tofu? healthy or not? calories

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traceyroy54
traceyroy54 Posts: 89 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I need help is tofu healthy? Calories, which type?

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Tofu is fine. The calories will depend on the type that you choose -- there are a few different types. I usually have extra firm tofu which has about 80 calories per 3 ounces.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Sure...it's a soy product that many vegetarians and vegans eat to get their protein.
  • Wophie
    Wophie Posts: 126 Member
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    My standard helping is 125g Cauldron brand tofu for 148 calories. In that I get 8.9g fat, 1.2g carbs, 15.8g protein.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Radish0 wrote: »
    Tofu is fine, but I wouldn't eat it every day. If you are vegetarian than eating a variety of food is your best bet. There are alot of options out there besides tofu, but tofu is also a good option.

    You can have a good amount of variety in your diet while still including some of the same foods each day. For example, there are people who eat an apple, yogurt, or a piece of toast each day. I have tomato juice almost every day, as well as jalapeno peppers. It doesn't stop me from mixing up the rest of the foods that I eat.

    Variety can be great for the diet (for everyone, not just vegetarians), but if someone finds that they like tofu and it fits into their calorie/nutrient goals, there's no reason not to eat it regularly.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Tofu is a vegetable based protein processed from the soybean. It has the same calories by weight as any other protein.

    Get the type based on whatever the recipe calls for. Firmness depends on how much moisture has been pressed out. The softest, silken, has a texture similar to yogurt or pudding. You may purchase this pre flavoured and eat it as is. I often use extra firm in my recipes, cut in to wedges, marinated in soy sauce, and baked.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
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    Try not to get TOO much soy protein and you'll probably be OK.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    It's fine, I like it, the calories will be on the packaging and depend on the type, as janejellyroll said.

    Here's a study about how frequently soy is eaten in some other countries, which might be relevant in evaluating some of the claims you will run into: http://www.theveganrd.com/2011/03/soyfoods-in-asia-how-much-do-people-really-eat.html. I'm not worried about my soy consumption, but if I was I'd start first with cutting down on soy in packaged products (the stuff you get without realizing it), if I ate those, before worrying about tofu or edamame or tempeh.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    I eat it about twice a month. I eat the whole package in one sitting lol. I bake mine though.I mix it with some veggies and maybe rice and I have a filling dinner.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Lizarking wrote: »
    Try not to get TOO much soy protein and you'll probably be OK.

    "Too much" of anything, by definition, is bad. What would you consider to be "too much" soy protein?
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
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    It's healthy. I buy firm for cooking. I eat soy almost daily and am still alive.

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