0:00 Introduction: Protein you should never eat

0:49 The worst protein for your health

3:37 Ultra-processed proteins

8:17 The worst protein in the world

8:55 Toxic proteins to avoid

The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet aims for a plant-based world where red meat is replaced with plant-based protein. Surprisingly, the one protein you should never eat is plant-based!

So what's the worst protein in the world? Here are 11 facts about one of the most dangerous protein sources:

1. The industrial extraction of defatted soy flour involves fat removal from soy flour using hexane, a component of gasoline. This ingredient is considered GRAS, or generally recognized as safe. This is a legal loophole that allows a company to classify its own product as safe.

2. This ultra-processed protein is a byproduct of the soybean oil industry.

3. It contains heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. 

4. It's thermo-mechanically restructured, which means high temperatures and machinery are used to restructure the product so that it mimics the texture of meat. 

5. This product makes around $1.39 billion per year.

6. It's marketed as healthy and has been around since the 1960s.

7. It contains sodium hydroxide, which changes the pH, chemically altering the protein.

8. It contains hydrogen peroxide and titanium dioxide used as bleaching agents.

9. It's composed of sponge-like chunks of artificial meat that's rehydrated with additional seed oil. 

10. Artificial flavor and color are added to mimic the taste and appearance of meat.

11. The protein is dried at around 347 degrees Fahrenheit, so by the time you cook it, it's been heated twice.

The estrogenic effect of soy is not destroyed by heat!

The protein I'm referring to is textured vegetable protein, made from the "vegetable" known as soy. This highly refined, ultra-processed protein contains heavy metals and is GMO, so it may contain traces of glyphosate.