Do I eat too much tofu ?

pinknerdfromthe70s

Hi guys. I'm not looking to gain weight/muscles/bulk, only to lose fat. MFP recommended I have 105g of protein a day, and I eat one half block (150g) of tofu each day in addition to proteins of other plant and lean animal sources to match my requirements. But today I had a light lunch at 5pm, and by the time 11pm rolled around I was so hungry I had an entire block (300g) of tofu ! I am a woman. Am I consuming too much tofu ?

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Some hunger is to be expected and tolerated when you're eating at deficit. My advice is to keep protein at 25% of calorie intake or less (or about .5grams of protien per pound of body weight, to mix units). MFP gives suggestions, but you don't have to follow them!

Over-eating protein is not necessary to maintain muscle while dieting. What is needed is continued exercise. Also, protein is a poor energy source, so if you eat too much of it, you steal too many calories from your fats and carbs, which run the engines and satisfy hunger. I think it helps to go higher in fats, meaning nuts, oils, cheese, and butter, and cut the carbs, still eating at a deficit. This satisfies hunger maximally. A salad with nuts, cheese, olive oil (in a vinagrette), and tofu is very filling.

Tofu fits pretty well with a low-carb approach: It has both protein and fat and is low carb.

estherdragonbat

I've had some people caution me about soy's effect on estrogen levels, back before I joined MFP. TBH, I haven't looked into it enough to know how to separate the 'woo' from the 'real'. And many of the people who warned me were people who held with the blood type diet and the evils of aspartame, so I'm sort of considering the source here.

I eat tofu and other soy products without restriction and haven't had any medical advisory to do any differently.

Jdismybug1

estherdragonbat wrote: »

I've had some people caution me about soy's effect on estrogen levels, back before I joined MFP. TBH, I haven't looked into it enough to know how to separate the 'woo' from the 'real'. And many of the people who warned me were people who held with the blood type diet and the evils of aspartame, so I'm sort of considering the source here.

I eat tofu and other soy products without restriction and haven't had any medical advisory to do any differently.

I heard that it's not good for estrogen hormones. I was reading about vegan choices. I can't remember the exact source tho. I haven't don't enough research to figure out either.

AnnPT77

I'm somewhat familiar with the soy-foods question from the breast cancer side of things. I had the type of breast cancer tumors that thrive on estrogen, and for which estrogen blocking treatment of some type is prescribed. I'm also vegetarian, and have been so for 43 years. Consequently, I've followed research in this area fairly closely.

There's not a definitive research answer yet, but it is looking increasingly as if moderate soy food consumption is safe. Here's the sort of thing the American Cancer Society is saying these days.

For the breast cancer survivor, current research finds no harmful effects from eating soy foods. These foods may even help tamoxifen work better. There is less known about the effects of soy supplements.

(From https://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/staying-active/nutrition/nutrition-and-physical-activity-during-and-after-cancer-treatment.html)

The American Institute for Cancer Research (a mainstream source) says:

Because soy contains estrogen-like compounds, there was fear that soy may raise risk of hormone-related cancers. Evidence shows this is not true. Soy’s possible effects on health is an active area of research.

(From http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/soy.html)

RDs I've read seem to think that something around 10mg of soy isoflavones per day should be OK, which, depending on specific food choices, would probably be about 2-3 servings of soy foods.

I'm not saying "more is bad". I'm just reporting the advice I'm seeing given to a potentially-sensitive group.

nowine4me

Yuck, that's a lot of tofu. I try to stick to 3oz of fake meat (vegetarian) like tofu, tempeh, seitan, tofurkey, etc. and get the rest of my protein from yogurt, shakes, nuts and beans. Unless you just live tofu, there are wY getter options.

robertw486

Interesting stuff on the estrogen and studies, and something I'd never taken note of.


As for the original question, just don't let too much of any one food crowd out any other macros or micros. If you like something you can eat it, but the end goals are still there for overall calories/macros/micros. I'm not sure if I would eat that much tofu in one meal, but there is certainly no real harm in it if you make it fit with the rest of your day.

rainbowbow

nowine4me wrote: »

Yuck, that's a lot of tofu. I try to stick to 3oz of fake meat (vegetarian) like tofu, tempeh, seitan, tofurkey, etc. and get the rest of my protein from yogurt, shakes, nuts and beans. Unless you just live tofu, there are wY getter options.

why? not all fake meat is equal, some is made of soy... sure. But seitan is wheat gluten, quorn is made with mushroom, etc.

Anyways, OP, i always recommend this video on the topic by unnatural vegan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yQFYONMcTg

I personally love tofu and soy in general and i get probably 3-4 servings a day 3-4 days per week.

RedheadedPrincess14

I really wouldn't worry about tofu. It's been proven to have little to no effects on hormones again and again. Tofu is delicious