Whole, organic soy has a host of health advantages, but many nutritionists won’t touch processed products promoting “soy” ingredients — like Luna Bars and soy protein powders. That’s because processed soy, also known as soy protein isolate, has none of the carbs, fat or fiber that makes soy so healthy.
“I won’t eat soy protein isolate, or for that matter any soy unless it’s in its organic whole food form,” says Ashley Koff, a registered dietician and co-author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan To Live Fully Charged. “Isolating the protein at minimum loses the benefits of the rest of the soy, like its fiber and omega-3s, and at worst creates a product that may be implicated in hormone imbalance.”