Tofu: What Is It?

Tofu has been around for centuries. For nearly 2000 years, the people of Asia have been consuming it regularly. It is a highly versatile food that provides many nutritional benefits to those who eat it. 

Tofu has a similar texture of many soft cheeses and is produced by curdling soya milk with an added coagulant. It is often called soya curd as well for this reason. Tofu can have a number of different flavors from bland to highly flavorful since it takes on the flavors of other foods or ingredients it is cook with. You will often find tofu in either aseptic cartons or in water-filled packs. When tofu is bought in water filled packed, it is important to change the water regularly and to be kept in the refrigerator. If kept in water and refrigerated, the tofu can be good for up to one week. Freezing it is also an option and will last for up to three months. Keep in mind, however, freezing tofu will tend to change the texture to a more chewy texture.

There are also different types of tofu you should be aware of.

• Tofu that is firm - This type of tofu is great in dishes like stir fries, soups, grilling, smoking, for barbecues, and can be scrambled. Firm tofu has a denser texture and is packed with a significant amount of protein, calcium, and fats. This tofu tends to have more nutritional benefits than most other kinds of tofu.

• Tofu that is soft - If you are looking for a tofu that can be well blended into your recipes, then you want to choose a soft tofu. What is tofu best used for when it is soft? Soups, sauces or casseroles can all be made with soft tofu.

• Tofu that is silken skin - Silken tofu can also be blended into a number of dishes. This type of tofu has a much creamier texture, making it better for blending than most other kinds of tofu and is a great substitute in dessert dishes.

Nutritional benefits

• In one serving of tofu or half a cup, there are just 94 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrates. Additionally, a half-cup serving of tofu contains 5 grams of fat and 10 grams of protein.

• Eating just one serving of tofu can provide you with 44% of your daily calcium recommendations, 9% of your magnesium recommendation and 40% of the recommended amount of iron.

• Tofu also contains vitamin K, vitamin B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, choline, phosphorus, and selenium.

• Tofu’s main component is soy which is a great source of protein that provides you with essential amino acids.

• Soy also provides a healthy dose of polyunsaturated fats like omega 3-alpha linolenic acid.

Health benefits

Because of the nutrition in tofu, there are so many benefits you can get by including it into your diet. 

• Tofu can help lower bad cholesterol because it doesn't contain as high of levels of LDL cholesterol like most animal proteins do. This, in turn, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

• Consuming tofu can help reduce the risk of some cancers. The genistein antioxidant prevalent in tofu inhibits cancer cell growth. Those who have survived breast cancer may benefit greatly from eating one serving of tofu a day to reduce the risk of developing the cancer again.

• What is tofu beneficial for in terms of your health? Tofu is good for your kidneys and can improve symptoms of individuals who have type II diabetes. It is suggested that eating soy products as a main source of protein can reduce the excess amount of protein released while peeing for those who have kidney disease. This, in turn, can improve some of the symptoms of diabetes.

• The isoflavones in soy can help reduce bone loss as well as increase the bone mineral density. This can help reduce osteoporosis, especially in women who are entering menopause.

• The curdling process of tofu and the added coagulants have been shown to help prevent liver damage that is often caused by free radicals in the body.

• Individuals who consume more tofu have shown to have less age-related brain diseases.

While eating tofu and other soy-based foods can be beneficial, there are some issues that can happen to some individuals.

• If you have kidney stones or gallbladder stones, you want to limit your consumption of soy. The oxalates in tofu can cause kidney and gallbladder stones to worsen.

• While tofu can help reduce the recurrence of breast cancer those with estrogen-sensitive breast tumors should also avoid eating too much tofu because of its hormonal effects.

• What is tofu's side effects on individuals with thyroid issues? The goitrogen content in tofu can have negative effects on you if you have issues with the thyroids.

• You should also avoid feeding tofu to infants as this can have a negative impact on the proper development of the reproductive organs.