I work in the Natural Food Industry. I have had the pleasure of working with a new company ‘Craig & Noble’ in Ottawa ON Canada to bring a fantastic new tofu product to the market under the brand TOFOOD, a ‘Fresh New Food’. Two long-time best friends, Di Craig and Sue Noble have created the nutritious, delicious tofu product for the retail market. There focus is to take the stigma out of eating tofu and getting it to the mainstream retail market. In recent weeks, I have assisted with sampling TOFOOD in the retail grocery and natural food stores, as well as an appearance on Ottawa’s CTV Morning Live. In speaking with people all over the city I live in, I have realized that so many have no clue what tofu is and what it is made from. Once again, something going on in my life brings about a topic for the newsletter.
What is tofu anyway? Tofu is a considered a bean curd. Soy beans are soaked in water to create soy milk which is then heated and curdled with a natural coagulant such as gypsum (calcium sulfate) and/or nigari (magnesium chloride), both natural products. The curd is then separated from the liquid and pressed into blocks. Tofu is probably one of the most common meat substitutes in our world and is extremely versatile in its use. Tofu is touted as a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. It is low calorie, is a source of calcium and isoflavones, is low in saturated fats and is cholesterol free.
Lyndsay and I tend to cook with different forms of tofu on a regular basis as we both enjoy it and we appreciate some of the conventional food substitutes it allows us. Tofu products are not just for the vegans out there, but the dairy free by choice, the lactose intolerant and the kosher eater who just cannot give up the sour cream on a potato when eating meat. We know that although so many people out there will eat tofu, however they do not always know what to do with it when it makes it home in their grocery bag. I trust we are helping those of you out there with getting comfortable using this fantastic flexible food. You can dice it, slice it, puree it, whip it, sauté it, fry it and grill it! What other food out there is nutritious and can be prepared and eaten in so many ways?
As we suggest or imply every week, it is important to do your own research on any of the topics we write about. Here are a few sites you may find interesting:
Although soy has many health benefits: low in saturated fat, low in sodium and contains no cholesterol, it is also important to be aware that the soy bean is one of the two most genetically modified foods on this planet! Soy is also one of the eight foods responsible for the majority of food allergies that we suffer from today. Knowing the genetically modified aspect of soy, it is wise to shop organic as much as you can with soy. Organic does as a rule cost more money, however in terms of tofu, there really isn’t that much difference on the price tag – which is a bonus for us!
Some say that the western diet is starting to come around with accepting tofu and that it just might be fighting for shelf space beside the meat products. What do you think? ... We truly hope so!
Thanks for reading,
Laurie & Lyndsay
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