Essay #2

GENISOY ULTRA SOY PROTEIN POWDER

Nachman Sahler ENG 101.04 Trobaugh 10/14/13

Genisoy Ultra is a soy protein powder that is highly fortified and rich in inessential nutrients. Protein powders have many nutritional uses, such as replacing meals, maintaining essential vitamins, and muscle and bone growth. I use Genisoy Ultra for its 25g of soy protein, as I sometimes do not get enough in my day. Genisoy Ultra is a great source of micro and macro nutrients such as protein, potassium, vitamin D, and calcium. Many people in this country are malnourished, and lack the knowledge about their own micro and macro nutrient needs, and could benefit immensely from the supplements available in protein powders. Genisoy Ultra is a bounty of essential and beneficial ingredients, vital for a nutrient dense diet. Replacing a possibly unhealthy meal with a protein shake, can greatly decrease ones intake of empty calories and unnecessary fats. Genisoy Ultras protein powder has no sugar at all, so it lowers added sugar intake, which is a big problem in America. In his book Food Fight, Kelly D. Brownell highlights the correlation of sugar intake and key nutrients saying, A report from the National Academy of Sciences highlighted an additional concern: people with diets high in added sugars have lower intakes of key nutrients (29). Brownells concern of the nations high

sugar and low key nutrient consumption is justified, and can be remedied with some simple food choices. Per serving of 36g, Genisoy Ultra has 0 sugar, 120 calories, 290mg sodium 380mg potassium (18 and 25% Daily Value), 4g fiber, and 25g protein (50% Daily Value). It also has many vitamins like calcium 80%, iron 25%, Vitamin D 80%, phosphorus 20%, and magnesium 15%. The low sugar and fat, and high protein and vitamins, make Geinosy a great meal replacement. A diet low in certain nutrients can also be fortified by Genisoy Ultra. Despite such healthy and beneficial nutrients, Genisoy still employs advertising deception. Genisoy Ultra proudly displays that their product contains 60mg isoflavones in every serving, as well as 80% DV of calcium and Vitamin D. However, in the book Visualizing Nutrition by Mary B. Grosvenor, she writes, For example, the health claim lowers cholesterol requires FDA approval, but the structure/function claim helps maintain normal cholesterol levels does not (54). Somewhat sneakily they point out that 25g of protein a day, as part of a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease. This ploy is a good example of weasel words since a serving of many foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, as part of a diet low on cholesterol and saturated fat, also may reduce the risk of heart disease, as may many other factors. The main label on the front says, Genisoy Ultra Soy Protein Powder for improved Bone Health. This statement is rather ambiguous since it does not actually state the correlation of the product to bone health, but just that it is for it, like someone is for democracy. Genisoy Ultra is an affordable dietary supplement, but being a processed food, still impacts the environment. Genisoy Ultra is distributed by a company in Oklahoma, approximately 1,500 miles from where I bought my protein powder. The truck that traveled all those miles used a lot of diesel fuel, which might get better mileage to the gallon than gasoline,

but also produces carcinogens and soot. The package is probably recyclable, but not made from recycled products, adding to the carbon footprint. The product itself states a warning not to be used for weight loss, but rather as a food supplement. The target audience is not people trying to lose weight, but people trying to maintain a healthy diet. Genisoy protein is an affordable food choice that costs as low as 10 dollars, and I bought mine from a specialty organic store for 5 dollars. People suffering from malnutrition can definitely benefit from this product, if taken in reasonable amounts. Grosvenor further writes, In contrast, it is not difficult to swallow a very high dose of one or more nutrient from an excess of supplement pills or excessive servings of super-fortified foods (38). It is possible that such a high serving of some of the nutrients, such as 50% DV of protein, can be toxic or cause dehydration. Genisoy protein powder is an affordable solution for people who find conventional healthy eating habits too expensive. Many people like middle aged women and people with dark skin do not meet their daily value recommendations for certain nutrients like Vitamin D or calcium, so they would benefit from a serving of Genisoy Ultra. However, others who are do not have deficiencies should be careful not to ingest toxic amounts of nutrients common in supplements. Genisoy Foods Inc. display a modicum of advertising ploys on their packaging, and I believe their product a good one, so a little advertising might be a good thing.

Works Cited Brownell, Kelly D. Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Indusry, Americas Odesity Crisis & What We Can Do About It. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004. Print. Grosvenor, Mary B., and Smolin, Lori A. Visualizing Nutrition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.