Tofu: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By Sara Novak, Planet Green

More and more of us are choosing vegetarian protein sources like tofu, beans, and nuts instead of meat. It’s better for the planet and it’s better for your health. But just like not all beans are created equal, not all tofu is created equal either. More than 9 out of 10 soybean seeds are genetically modified. It’s the same for cotton and just a little lower for corn.

Reading Labels

The key here is to look for organic and GMO-free tofu. Here’s a list of companies that have pledged to remove GMOs from their soy and soy products. GMOs have long provided reason for concern. These plants are often dressed with a toxic cocktail of pesticides and insecticides, certainly nothing you’d want to be ingesting.

Artisan Tofu on the Rise

This nation’s trend toward vegetarianism has also brought with it some yummy artisanal tofu. You can even find good local producers in many parts of the country. The San Francisco Chronicle talked about Bay Area chefs that have started to make their own tofu to put on the menu.

According to the article:

Hodo Soy produces tofu with unpasteurized soy milk it makes from non-GMO, organic beans. Tofu-Yu of Berkeley also makes organic, local tofu, and restaurants including Cyrus of Healdsburg, Morimoto in Napa, and Ozumo and Eiji in San Francisco make tofu tableside.

Producers are responding to consumer demand for a better product. In fact, soy food and beverage purchases in the United States reached $1.4 billion in 2008.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Aud N.

12:18AM PDT on Apr 14, 2013

April 14
send a green star

Nils Anders L.

10:03AM PDT on Apr 5, 2013

April 5
send a green star

Simone S.

7:29AM PDT on Apr 5, 2013

importante conhecer este assunto, grata pela postagem!!!!

Latoya B.

11:52PM PDT on Apr 4, 2013

Has anyone on here used tofu as an egg replacer when making soy chorizo? I've been thinking of trying it.

April 4
send a green star

Dale O.

12:10AM PDT on Aug 30, 2012

Can't say that I trust soy as a food source, there are some lucky enough to get the organic soy/tofu. Then there are the problems that soy isn't all that healthy in large amounts. Have to stick with red quinoa over tofu.