So recently ( like 7 months ago ) I started this field test ... to see if [ tofu + a dozen supplements including individual amino acids ] would be more cost effective than just whey (animal protein) powder.
So far the results are negative, as the digestive rate of tofu is not that great - and it's rather bulky, being largely composed of water. It may be possible to use a soy protein powder instead of tofu to fix this ... but then one is back in the universe of highly processed foods, and might as well just get whey powder, all things considered.
Ongoing research.
Test parameters
The tofu is just the main protein contributor to a [ mainly tofu + brown rice ] diet.
Supplements
- creatine ( not found in plants, ATP recovery factor )
- beta alanine ( not found in plants, anti-oxidant for muscle recovery )
- methionine ( essential amino acid, lacking in soy )
- lysine ( essential amino acid, typically limiting factor in grain-based diets ... broad applications in livestock farming )
- leucine ( essential amino acid, at a certain threshold triggers mTOR pathways for muscle retention and development )
- arginine / citrulline ( not really a limiting factor for muscle synthesis, but contributes to circulatory nitric oxide availability - NO is a gaseous signalling molecule which dilates blood vessels, again contributing to various downstream systems)
- B12 as a neural stimulant
- fish oil for vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory effects, and neural insulation
- multivitamin
- whey protein
- NaCl
- KCl
Ran through a coupla hypotheses in the past few days.
- iron doesn't see to be a problem
- B12 doesn't seem to be a problem. Based on new library research, I'm altering my hypothesis about B12 over-reliance. I used to think it was causing dependency, but now I have to check and see if it's just making me sleepy during the day, since it's documented as a melatonin co-factor.
- But this is interesting ... soy has a bunch of anti-nutritional factors which inhibit digestion. I've been eating most of my tofu raw, so I'm going to do some tofu bakar tests.
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