How is Tofu a Processed Food?

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Permalink Reply by Susan Virginia on March 14, 2009 at 12:23pm

Of course its processed -- it looks nothing like edamame right? ((Edamame is soy beans which tofu is made from...))

But smoothies are also processed, and as EV points out, so are nut cheeses. If you want to get technical, chewing food is processing it.

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Permalink Reply by Ken on March 14, 2009 at 1:54pm

I think the comment usually made is it is processed more than once in different plants (uh..factories).

The process involves fermentation no matter how or who. but its up to the individual what constitutes healthy and relatively wholesome nutrition, as opposed to the poles of just eating air or sunshine or just eating cardboard or outright poisons. Its a high estrogenic food, and a high starch/protein food, like all legumes. I don't see it (non GMO) as drastically different then lentils, and probably alot healthier then peanut products.

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Permalink Reply by Ken on March 14, 2009 at 2:06pm

some people consider miso to be raw, even though it is made from cooked components - something about the result being living bi-products. As to my knowledge tofu has to be heated to create the product, and if not, the enzymes have to be deactivated in order for it to be packaged, where the miso I guess can just be refrigerated.

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Permalink Reply by Travis on November 10, 2009 at 11:47pm

i don't think it's as bad as some people make out. i still eat tofu occasionally and have no major issues from it. i'm sure if you over do it then there'd be more problems but i think the main thing is keep it organic and therefore non gmo, traditionally made from fermented soybeans without additives ect. i like silken tofu best. i think it must be easier to digest since its so soft.

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Permalink Reply by Travis on November 10, 2009 at 11:53pm

by the way you can make a great raw tofu with cashews and irish moss. there's a recipe in matthew kenney's new books. yum! :)

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Permalink Reply by Makaranda...=) on November 11, 2009 at 4:48am

great info trav! thanks!

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Permalink Reply by YogaBrudder on November 10, 2009 at 11:57pm

Soybeans have gotten a really bad rap, including all these soymilks, unless they're fermented soybeans, like tempeh and miso.

Soymilk always clogs my sinuses, when I went raw I finally stopped buying it.

Tofu & soymilk seems like an alternate universe to me after eating them for many, many years. Tofu is a staple of yer average veterinarian, or vegetarian. In any event, it's a cooked product. :)) I don't know if it'll keep ya svelte in La.

:))

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Permalink Reply by ArugulaBugula on November 11, 2009 at 1:13am

Oh hi, svelte. I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering where you have been.

But, uh, I have nothing useful to contribute to this discussion.

I guess I would ask how are these people defining processed? I mean, I could chew a bunch of sprouts, spit them out into a cheesecloth, strain it, and let it sit for a few hours and that could be considered processed. Or a factory somewhere far away could do that and include a chemical to boost its shelf life and then it could sit on a truck for a few days. I mean both examples are processed, in my opinion, so it is just a matter of better defining it. Or at least this is what I think.

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Permalink Reply by Jasmine.green on November 11, 2009 at 2:11am

Probably depends on every step of the process. I've had edamame at a Japanese restaurant that made me sick and tofu made by macrobiotic kids in Alaska using beans from an organic farmer in Missouri that was amazing and didn't affect me at all (& I am allergic to small amounts of commercial soy... even a bit of nama shoyu). Maybe that guy's farm isn't contaminated by gm soy. Anyway processing starts from the gene ;)

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Permalink Reply by Chionodraco Hamatus on November 11, 2009 at 4:27am

Hi! I am allergic to some soy-products too. But i don`t know which one:/somebody??? I still eat tofu now and then (im such a big fan of japanese cooking). I think tofu make me feel good, so i continue eating it because..its just make me feel good. Some soymilks are dangerous for me( the allergic reaction is similar to the deadly nut-allergic reaction) but as a vegan, my doctor says that tofu is not a "wholeprotein source" i don`t know what it is in english. SO, he said to me that i have to eat more nuts instead. But im hazel-allergic, and nuts make me feel sick some times. GO TOFU!! >:(((

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Permalink Reply by Sistina on November 11, 2009 at 1:11pm

Can you believe that.....................I'm guilty of buying locally-crafted tofu and making a miso soup with it for breakfast a couple of times a week? Why? cause I feel good after eating it. Other days I want a green smoothie. I eat a high percentage of my diet raw, but after eating strictly all raw, I now eat what I want, and feel better for it. but I'm blessed to have access to quality tofu and not that crappy commercial stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Sistina on November 11, 2009 at 1:12pm

Hey, may I ask what other board you were referring to? that sounds cool to learn to make my own tofu.

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