Soy, Tofu and Edamame
Lately there have been so many mails going around describing the ill effects of eating tofu especially for women. At one point tofu used to be ‘THE’ health food (In fact I should say soy. But many consume soy in the form of tofu.).
With so much protein in one serving and lots of other minerals, I used to think that it is a sure bet for protein especially for vegetarians. I guess it’s still true. But too much consumption especially for women is said to be bad and cancerous. For men it’s said to produce kidney stone because of calcium oxalate.
We haven't stopped eating tofu.But we are eating it less than before. But lately we have been eating something called edamame beans which are nothing but soybeans in its natural form rather than synthesized form like tofu. I am hoping anything natural is good unless somebody proves otherwise. You can get this in any retail stores.
Check this out.
http://www.edamame.com/
I guess this incident again enforces the paradigm – ‘Eat everything in moderation’.
6 comments:
While I totally agree with the saying "..everything in moderation..", I would not readily believe all the negative stuff about Tofu going around.
Some of these rumors are spread by shadow groups that represent the beef and other meat industries which spread false rumors to negatively affect product sales of their competition. While some might try to dismiss this statement of mine as one from a believer of conspiracy theories, I have also been in enough high-level product\vendor company meetings in the past where companies consciously CONSPIRED to hurt competition by spreading false information and rumors.
Remember the time when the beef industry sued Oprah for libel after she said negative things about beef in her program one night? To paraphrase what Oprah said - "..thats it folks, I am so disgusted by this information that I am stopping it cold. I'll never touch beef products again..". This was during the height of the mad cow disease concerns in the US some years back. BTW, Oprah won the lawsuit - in Texas! In THE land of red meat consumers! The jury very sensibly saw through the dishonesty of the beef industry in that case.
The MEAT industry is a trillion dollar business in the US. Not the total food industry - that's even bigger than a trillion, but meat is the biggest sector of the food industry. Consider that in your assessment as well.
But I think "the proof is in the pudding". The Chinese have been consuming soybean as a major part of their diet for thousands of years and Chinese women have one of the LOWEST rates of breast cancer in the world. Americans, who consume large amounts of beef and pork products, have one of the HIGHEST rates of breast cancer among their women in the world!
So, when hearing about "food information\rumors" I would look for a few things -
1. The source. Who is it? How are they funded?
2. What is the justification for the negative information being put out? Was there a number of cases reported? or even a small epidemic?
3. Was a double-blind study of a control group done by SCIENTISTS to prove the nutritional or medical facts being put out? Or did corporate lawyers "gather evidence based on anecdotal cases"?
It is very important especially for vegetarians to get a good amount of protein in their diet. We usually get these in the form of beans, grains and dairy products – soy, lentil, peas (split), milk, cheese etc. So, I would not cut protein consumption in soy or any other vegetarian form until there is clear MEDICAL EVIDENCE to support negative effects.
But once again, I totally agree with the philosophy of consumption in moderation which really owes its origins to Tibetan\Chinese-Confucian philosophy. Isn’t that ironic since we are also talking about a crop of Chinese origin? !!
I agree with you sk. But there are arguments that US is also encouraging Tofu as it is the by product of soybean oil. The same website I read this claimed Tempeh (fermented Tofu) and lentils as very good sources of protein & iron for vegetarians and Tempeh as a better meat substitute. I will try to get the link.
It also mentioned that yes Chinese have been consuming Tofu for centuries but they haven't been consuming as much as we think.
Luckily Lacto-Ovo-Indian Vegetarians like me have various other sources and unlike vegans are not entirely dependent on Tofu for every meal.But we have to also remember that we are consuming more soy than we think. Like the toast I had this morning had a lot of soy. So we need to keep all this mind and make sure we ARE having it in moderation.
Here is the link
http://www.healthdimensions.com.au/a/186.html
With news like I have reduced my Tofu consumption (not cut down completely). To prove it wrong, we do not have a past history in our origin. Our grandparents/parents did not consume Tofu.
Just my thoughts..
I love edamame. If you have not tried, I highly recommend it. Tempeh is also tasty.
sk needs to do more research. Soy is one of the biggest businesses in the world. Asians eat about two or three tablespoons of soy a day, and never instead of meat. 65 percent of Chinese calories are from pork, and soy is a food they only eat fermented. Soy beans were used to fertilize soil.When starving,they tried to eat them but they were poisonous. Fermenting them- miso,etc- made them somewhat edible.
Japanese studies on cancer and longevity are touted by soygriculture as reasons to eat more soy. But Japanese eat a lot of raw fish.
both beef and soy are big dirty businesses. eat what your local farmers have, mostly vegetables, and hormone-free proteins if you can find it.
if you must eat soy, eat authentic imported miso, never raw beans and never the 'liquid plastic' that soy is famous for-hydrogenated trans fats and isolated sludges made into meat analogues.
search PYTATES and Edamame. Any soy should not be eaten green/raw.
And, just to clarify, tempeh is fermented SOY BEANS, not fermented tofu. Tofu is made by another process, while tempeh is made useing whole dried then cooked soy beans.
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