Ok. I do understand from Dr. Sears that soy meat substitutes do not contain phytoestrogens because they are made from soy protein concentrates, something that is not true of traditional soy products. He recommends that one third of one's soy products be from soy meat substitutes to avoid increasing one's isoflavones above 50 mg per day.

But I'm confused.

I've been eating "vegetarian ground crumble" (simulated ground beef), which is made from "soy protein concentrate (contains malted barley extract)", and as far as I can understand it, soy protein concentrate needs to be alcohol-extracted in order to avoid getting too much isoflavones.

Does "contains malted barley extract" mean that the soy protein concentrate was somehow extracted via a malted barley extract process, therefore, this is alcohol-extracted and therefore don't have too much isoflavones?

Sarah

Soy protein concentrate results from using alcohol to remove much of the carbohydrate and phytoestrogens. Water extraction produces a soy isolate which retains more phytoestrogens.
Malted barley extract is a grain based sweetener added to the product for consistency, flavor etc.
The best way to determine the amount of isoflavones in your product is to contact the manufacturer.

Hi, thanks for this, Tech Support! I will call the manufacturer.

Hi! Can i eat quinoa?? Ididn t saw the quinoa in the list of zone classic

While it may be considered "the mother of all grains, soul food from the Andes, the supergrain, etc. Dr. Sears believes that quinoa which is high in incomplete protein and high in carbohydrates should be used in small amounts. Here’s a 2008 FAQ comment from Dr. Sears.
Question: Why don't I count all the protein, carbohydrate, and fat in everything I eat? You would need a mini-computer to make all the calculations. This is why we devised the Zone 1-2-3 Method™ that takes into account fat content, protein digestibility in low- fat protein, and the insulin-sensitive carbohydrate content of carbohydrates. This makes Zone meal preparation exceptionally simple. Bottom line: enjoy quinoa in small amounts and don’t calculate the protein.
Nutritional data vary from variety and website.
Corinne Netzer's book, "The Complete Book of Food Counts," lists 1/4 cup dry of Eden quinoa at 6g/P and 31g/C.
Unfortunately, to acquire enough protein you'd be consuming too many carbs and would increase insulin levels.
Calorie king (www.calorieking.com) lists ¼ cup at approx. 24g of carb. You subtract the fiber 27 – 3 = 24. Therefore, about 1 tablespoon uncooked barley = 1 block. See: http://www.calorieking.com/foods/ca...0Njkx.html
Rating proteins can also be confusing. Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) assess the overall protein quality of a food. Whey and egg proteins have the highest BV and provide all of the essential amino acids in the correct percentages. Soy and quinoa offer more benefits than hemp and chia protein.
Beans and legumes contain too much carbohydrate and have a low protein efficiency ratio.

AND despite the prospects of Quinoa, though we quit (mostly) eating any and all grains, as my wife struggled with weight still, even on a stricter Zone: it wasn't until she followed my suggestion to try adding (Paleo) grain-free to Zone eating, that she was able to stop struggling, reduce remaining weight, AND also maintain it rather easily. I will, have the 2-3 times per week of one serving of steel-cut oats and about 1 to 2 times per week I might have one serving of Quinoa.
.
Since being grain-free, she, my lovely bride of 26+ years - now notices changes, even with Quinoa. Though the very occasional 1 slice of sprouted bread (Ezekiel brand) does not appear to affect her. (After 25 years, our schedules shifted, and I have done most o he dnner cooking, planning laely - whch has also heped her stay more Zone focused and balanced.
.
Since everyone is different, and though I am very carb sensitive to most grains, esp. beads, Quinoa does not have much effect on me (as long as I keep it within the 25% of Carbs as unfavorable. But, mostly, just not worth it.

I wrote to Lightlife. They make Smart Dogs and Smart Ground soy meats. I asked them about Smart Dogs, their hotdog, and they said it has 1 mg of isoflavones per gram of protein. I assume that the hamburger crumbles product is about the same.

Hi Larry,

Thanks for this ... it's good information, I'm glad to hear. :-)

It sounds low, too, in isoflavones, so that's good too!

Sarah