3 Reasons Soy Is Not A Healthy Food Alternative

Everything you know about soy is from years of big marketing telling you what they wanted you to think…that soy is a super food. Soy is not the super food we've all been led to believe.

1. Approximately, 95% of all soy in the United States are GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). A GMO is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. What can GMOs do to you…
• Food Allergies
• Toxicity
• Infertility
• Gluten Disorders
• Birth Defects
• Cancer
• to name just a few.
   
2. Soy contains phytoestrogens, which are estrogen mimickers in the body. When women consume too much phytoestrogens it can cause cervical cancer, breast cancer, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and hormonal imbalances. If you are a woman going through perimenopause or menopause and are estrogen dominant this could be a double whammy. When males consume too much phytoestrogens they start to exhibit feminine characteristics (think man-boobs).
    
3. Phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting, and long, slow cooking.
   
   Bottom line…stop eating soy, especially if you are estrogen dominant.

Clean Eating Protein Bars

Too many protein bars tout to be great sources of protein for grab and go, pre- and/or post- workout nutrition, but most fall extremely short and are just crappy tasting candy bars. Full of so many forms of sugar, under different names and things we can't even pronounce!

Here is my list of cleaner protein bars:

Epic Bar

Epic has several Paleo bars to choose from…beef, chicken, bacon, turkey, wild boar, bison, etc. All are paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and sweetened with fruit. Calories range from 80 calories to 150 calories and the protein ranges from 8g to 15g.

How do they taste…of all the ones I've tried…good, although some are a bit salty for me.

Get them here ß

Exo Bar

They may not be for everyone (they are made using Cricket flour…yes those kind of Crickets!), but that's because we are snobs. According to the eXo website, 80% of the world already eat insects on a regular basis and Cricket flour is 65% protein almost twice as much as beef jerky (33%). They have no gluten, grain, soy, dairy or refined sugar. All of the bars are over 250 calories, so they are basically a meal replacement bar as opposed to a quick hunger fix. All bars are 10g of protein.

How do they taste…surprisingly good.

Get them here ß

RXBAR

The RXBARs are gluten, soy, dairy, and refined sugar-free with very few ingredients, although I'm not a big fan of seeing the ingredient "natural flavors" on a few of their bars. All the bars have 12g of protein and use dates or fruits to sweeten. All the bars are 200 to 210 calories.

How do they taste…of all the ones I've tried…ok. I was really disappointed in these bars. They are so chewy and hard I was afraid I was going to pull a tooth out.

Get them here ß

Caveman Primal Bar

The Primal bars are gluten, soy, dairy, and refined sugar-free with very few ingredients, however, one does have coconut sugar. Unlike the Epic Bar, Caveman only uses chicken for these similar style meat protein bars. However, they do have four different flavor combinations. All of them are 18g of protein the highest among the cleaner bars I've tried and all are around 150 calories.

How do they taste…of all the ones I've tried...good.

Get them here ß




I actually like the Exo Bars the best. I just wish they all had more grams of protein. The quest will continue to find a super clean protein bar with high protein.

What are some of your favorite bars?

Clean Eating - Buying and Eating on a Budget

Costco

Turkey Patties
Turkey Breast
Asparagus
Butternut Squash
Mini Sweet Peppers
Broccoli Florets
Cauliflower Florets
Kirkland Organic Eggs - 2 dozen
KerryGold Butter
English Cucumbers
Chicken Breasts
Kirkland Natural Peanut Butter
Spinach - 2.5 lbs
Wholly Guacamole - 100 calorie paks

Sprouts/Mother's Market

Watch for when they go on sale. Some stores don't carry all the bulk items.
Bulk Oatmeal
Bulk Chia Seeds
Bulk Quinoa
Cashew Milk
Maca
Cacoa

Trader Joe's

Almond Milk
Raw Cashews
Brown Rice Tortillas
Turkey Meatballs
Cauliflower Rice
Broccoli Rice
Kale

At-Home Workouts

These are my go to At -Home Workouts

30 seconds - Squat Thrusters
30 seconds - Rest
30 seconds - Squats 30 seconds - Rest
30 seconds - Pushup or Wall Pushups 30 seconds - Rest
30 seconds - Alternating Lunges 30 seconds - Rest
30 seconds - Jump Rope 30 seconds - Rest

Do the whole thing above five times.

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Another variation of this that I do is a set number:

10 - Squat Thrusters
10 - Squats
10 - Pushup or Wall Pushups
10 - Alternating Lunges (10 each leg)
30 seconds - Jump Rope
30 seconds - Rest

Do the whole thing above five times.

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And yet another variation is a pyramid:

First Round
10 - Squat Thruster
10 - Squats
10 - Pushup or Wall Pushups
10 - Alternating Lunges (10 each leg)
30 seconds - Jump Rope 30 seconds - Rest

Second Round
9 - Squat Thrusters
9 - Squats
9 - Pushup or Wall Pushups
9 - Alternating Lunges (9 each leg)
30 seconds - Jump Rope
30 seconds - Rest

Third Round
8 - Squat Thrusters
8 - Squats
8 - Pushup or Wall Pushups
8- Alternating Lunges (9 each leg)
30 seconds - Jump Rope
30 seconds - Rest

And so on until you are doing 1 of each. You can start at any number and work your way down.

Enjoy!
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Supplements...What Are They Really Good For?

I really believe you get what you pay for when it comes to supplements. $10 for over 300 pills is probably worth about $10 worth of fried ice. Supplements aren't cheap, but there are several web sites that you can find good prices and there is a great new web site that digs in deep on whether the supplement you are thinking of taking is worth taking it and worth the money.

Here are a list of web sites I search for the best price on the supplements I take:

• www.allstarhealth.com
• www.amazon.com
• www.luckyvitamin.com
• www.mynaturalmarket.com
• www.vitacost.com

But before you buy check out Examine.com, an independent organization that presents un-biased research on supplements and nutrition. I love this web site!
Here are the list of supplements I take, I'm tweaking it all the time as I come across information that convinces me to start taking or stop taking something.

• Symbiotics Colostrum Plus® -- 480 mg - 2 every morning - I'm a huge believer in Colostrum, it's great for your immune system.
• Source Naturals Arctic Pure® Krill Oil -- 500 mg - 1 every morning - You can take less Krill Oil than other fish oil, which can save you money.
• Dr. Mercola Organic Broken Cell Chlorella -- 1 g - 5 every morning
• Jarrow Formulas Astaxanthin -- 10 mg - 1 every morning
• Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle -- 150 mg - 1 every morning
• Vitacost Selenium SeLECT® -- 200 mcg - 1 every morning
• Garden of Life Primal Defense® Ultra Probiotic Formula -- 1 every morning - a must for keeping your gut flora healthy.
• B-12 -- 2500 mcg - 2 every morning - I also keep this with me to take before working out if I need some energy.
• Vitamin D-3 -- 2,000 IU - 1 every morning
• Solgar Gentle Iron® -- 25 mg - 1 every morning - I've always been anemic, so I have to take this.
• Selenium -- 200 mcg - 1 every morning 
• Tums - 2 every morning
• Country Life Chelated Magnesium -- 250 mg - 4 Tablets every night - if you get leg cramps, like I do this has helped immensely!