John posted a study that compared identical calorie and exercise regimes, with the difference being protein vs carbs. The protein eaters lost more fat, including more abdominal fat.
Whey protein powders are hard to beat for great nutrition and convenience. There's some confusion about the different filtration methods, and which type of whey protein is best. By this I mean isolate over concentrate, not which brand over another. In a quick overview, here's what you need to know about whey proteins.
Now that you have the gist of it, make some time to ready Jerry Brainum's article "Wheys and Means," a long interview with a whey manufacturer he did for IronMan Magazine a few years ago.
So what about soy? There's a good bit of science available to substantiate the claim that soy protein will raise estrogen levels when used regularly. For perimenopausal and menopausal women, that's probably pretty neat, both for mood stability and for heart protection. A lot of men aren't too keen on that idea, though. Whether it would cause a problem probably depends on the natural hormone level, and of course, in that we're all different. This one's a battle that will probably rage on for a while.
Before whey, milk and egg protein was considered the best, fastest, cheapest way to up the protein intake. Here's an article from NSP's Ron Kosloff about milk and egg protein, plus the ensuing conversation at the Vince Gironda nutrition forum.
