Before I went vegan I didn’t really know anything about tofu.
I was never around it, and just thought it was some odd food that was mostly eaten in Asian countries.
After introducing it into my diet and learning about it, I now have the belief that tofu is one of the most underrated foods of all time.
And definitely one of the most underrated protein sources of all time.
Let’s discuss a little tofu 101.
What it is, and the different types
Tofu looks like a white block. Plain and squishy.
It’s made from soy milk that is coagulated and then pressed into those solid white blocks, with varying degrees of firmness.
Based on those degrees of firmness, there are different common varieties: silken, firm, extra firm, super firm
Silken tofu
The softest, has the most water content. Great for blending and adding creaminess to things.
Use silken tofu for:
- Blending into sauces or dips
- Desserts
- Vegan yogurt
- Smoothies
Firm & Extra firm tofu
More dense than silken with less water content. Extra firm, of course, being slightly more dense than firm, but both can be used in pretty much the same way and for the same dishes.
Use firm or extra firm tofu for:
- Cutting/cubing up into stir frys, curries, etc
- Crumbling into a tofu scramble or feta cheese substitute
- Vegan egg salad
- Tofu tacos
Super firm tofu
Super firm tofu can sometimes be harder to find than the other varieties, but it’s out there.
Super firm tofu is the most dense, with very minimal water content (essentially requiring no pressing), and it also has the highest protein content of all the varieties.
Literally almost twice as much protein.
Use super firm tofu for:
- Cubing up into stir frys or other dishes
- Slicing into tofu steaks
- Grilling
- Kabobs
Nutritional profile
I’ll cover more about how tofu is a great source of things like protein and healthy fats, but to give you an overall idea of the nutritional content of tofu, here are the nutrition facts of an average package of tofu (brands vary) :
Serving size: 3oz / 85g
Calories: 70-90
Total fat: 4.5g
- Saturated fat: 0.5g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 2.5g
- Monounsaturated fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Carbs: 3g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 7-14g
“Pressing” tofu
Tofu is typically pressed by placing some kind of weight on the tofu to gently release the water content.
This is usually done by wrapping the tofu in some kind of towel, placing it on a plate that can hold some water, and then placing some kind of weight on top of the tofu and letting it sit for around 30 mins, depending on the variety and the water content.
The weight can be anything from a frying pan with some bowls or coffee mugs on top of it, or some heavy books, other plates, etc.
You can get creative.
The thing about pressing, though, is that you don’t have to do it. It really just depends on how you prefer your tofu and what you’re trying to make with it.
Personally, I don’t really press my tofu other than giving it a few gentle squeezes after taking it out of the package, but that’s typically with an extra firm variety.
The water content can also sometimes be cooked out of the tofu, such as when making a tofu scramble.
Flavor it up!
By itself, tofu is bland. This isn’t a bad thing, though, because tofu is great at taking on whatever flavors you cook and prep it with.
It can be marinated, or mixed with various spices and seasonings.
It all depends on what exactly you want to do with it, which is another great thing about tofu; its versatility.
Cooking tofu
The reality about tofu is that it doesn’t even require cooking. You can literally eat tofu plain and straight up with no problems.
Other than it being bland and a little weird..
This, however, means that there is no strict way to cook tofu. After you prep it, you can cook it however, based on what you want to do with it.
Tofu can be:
- Pan-cooked
- Baked
- Thrown in the air fryer (my favorite)
- Even grilled
Your preference!
PROTEIN!
Why do I think tofu is one of the most underrated protein sources of all time?
Let’s start with the fact that it’s a complete protein source. Containing sufficient amounts of all of the essential amino acids the body needs. Which also makes it a perfect option for vegan athletes and lifters.
It contains anywhere from 8g to 20g of protein, give or take, per serving, depending on the type of tofu and serving size.
The more firm the tofu, the higher the protein content.
It can also be cooked and flavored in ways that makes it a perfect substitute for things like chicken or other animal products.
Other awesome health benefits
Tofu isn’t just a great source of complete protein, but it also has a plethora of other health benefits as well.
Let’s discuss some of them!
Healthy fats
Tofu does happen to be a little higher in fat content, but it’s primarily coming from healthy polyunsaturated fats. Let me explain a little more..
Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to have heart and brain benefits.
They’ve also been shown to actually help lower and regulate cholesterol levels, as opposed to saturated fats (primarily found in animal products) which have been shown to increase cholesterol levels.
This is great news for heart health!
Nutrient dense!
Tofu is considered a nutrient dense food due to containing many nutrients while not being packed with calories.
Those nutrients include:
- Calcium
- Manganese
- Copper
- Selenium
- Vitamin A
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
Hormone regulation and cancer prevention, seriously
Tofu, and soy in general, always get thrown under the bus for supposedly being harmful to hormones and possibly leading to things like breast cancer, or man-boobs.
I’ve written about this a lot, and most likely will continue to, but this is a major myth and misconception about soy.
Soy contains what are called isoflavones, which is a type of phytoestrogen (plant estrogen).
Because these can attach to estrogen receptors, it’s been believed that these phytoestrogens can increase the risk of hormone related issues and even cancers.
Luckily for soy, modern research has debunked this myth.
It turns out that phytoestrogens act differently in our body than, say, mammalian estrogen (which is in dairy, by the way, since cows are mammals, like us).
Phytoestrogens attach to a different estrogen receptor that actually helps to regulate or even lower estrogen levels.
Because of this, the isoflavones in soy have been recognized as being protective against hormone related issues and cancers.
I’ll provide a link below to a huge reference guide discussing much of the current scientific research and data on soy and health outcomes.
Uses and versatility
As alluded to earlier, tofu is incredibly versatile, and can be used for many different recipes and dishes.
To rattle off some uses for tofu:
- Tofu scramble
- Tofu stir fry
- Tofu “steaks”
- Crumbled tofu to make a vegan feta cheese
- Tofu added to salads
- Tofu tacos
- Tofu wraps
- Tofu & rice or pasta
- Tofu blended for sauces, dips, or desserts
- Tofu crumbled and seasoned for a beef substitute
There’s 10, but the list could go on.
Summary
There you have my breakdown of tofu and why it’s super underrated and should be eaten more.
Nutrient dense, versatile, complete source of protein, while also helping to fight against things like cardiovascular disease, and hormone-related cancers.
Plain and simple, tofu is awesome.
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