Health Benefits Of Tofu

Tofu is a nutritious food rich in protein, and is made from curdled soybean milk. Because of it is off-white in color and its great relevance to the cultural cuisine of many Asian and South Asian countries it is also referred to as “the cheese of Asia”. This food has high amounts of iron and proteins, and of calcium and magnesium, while the calorie content is relatively low. The extra-ordinary tofu health benefits are believed to be due to the main component in tofu: isoflavones. Isoflavones in tofu are powerful cholesterol fighters and they reduce the risk of osteoporosis in women.

Cholesterol Control:

Continuous and regular consumption of tofu is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle.

The health benefits of eating tofu as expounded here, explains how tofu offers your blood vessels protection against the damaging effects of cholesterol by bringing about a reduction in rate of oxidization of LDL-cholesterol. Regular intake of tofu protects your blood vessels from damage. Soy foods are responsible for lowering the levels of cholesterol and tri-glycerides in your blood, which will bring about a reduction in your blood pressure. Extensive research indicates that the amino acid profile in soy protein is responsible for reducing cholesterol in blood.

Hemoglobin:

Tofu is an excellent source of iron. This is important because iron is a vital requirement in healthy blood. Iron is the main constituent of hemoglobin, a molecule, which is necessary for the production of energy for the transportation and release of oxygen through the body. Hemoglobin cannot be synthesized without copper however, because iron cannot be properly utilized in red blood cells without copper. Fortunately, tofu provides you with a significant supply of both of these essential nutrients as it contains approximately 11.0% of the daily requirement of copper. After serious study and evaluation, can the health benefits of eating tofu be sidelined?

Menopause: Some of the health benefits of tofu for women are related to the onset of menopause and the constant fluctuations in their estrogen levels. It has been found that tofu, a regular element in the typical Japanese diet, may be useful in preventing hot flashes in women during menopause. Most varieties of tofu are enriched with a dose of calcium, which can prevent the speedier bone loss risk during menopause. Calcium is known to be effective in rheumatoid arthritis, a disease where the calcium in tofu may be useful in reducing the bone loss that can result from the occurrence of this disease.

Prostate Cancer:

One of the health benefits of tofu for men is that men consuming a large amount of tofu have a substantially lower risk of prostate cancer as against their counterparts who consume little or a minimum amount of tofu.

Kids:

As a novel attraction for growing children’s healthy diet, tofu is a food choice without par. Heath and fitness require proper counseling and encouragement by parents, in eating habits and regular physical activity. Some of the advantages of tofu for children is that it is a good source of protein, calcium, fiber and iron. Tofu is already accepted as an alternative to meat products. Including tofu in your child’s daily meals will help to lower fat cholesterol levels, and yet provide your child with the necessary vitamins.

Hair Growth:

By choosing tofu for hair growth, you are feeding protein into the hair that itself is made up of protein. Compared to the other hair products that are available in the market, tofu is a less expensive option.

Skin Problems:

Some of the benefits of tofu for skin is that it preserves the elasticity of the skin and tones the muscles. Tofu also delays the aging process. Its high protein content makes it ideal for facial masks. Tofu or soy milk curd is among the best for skin nourishment because of the vitamins, minerals and protein content.

Nutrition Facts About Tofu

Not many people know about the origins or the history of this remarkably wholesome food, but the fact is that the origins of this food can be traced back to around 2000 years ago in Asia. More recently, it has spread to the western hemisphere and become popular because of its culinary versatility.

The other names are soya curd or bean curd. In a mixture with other foods it absorbs the flavors of the mixture made from soy beans, water, and coagulating agent. There are three types – firm, soft, and silken tofu. If you examine tofu nutrition facts you will find that tofu’s abundant content of essential nutrients like calcium and protein endow it with its vast health benefits.

Tofu is ideal for weight watchers to include in their diet, because it contains a high level of protein and fiber and is low in sodium and saturated fats. Tofu has a good assortment of nutrients. The low percentage of sodium and fats and high amount of protein makes it one of the healthiest of vegetarian foods. Because of a proper distribution of all the nutrients, tofu has plenty of nutritional benefits. As mentioned earlier, tofu does offer you with an abundant supply of various essential nutrients like calcium and iron. Tofu is particularly valuable to anyone on an exclusively vegetarian diet, because of the high quality of the protein present in tofu.

Tofu Nutrition Value

Tofu nutrition values can really be appreciated if you were to compare them with the values of regular foods. Listed below are the nutrients in tofu which are categorized into carbohydrates vitamins and minerals.

It has a substantially lower amount of carbohydrates and low sodium content with zero cholesterol.
However it is high in protein and has a substantial amount of potassium and fats.
Like all other natural foods it does contain a certain amount of Thiamin and Riboflavin with just about 1% of vitamin A.
Tofu contains a high amount of calcium and Manganese and relatively smaller amounts of Phosphorus, copper and Selenium. It has the lowest content of zinc compared to the other minerals present in it.
It is a universally accepted fact that tofu is gaining popularity all over the world because of its numerous health benefits that cater particularly to the needs of vegetarian diets, which are a growing trend.

Types Of Tofu

Tofu is made in three types firm, soft & silky with firm tofu being the most popular of the three. It is rather solid and dense, and it retains its shape when cooked and stirred with other ingredients. Various dishes are prepared with either calcium sulphate or with magnesium chloride. The nutritional content of tofu makes it valuable for a variety of health condition specific diets as it has very low sodium, low sugar, very high calcium high iron, very high manganese, high phosphorous, high magnesium, very high selenium, and no cholesterol.

Soft Tofu Nutrition Value:

Soft tofu has a collection of micro chemicals to guard the body against diseases and ailments and also a wide range of nutrients to ensure good health. It is high in calcium and magnesium with zero cholesterol and extremely low sodium, there are no negative qualities to worry about.

Silk Tofu Nutritional Content:

Silk tofu has a softer consistency than regular tofu, and can disintegrate if handled roughly. It is sometimes sold in ordinary cartons and requires no refrigeration, unlike regular tofu which requires to be packed in water and refrigerated. The nutrition in silken tofu is not very varied. It has no cholesterol, no sodium, no sugar, but is very high in calcium.

Submitted on January 16, 2014