PROS AND CONS OF THE VEGETARIAN TOFU!

Hey Plangdaily subscriber,

It’s been a minute and I am more than excited to write on this topic “pros and cons of the vegetarian TOFU”…

So I am currently obtaining my university education in a vegetarian school and the university cafeteria replaces animal product for “tofu” except for milk and eggs though. I personally like tofu because I’m used to taking it right from home before gaining admission in the school (it’s popularly called “awara” in my side of the world) but most students only tolerate it while some do not like it at all.
In a conversation with a friend, she thinks tofu is fattening so she doesn’t eat it because she’s trying to watch her weight and I’m like really? How possibly true could that statement be because tofu is solely made from soya bean? Either ways I did my research and came up with a fact:

Tofu is naturally gluten free and LOW IN CALORIE!!! It contains no cholesterol! And it is a great source of calcium and iron. 

So the question is: “is tofu fattening?” Permit me to say NO! But when consumed wrongly/indiscriminately, it can be fattening. A block of tofu has about 77calories which is pretty fair enough. Consider the oil used to fry the tofu and other things eaten along with tofu that can increase the calorie obtained in a meal. 

So therefore, all my fitfam friends, you should consider incorporating tofu in your weight loss diet.

Other pros of tofu includes;

1. It is an important source of protein  especially for vegans (non-vegan can obtain protein from other sources) 
2. It helps in lowering bad ‘’low density lipoprotein’’ (LDL) Cholesterol which in turn lowers your risk of high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis
3. Helps to maintain a healthy weight as well as enhance hair and skin (because of its protein content)
4. It cost lesser than your regular meat and it is sure easier to prepare
5. Tofu also contains isoflavones such as phytoestrogens which may have estrogen agonist/antagonist properties thus helps in protecting against some cancers, heart disease and osteoporosis (porous bones)

• The antioxidant properties of Isoflavone in soy may inhibit the growth of cancer cells
• Heads up- most cancers are hormone (e.g. estrogen) related

    5. Type 2 diabetic patients loose excessive amount of protein in urine due to kidney disease and studies shows that soy protein is less excreted than animal protein. So you might want to consider serving your diabetic patient soy protein instead (thank me later)

The downside (cons) to tofu includes:

1. High soy intake can be related to a high risk of breast cancer ( blockage of normal estrogen production)
2. Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D Deficiencies especially in vegetarians: 

• soy has B12 analogs which the body cannot utilize as it would the real B12 (which is solely gotten from animal products and is essential for red cell maturation, protects against anemia, important for cell growth and reproduction)
• soy food like tofu increases your body’s vitamin D requirement thus making vitamin D deficiency even worse

    3. Genetically modified soy products are a totally bad idea (most genetically modified foods are the sources of prevalent diseases) therefore growing your own soya bean in your backyard/orchard is way better or rather buy the soya bean and make your tofu yourself which is better than purchasing the already prepared soybean curds.

So what do you think about tofu? Have you tried it before? Do you have plans of trying it/incorporating it in your diet? Do let Plangdaily know and if you avoided it because it is fattening, you should thank me for this post!

LOVE,

PLANGDAILY...