina, M.,Soy and Health Update: Evaluation of the Clinical and Epidemiologic Literature.Nutrients, 2016.8 (12): p. 754.
The World Health Organization has selected the PDCAAs as the best measurement for protein digestibility, scores are from the following sources:
7. Hughes GJ, Ryan DJ, Mukherjea R, Schasteen CS. Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) for soy protein isolates and concentrates: criteria for evaluation. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Dec 14;59(23):12707-12. doi:10.1021/jf203220v. Epub 2011 Nov 16. PubMed PMID: 22017752.
8. Phillips SM (2017). Current Concepts and Unresolved Questions in Dietary Protein Requirements and Supplements in Adults. Frontiers in nutrition, 4, 13. doi:10.3389/fnut.2017.00013