Isolated soy protein (ISP) is also referred to as soy protein isolate on a label. ISP is prepared by removing most of non-protein components from soybeans. By definition, it is at least 90% protein and is essentially carbohydrate-free and fat-free. It is often added to pasta, fruit beverages and energy bars for extra nutrition.

Soy foods made from whole bean are an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends that Omega-3 fats are beneficial for heart health. These fats are believed to help in many other conditions related to inflammation and disease.

Supplements are another source of isoflavones in diet. Soy isoflavone supplements are available at drug stores, natural food stores, and other retailers in various dosage forms, including tablets, powders, capsules, granules and liquids. Although some experts believe that taking soy isoflavones is supplement form could do harm by providing too much of a good thing, other experts point out that many supplements, if taken in recommended dosages, don’t provide more isoflavones than eating whole soy foods. For those who have been unable to figure out how to incorporate soy foods into their diet, this may be solution to getting more soy in their diet.

So, next time you are shopping, and start looking at all soy-related terms, use this list to help you sort it out. Experiment: For those of us who were not raised with soy foods, it’s just a matter of experimenting with different products that fit into our lifestyle, then developing a taste for a new food that can offer many healthful benefits.

The next recommendation to ensure good health is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and most vegetables are restricted in initial phase of some low carbohydrate diets, they are then allowed back in limited amounts. The phytonutrients that come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to decrease blood pressure, as well as protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. It’s easy to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, once you get in habit. Examples are; add some berries to breakfast, eat a tomato at lunch, include broccoli with dinner, drink some vegetable juice with snacks, and have a large salad with your meal.

The final tip to ensure good health is to eat a diet of whole foods, rather than fall back on ‘easy’ snack, convenience foods of today. If American’s had just cut down their amount of fat intake in 80’s, without finding new ways to snack, we may not be seeing epidemic of obesity we see, today. When people started going on low carbohydrate diets, they eliminated a large number of calories by eliminating snacking, especially at night, where common snacks are chips, crackers, and other high fat, high refined carbohydrate foods, such as ice cream. Today, though, much like in 80’s, manufacturers are now developing ‘low carb’ and ‘low net carb’ snack foods. We can now find ‘low net carb’ chips, crackers, ice cream, popcorn, even low carb pizza! As Americans start to increase their intake of these foods, we will soon see a slowing of weight loss many had seen initially. In order to call themselves a ‘low net carb’ food, manufacturers subtract fiber and sugar alcohols from total carbohydrates in product, rather than produce products without carbohydrate. There is no actual FDA standard for what a “low net carb” food is, yet, though, so right now it’s anything manufacturer wants to say it is. These foods also are very high in fat and saturated fat, usually through hydrogenation. So, not only will calories be added back into diet through resuming unhealthy snack habits, but they will be calories consisting of high amounts of unhealthy fats.

So, while following a low carbohydrate diet, in order to ensure continued good health, follow these three recommendations: 1) Make most fats you eat healthy, plant fats, rather than eating a diet high in animal or hydrogenated fats, 2) Eat plenty of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, which are high in disease-fighting antioxidants, and 3) eat mostly whole, fresh foods and very little processed snack foods, even if they say ‘low carb’, in order to avoid hidden and unnecessary fat and calories.

Marjorie Geiser has been teaching health, fitness and nutrition since 1982. She is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach. As the owner of MEG Fitness, Marjorie’s goal for her clients is to help them incorporate healthy eating and fitness into their busy lives. You can learn more about Marjorie from her website, www.megfit.com, or contact her via email at margie@megfit.com.