Sinceit’s October Unprocessed, I thought it would be a good time to look at one of my favorite foods that I think gets a bad rep: tofu. There’s a perception that tofu is a highly processed food, but is it really as bad as haters would have you believe?
在我们讨论豆腐是否是加工食品之前,我想如果我不解决大豆是否健康的整个问题,那我就是失职了。Honestly, I couldn’t do a better job with the soy question than Tanyadid in this article. She really nails it, in my opinion, so check out her article on soy, then meet me back here, OK?
OK! So maybe soy isn’t the poison that it’s made out to be, right? If you’re still on board, let’s talk a little bit about tofu and about what processed food is.
What Is Processed Food?
I like to think of processed food as having degrees. Technically, if you puree veggies or simmer them to make broth, you’re processing that food, but I don’t think that’s what we mean when we say processed food, right?
What we are talking about are those packaged snack and convenience foods that are made with morehigh fructose corn syrup, salt, and preservatives than actual food-based ingredients. They’re the things that are alarmingly shelf-stable without needing to be canned. They usually come in plastic wrappers, and there is no way that you could recreate them exactly without a lab.
Does that sound about right to you?
Is Tofu A Processed Food?
I would say yes and no. In the “it’s different from whole soybeans” sense, then yes, but it’s not processed to within an inch of its life, like a Twinkie.
事实上,在家里做豆腐完全是可能的。I’ve done it. Homemade tofu is amazing, and if you have the time to devote to making your own, I can’t recommend it enough. What I learned from making my own tofu is:
- It’s doable, but time consuming.
- There are not a whole lot of ingredients.
- It’s a lot likemaking cottage cheese.
You can read the post a linked above for more detailed instructions, but here is how you make your basic tofu, just to give you an idea:
- Find soy milk that’s made with just water and soybeans, or make your own. You don’t want one with other ingredients, because it may not curdle properly.
- 使用一种凝结剂,如nigari或硫酸钙。
- 用文火煨豆浆,在合适的时间和温度加入凝固剂。
- Press into blocks.
The only ingredients in homemade tofu (and most store-bought tofu) are: water, soybeans, and nigari or calcium sulfate.
That stands up to the Michael Pollan rule of 5 ingredients or fewer, right? And the ingredients are all things that are totally not scary. The coagulants are just salts, and you don’t need to do anything special when handling them.
I would love to hear from you guys!你认为豆腐是加工食品吗?看了它的制作过程,你还觉得吗?让我们在评论中谈论豆腐吧!
photo by Becky Striepe
莱斯says
I’m a registered dietitian and I totally agree with your assessment of tofu as only being minimally processed and totally healthy. It should also be pointed out that the estrogen in soy foods is extremely low and should not be an issue to anyone. I recommend tofu to my clients. It’s a great food that can be used in so many different ways.
andreasays
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jaeger8383says
Thank you. I’ve recently started the whole foods plant-based diet and have been struggling a little with this one.
Megansays
Is soy milk a processed food? I have heard that processed soy is bad for you, but I know things like edamame and tofu are really good for your diet. Soy milk tastes better in my mochas, so I NEED to know!!!
Thanks!
Marksays
If I was you, I’d scrap the word “soy” from my dictionary.
研究一下豆腐,学习一下自己。
Susan Mahansays
If you cooked the beans so you would not have the beany taste before making the soy milk, well that’s one process. Then you cooked it again to coagulate it, so thats a second process that was done. Definitely not in the raw category. Seems to be sitting in the processed category. Just one perspective though.
Elsays
这真的很有趣,也很有帮助!Thanks so much- a really good read
Dustin Martinsensays
I love Jeff Novick’s definition of processed foods. It is processed if fiber, water, and nutrients are removed, which tend to make foods more calorie-dense. Tofu has most of the fiber taken out and it is higher in calorie-density than plain soybeans. So, yes, it is a processed food, but I’ve found while on a whole-food diet, you need to pick and choose what you’re willing to eat with the purpose of the diet in mind. I eat tofu because is packed with nutrients and protein and I believe it is very good for you.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdwWliv7Hg&t=489s
Vicky Woodsays
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I am a certified nutritionist and have been mostly plant based eating for one year now. I use tofu in all sorts of foods and have 2 cookbooks. Someone just asked me isn’t tofu a processed food and I tried to explain. I love your explanation and agree. Other than eating fresh fruits and vegetables cold, yes all foods are “processed”. Thanks for your easy to understand explanation.