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Is it Safe to eat Tofu in excess ?
Tofu is a Chinese food product made
from Soya. They have a very distinctive nutty kind of texture
and does not have any characteristic flavor it rather bland with
other product and easily absorbs the flavors of the other
ingredients. Tofu - is made by grinding cooked soy beans to
produce milk that is then solidified with calcium sulphate.
Normally tofu needs to be purchased in small quantities which is
enough to last for 4 days at the most and stored in the fridge
in fresh cold water which needs to be changed each day. Tofu is
very good for the body. It reduces the chances for breast and
lung cancer. Also it provides our body with essential amount of
calcium which is very necessary for the normal bone growth of a
child. It also has a property of decreasing bad cholesterol and
increasing good cholesterol. An additional benefit of tofu is
that it is extremely easy to digest. This is because the
soybean’s fiber is removed during the manufacturing process.
Tofu come in different varieties and
are normally classified into three basic forms
• Firm tofu Firm tofu is normally dense in composition and can
be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked,
baked, barbecued or served in soups. Firm tofu is higher in
protein, fats and calcium than other types of tofu.
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• Soft tofu Soft tofu is more suited
for recipes in which tofu needs to be blended.
• Silken tofu Silken tofu has a creamy structure and is also
used in blended dishes. In Japan, silken tofu is consumed as
such with some soy sauce.
Yes tofu contains plant like estrogens which are very good for
our body and hence should be taken in sufficient amounts daily
if possible. But like all other things tofu should also be taken
within limits as too much of intake has harmful affects also.
Some of the most detrimental are potent trypsin inhibitors
present in tofu which block the action of enzymes needed for
protein digestion. They also contain another compound called hem
agglutinin, which causes red blood cells to lump together. Tofu
is also high in phytates, an organic acids which blocks the
uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc and
contributes to widespread mineral deficiencies. |
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One way to moderate the harmful
effects of tofu and other unfermented soybean products is to eat
tofu with meat or fish, as is traditionally done in the Chinese.
Vegetarians - especially vegetarian children - who eat tofu and
drink soy milk as substitutes for meat and dairy products are
Infact at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe mineral
deficiencies. Therefore eat a diet high in variety. Lots and
lots of little bits of everything to make us all healthy, both
physically and mentally.
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Query
Contributed By: Darren-Kathy Wren
Article Contributed By: Pinakjit
Kakati
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