Tofu
Why tofu is anti-inflammatory
Tofu is anti-inflammatory, and it is a far plainer food than its reputation suggests. It is made almost the way cheese is. Soy milk is warmed, a mineral salt is stirred in until it curdles, and the curds are pressed into a block. Nothing gets refined out and nothing gets added. What comes out is a complete protein with no cholesterol and barely any saturated fat behind it.
Most of the score comes from that. Put tofu where the beef or the pork was going and the protein in the meal stays, while the fat that came with it does not. Tofu also brings isoflavones, the plant compounds soy is known for. In the body they behave less like a hormone and more like the antioxidants in tea or berries. Eaten as food rather than swallowed as a supplement, soy nudges the inflammation markers in a blood test down a little.
That word, hormone, is where tofu got its bad name. Isoflavones are called phytoestrogens because their shape resembles estrogen, and the resemblance stops at the shape. In men who eat soy, testosterone and estrogen stay where they were.
Tofu scores 2 out of 10 on the inflammation scale, and what pushes it up that scale is never the tofu. It has almost no flavour of its own, so it ends up tasting like whatever you did to it. Battered and deep fried, it is mostly the oil it drank. Glazed from a bottle, it is mostly sugar. Baked, grilled or dropped into a soup, it stays exactly where the number says.
Tofu on the AIP diet
Tofu is not allowed on the AIP diet. The Autoimmune Protocol takes out every legume in its elimination phase, and soy is the one it is strictest about, so tofu, edamame, soy milk and soy sauce all leave together. Soy is also among the last foods people try to bring back, and plenty never do. While you are eliminating, the plant protein slot stays empty and fish, poultry and organ meat cover it instead.
Benefits
- Complete plant protein, with all nine amino acids you have to eat
- No cholesterol and very little saturated fat
- Isoflavones, which act more like antioxidants than like hormones
- Calcium and iron in useful amounts, especially in calcium-set tofu
Watch out for
- Battered and deep fried, it becomes the oil it absorbed
- Bottled teriyaki and sweet chilli glazes bring a lot of sugar
- Soy is one of the nine allergens food labels must declare
- Out of bounds during an AIP elimination phase
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Frequently asked
Is tofu inflammatory?
No, tofu is anti-inflammatory. It is a whole soy food: soy milk curdled with a mineral salt and pressed into a block, so it arrives with plenty of protein and hardly any saturated fat. What changes the answer is the cooking, not the tofu.
Does tofu raise estrogen?
No. The isoflavones in soy are called phytoestrogens because their shape resembles estrogen, but the resemblance stops there. In men who eat soy, testosterone and estrogen levels stay where they were.
Is tofu better than a packaged meat substitute?
Usually, yes. Tofu is pressed soy curd and nothing else. Most meat substitutes are built from soy protein isolate with oil, starch, salt and flavourings added, so they behave like packaged food.
Which tofu should I buy?
Firm or extra firm to cook with, silken for sauces and smoothies. If you want the calcium, look for calcium sulfate on the label. Skip the pre-marinated blocks, which carry the sugar and the salt with them.
Anti-inflammatory recipes with Tofu
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