In an effort to feel better, and lose weight, and maybe get rid of my awful halitosis (I think there are some funky digestive things going on) I have decided to cut meat out of my diet. Not just meat, but dairy and eggs. I want to eat as healthful a diet as possible. Fruits, veggies, beans, processed tomato products (salsa, ketchup). Every once in awhile I may have some whole grains, like brown rice or quinoa. But mainly, I'm trying to eat more veggies. And maybe the occasional piece of fish.
But I DON'T wanna eat tofu!
I have nothing againt tofu, but for some reason the thought of eating tofu really disgusts me right now. And I definitely don't want to eat meat-inspired soy products. Not that I have anything against meat either, but I want as minimally processed diet as possible.
For any of you vegans out there, do you do without tofu, or know anyone that does? Have there been any health drawbacks that you've experienced?
I am a lacto-vegetarian since birth (indian vegetarian) and tofu was never a part of my natural diet. I like it and have started eating tofu only on last 2 years but I have lived without it for all my life!
You could eat whole soy beans and soy milk (which have as many proteins as tofu)...you could eat veggies, fruits, beans, wheat based products like tempeh or seitan...
You can definitely live without it if you do not like it!
I'm not entirely tofu free, but I don't eat a huge amount of it. Less than once a month at a guess. I've also never eaten fake meat, I don't really see the point. There are plenty of other things out there that aren't meat and aren't tofu I eat lots of veggies, pulses, grains and fruit. I love beans, and cook with those far more than tofu or indeed any other soy products.
Tofu is weird at first, I didn't eat it for awhile after I became a vegetarian. What helped me was eating it in a nice restaurant to see how delicious it could be. I requires seasoning to be palatable, and many of the seasonings are low fat.
You will need to get protein somewhere, so like the others on the thread, I'd suggest beans, nuts and lentils. Do some Googling for recipes, or get a veg cookbook from the library. There's plenty to eat, but it takes some learning in the beginning.
You'll be fine with beans, grains, veggies, and fruit. Check out a few vegan cookbooks at the library, and/or south indian cookbooks. The south indian cookbooks with generally use ghee (clarified butter) but you can use the recipes as a great starting point.
From my understanding, the only nutritional concern for vegans is vitamin B12, which isn't found in tofu anyways!
On the other hand, if you do want to develop a taste for tofu, maybe in the future, my favorite tofu (and really the only time I've liked it) is at Mongolian Barbecue. I think they drain and press it thoroughly, so it really absorbs the flavor of the sauce, and stands up to the abuse of stir-frying.
I am avowed omnivore, so take my advice with a grain of salt, and I'm sure the other posters will have more great advice, but I couldn't help weighing in on tofu!
-Amy
Last edited by ameliaamy; 01-25-2007 at 09:53 AM.
Reason: typo
I like tofu a lot, but I'm on the McDougall MWL program right now, which doesn't allow tofu. I'm finding that I'm enjoying my food a lot and getting a lot of nutrition without tofu. The MWL program is extremely healthy. You might want to pick up the book and read what he has to say about this. I plan to stay on MWL until I lose all my excess weight, then slowly transition into the regular McDougall program.
I've tried really hard to like tofu, but the texture puts me off. I've tried the tricks involving freezing and/or pressing, but it's still too much like tofu, lol.
However, I recently discovered Wildwood Organics brand. I buy their smoked BBQ tofu and it's so firm that you'd think you were slicing into cheddar cheese! You can't even tell it's tofu.
Living without tofu
I eat lots of veggies, pulses, grains and fruit. I love beans, and cook with those far more than tofu or indeed any other soy products.
