Need a Replacement for Soy!

For the past month or so I’ve been consuming copious amounts of Soy Protein found in Kashi cereal. Well… not copious… but apparently enough to lower my t-levels and hamper my gains. As i understand it, and anyone out their with a nutritional science degree can correct me, Soy Protein like that in kashi cereal can cause all sorts of problems for men and even women! So, I am officially cutting it out of my diet as soon as I find a suitable high protein replacement.

Here’s my diet plan, I would also appreciate general pointers.

6:15 Wake up (hopefully)

6:30 Three Omega Three eggs with Vermont Cheddar Cheese (for flavor)
One Serving of Low fat Yogurt
One Serving of KASHI GO LEAN CEREAL
A banana

8:00 Surge Recovery Shake

10:00 Metabolic Drive Complete Shake

12:00 Sandwich w/ Cheese, Mustard, and Roast beef or Ham
Small sandwich with Organic freshly ground Peanut butter and Organic Honey (Delicious!)

3:00 Surge Recovery Shake

4:45 Small snack (I see it, I eat it)

6:15 Dinner. My mom and her husband are exquisite chefs and I eat whatever they make which is usually very healthy with local meat and vegetables.

9:30 Yogurt, banana, and ONE BOWL OF KASHI CEREAL

10:00 Bed

So, general tips would be helpful as well as an easy to prepare replacement for the cereal. Another high protein cereal with complex carbs would be ideal.

Oh, check my profile for goals before someone tells me I need to eat some bulking food like Macdonalds.

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:
So, general tips would be helpful as well as an easy to prepare replacement for the cereal. Another high protein cereal with complex carbs would be ideal. [/quote]

If you want a cereal-based food, why not oatmeal with blueberries and whey?

Put oatmeal and water in large bowl, microwave, add frozen blueberries, then add whey protein.

I actually use Metabolic Drive Vanilla, but you get the idea.

Why do you need high protein cereal… If you MUST have cereal, just eat cereal and drink a protein shake. Don’t think for a second that some manufactured frankenstein food is good for you just because it says whole grain on the box and has a few grams of soy protein in it.

I’m no expert but I wonder if all this stuff about soy is over-hyped. It’s terrible for you if you have a thyroid disease, but I suspect it’s fine for the average guy or gal – possibly with the exception of people who need to get super lean for a competition. I’ve cut down on the colossal amount of tofu I used to eat, but that’s mainly because of the carbs.

i’m happy to be proven wrong, of course – can soy cause noticeable loss of progress for people who aren’t at the competitive level?

Oats…

[quote]AlisaV wrote:
I’m no expert but I wonder if all this stuff about soy is over-hyped. It’s terrible for you if you have a thyroid disease, but I suspect it’s fine for the average guy or gal – possibly with the exception of people who need to get super lean for a competition. I’ve cut down on the colossal amount of tofu I used to eat, but that’s mainly because of the carbs.

i’m happy to be proven wrong, of course – can soy cause noticeable loss of progress for people who aren’t at the competitive level?[/quote]

From what Ive read on this site, which has referenced several peer reviewed articles, the official verdict on Soy is still out. That being said, their are a number of potential negative effects all related to lower t-levels and performance development. Plus, Whey is just better!

[quote]Evilmage wrote:
Why do you need high protein cereal… If you MUST have cereal, just eat cereal and drink a protein shake. Don’t think for a second that some manufactured frankenstein food is good for you just because it says whole grain on the box and has a few grams of soy protein in it.[/quote]

I need a high protein cereal because like many people on this site I don’t have the money to have crates of Protein powder shipped to my house. Of course i’m open to general opinions on another source of food to benefit my goals mentioned in my profile.

Other than the Soy, the cereal was actually very healthy and tasty. High in complex carbs, low in sugar, 13 grams of protein (more than a few), and low fat per 1 cup.

How do you a) know your T-levels have dropped, b) know that eating a few grams of soy protein a day is the reason? Have you had them measured, or did you just jump to that conclusion because your progress has stalled? Have you considered that your progress may have stalled for reasons other than eating a couple of bowls of cereal? It does happen…

HEMP PROTEIN!

Dude, you may not have the money to get crates of protein shipped to your house, but seriously look around protein is cheap!! And last time I checked Kashi cereal isn’t.

I like the Kashi go-lean crunch cereal, but I’ve cut back to once a week now that I’m going low carb for most of the week. I’d be interested to know others take on the cereal. I was eating it mainly for carbs and still using whey protein. The cereal is tasty and besides the added soy, probably better than most other cereals out there. My problem is I can’t stand the mushy texture of oatmeal and cereals that get soggy in milk quickly. These days I’m eating top round steak and eggs for breakfast. :slight_smile:

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:
From what Ive read on this site, which has referenced several peer reviewed articles, the official verdict on Soy is still out. That being said, their are a number of potential negative effects all related to lower t-levels and performance development. Plus, Whey is just better![/quote]

I’m 97% certain that this is the most recent, complete article about soy. Soy: What’s the Big Deal?:

It explains why real soy isn’t nearly as bad as most people think, but highly processed soy (like what’s found in your cereal) isn’t the best idea.

With that said… dude, if you’re 6’2", 230 pounds, and a legit 7-8% bodyfat (as per your profile info), you can absolutely loosen the reins a little bit since part of your goal is “to be physically scary on the [football] field.”

For example, you could drop the cereal from your breakfast, add another egg or two and some oatmeal. You’d get still get carbs and fiber, plus healthy fats and a better quality protein.

Drop the cereal from you pre-bed meal and have your Metabolic Drive Complete at that time instead (still with the yogurt and banana, or whatever). That way, you’d have real food after your Surge (which look like it would be your first post-workout meal). A few bucks spent wisely at the dollar menu wouldn’t be a horrible idea.

You can use more milk with your oatmeal? Or some eggs and bacon for breakfast?

Options:

eggs with peanut butter (it tastes great)

cottage cheese + fruit

Oats+fruit+protein powder

eggs, bacon, cheese

Steak + eggs

Steak + veggies

chicken

Tuna

I could go on but I think you get the idea…

Soy in general is not great to use.
Specially when the majority of it is GMO.

Look at countries that grew up on the stuff, the people aren’t to manly.
Also most people are sensitive to soy products, because of the GMO, cause reactions that arent the best, even just a little can be negative.

[quote]ninearms wrote:
How do you a) know your T-levels have dropped, b) know that eating a few grams of soy protein a day is the reason? Have you had them measured, or did you just jump to that conclusion because your progress has stalled? Have you considered that your progress may have stalled for reasons other than eating a couple of bowls of cereal? It does happen…[/quote]

I don’t know if my t-levels have dropped, but I’d rather resolve this issue with an easy alternative to soy. On a given day I may be consuming close to 30 grams of Soy protein which seems significant.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Schlenkatank wrote:
From what Ive read on this site, which has referenced several peer reviewed articles, the official verdict on Soy is still out. That being said, their are a number of potential negative effects all related to lower t-levels and performance development. Plus, Whey is just better!

I’m 97% certain that this is the most recent, complete article about soy. Soy: What’s the Big Deal?:

It explains why real soy isn’t nearly as bad as most people think, but highly processed soy (like what’s found in your cereal) isn’t the best idea.

With that said… dude, if you’re 6’2", 230 pounds, and a legit 7-8% bodyfat (as per your profile info), you can absolutely loosen the reins a little bit since part of your goal is “to be physically scary on the [football] field.”

For example, you could drop the cereal from your breakfast, add another egg or two and some oatmeal. You’d get still get carbs and fiber, plus healthy fats and a better quality protein.

Drop the cereal from you pre-bed meal and have your Metabolic Drive Complete at that time instead (still with the yogurt and banana, or whatever). That way, you’d have real food after your Surge (which look like it would be your first post-workout meal). A few bucks spent wisely at the dollar menu wouldn’t be a horrible idea.[/quote]

Thank you very much for the pointers, and the compliments! Unfortunately this is not the time of the year for me to loosen the reins, but rather gain a few pounds and then improve my body composition. 3-4 more pounds would be ideal, so i think you’re advice on more eggs and oatmeal makes sense. Would a little sausage be okay too? I’m sure i could get some delicious local sausage but I have no idea what the commercial brands are like price/nutrition wise?

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:
ninearms wrote:
How do you a) know your T-levels have dropped, b) know that eating a few grams of soy protein a day is the reason? Have you had them measured, or did you just jump to that conclusion because your progress has stalled? Have you considered that your progress may have stalled for reasons other than eating a couple of bowls of cereal? It does happen…

I don’t know if my t-levels have dropped, but I’d rather resolve this issue with an easy alternative to soy. On a given day I may be consuming close to 30 grams of Soy protein which seems significant.

[/quote]

geesh…30 grams isn’t enough to have an effect on anything…don’t worry

[quote]Schlenkatank wrote:
Unfortunately this is not the time of the year for me to loosen the reins, but rather gain a few pounds and then improve my body composition. 3-4 more pounds would be ideal[/quote]

By “loosen the reins,” I just meant that you don’t need to over-focus on things like low fat yogurt or a small snack, like you wrote in your first post. Also, when you said, “Oh, check my profile for goals before someone tells me I need to eat some bulking food like Macdonalds,” you don’t need to necessarily avoid McDonald’s because you’re a big, lean dude trying to get bigger. It’s okay if your abs get blurry for a little while.

Plus, man, three or four pounds sounds like a pretty short term goal. Increase your calories above what you’re eating now, and you should be there in a month or two.

Check these articles for more advice about size-building nutrition plans:

Sausage would be fine, definitely. Whatever type you find should be alright. Local or fresh would be great, but at the end of the day, as long as it’s meat, put it on the plate.