Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and DNA; 20 amino acids exist overall, but the body produces only some of them naturally. You must obtain the rest from your diet through complete proteins that contain all these essential amino acids. Although meats are commonly accepted as the only complete proteins, soy may be as well, but further research is necessary. Balancing soy and amino acids may seem like a straightforward process, but it is actually more complicated than it seems.
Step 1
Replace fatty meats in your diet with soy and derivative products. Examples of foods made from soy include tofu, miso, natto, tempeh, soybean sprouts and soy sauce.
Step 2
Supplement meals with soy with other foods that contain protein, particularly amino acids of which soy contains lesser proportions, like methionine. Meats contain methionine, but it also appears in beans, fish, eggs, lentils, onions, garlic, seeds and yogurt.
Step 3
Eat meals containing foods that cumulatively serve as complete proteins when they do not include soy, as the body requires as least two to three servings of protein per day. Rice and beans or whole wheat bread and peanut butter are two examples of foods that contain complementary essential amino acids, rendering them complete proteins when eaten together.
Tips and Warnings
- In an article published in the Journal of Perinatal Education, Kristen Montgomery, Ph.D., states, "soybeans are the only vegetable food that contains all eight essential amino acids." However, the University of Arizona states that there are 10 essential amino acids, and 20 overall; a source from Georgia State University concurs. A source from the University of Illinois also lists 10 essential amino acids, but one from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign states, "soy protein is a complete source of protein containing adequate quantities of all 9 essential amino acids." That same source indicates that soy is lacking in methionine.
- When supplementing your diet with methionine, bear in mind that Temple University warns that diets high in methionine could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
References
- University of Illinois at Chicago: Essential and Nonessential Amino Acids for Humans
- Journal of Perinatal Education; Soy Protein; Kristen S. Montgomery, Ph.D., R.N.; June 2003
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne; Nutritional and Health Benefits of Soybeans; National Soybean Research Laboratory; June 5, 2011
- MedlinePlus.com: Protein in Diet
- University of Arizona: The Chemistry of Amino Acids
- Georgia State University: Essential Amino Acids
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