(Soy) Curls for the Girls!

I may not be a medical doctor, but I recently took a step towards advancing my qualifications and credentials in the health, wellness, and fitness space - another step toward Ultimate Masculinity! I am pursuing a certification in Personal Training, from NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and recently finished the section on protein. To my dismay, what they had to say was different than what I've previously read.

Since I follow a whole-food, plant-based diet (and all who are pursuing Ultimate Masculinity should be as well), I know that the RDA for protein of 0.8 g/kg of body weight is sufficient. [1] I personally do not track my macros, but try to eat plenty of beans, whole grains, and nuts along with the rest of my balanced diet to make sure I'm getting enough of all my macro-nutrients. Because of what I've read across multiple sources and other media, I'm confident that the WFPB diet provides the right macro- and micro-nutrients I need to maintain health. [2] (In fact, I just got blood-work done and all my numbers were fantastic) 

That's why I was so surprised, while studying for the NASM certification test, that the ISSN (International Society of Sports Medicine) avers that for "building muscle mass and for maintaining muscle mass through a positive muscle protein balance, an overall daily protein intake in the range of 1.4-2.0 g protein/kg body weight/day (g/kg/d) is sufficient for most exercising individuals"[3], which is a massive difference from the RDA espoused by the FDA and Dr. Greger, among other WFPB practitioners.

From what I can gather, it seems to me that the disparity in recommendations is that for a sedentary individual, the FDA RDA is sufficient and healthy. Since protein intake increases the hormone IGF-1, which is a risk factor for cancer[4], you probably don't want to eat more than you need.

I have decided to increase my dietary protein intake (along with my overall caloric intake) since maintaining a muscular body is an important aspect of Ultimate Masculinity for myself and many others . While I've heard some conflicting reports on whether additional protein intake even helps grow lean muscle mass and muscle strength, a meta review found that as "duration, frequency, and volume of resistance training increase, protein supplementation may promote muscle hypertrophy and enhance gains in muscle strength" [5] as well as "accelerate gains in both aerobic and anaerobic power"[5]. The conflicting reports may be because for "untrained individuals, consuming supplemental protein likely has no impact on lean mass and muscle strength during the initial weeks of resistance training."[5]

I've been making myself jerky from soy curls, which are a whole food soy bean product. I make a marinade of coconut aminos, liquid smoke, and some spices and then dehydrate the curls in the oven for around an hour and a half. The result is a delicious, savory, chewy snack that is high in WFPB protein and fiber. I'm still a proponent and adherent to the philosophy that someone pursuing Ultimate Masculinity does not need to necessarily count calories or supplement with specific macro-nutrients.[6] Soy curl jerky is just an easy, well-balanced way for me to increase my caloric and protein intake.

Greger, M. (2016, June 27). The great protein fiasco: How much do you really need? NutritionFacts.org. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-great-protein-fiasco/

Fuhrman, J. [Dr. Joel Fuhrman]. (2023, April 13). Are you getting enough protein and fat on a nutritarian diet? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpKGmserhAk  

Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., Purpura, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Ferrando, A. A., Arent, S. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Arciero, P. J., Ormsbee, M. J., Taylor, L. W., Wilborn, C. D., Kalman, D. S., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D. S., Hoffman, J. R., … Antonio, J. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8