Soy product nutrition comparison! Tofu is not the first

Scallion mixed with tofu, celery fried with dried tofu, vegetarian chicken, fried bean curd skin for hot pot... many people may drool at the thought of various soy products. And these delicacies with soy products as the main characters also occupy a considerable part on the Chinese table.

It is no exaggeration to say that in terms of nutritional value, cooking convenience, product price and other factors, soy products are not inferior to meat and eggs. Take a look and see if there are any that you often eat.

Really recommend you

Eat soy products regularly!

Soy products are made from soybeans, but our ancestors, through sophisticated processing, not only turned soybeans that are difficult to cook and digest into soybean products with rich varieties and delicious tastes, but also successfully removed factors that affect nutrient absorption in soybeans, such as trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid, greatly improving the nutritional value of soy products.

1

protein

The most prominent nutritional value of soy products is protein.

Soy products have always been known as plant meat because they are not only rich in protein , but also of the same quality as the protein in meat and eggs, and are both high-quality proteins .

Soybeans have a high protein content, and the protein content will not be affected after being made into soy products. For example, the protein content of northern tofu is 9.2g/100g, and the protein content of dried tofu is about 15.8g/100g, which is not inferior to the protein content of lean pork (20.3mg/100g).

At the same time, the structure of soybean protein, that is, the ratio of essential amino acids in the amino acid composition is reasonable, which meets the protein needs of the human body, and the lysine content is high. This means that the protein in soy products is not only more conducive to human absorption and utilization, but also can further improve the protein quality of the overall meal when eaten with cereals, playing a role in protein complementation.

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2

High calcium

Another advantage of soy products is that some products are high in calcium.

Tofu, dried bean curd and other soy products are rich in calcium. This is partly due to the high calcium content of soybeans (191mg/100g), and partly due to the coagulants used in making tofu and dried bean curd (gypsum is used in southern tofu and brine is used in northern tofu).

For example, the calcium content of southern tofu is 113mg/100g, the calcium content of northern tofu is 105mg/100g, the calcium content of dried tofu is 299mg/100g, and the calcium content of vegetarian chicken is 319mg/100g. These are all higher than the calcium content of milk (about 110mg/100g). Although soy products are not as convenient to drink as milk and have a high calcium absorption rate, they are still among the best natural foods.

3

Soy Isoflavones

In addition, soy products have a nutritional advantage that other common foods do not have, that is soy isoflavones.

Soy isoflavones are widely found in all kinds of soy products. They have antioxidant and bidirectional estrogen regulation effects, can prevent osteoporosis, and protect cardiovascular health . For women in menopause, eating more soy products is beneficial to their health.

4

tasty

In addition to being nutritious, there is another reason to love soy products: they are delicious!

People who like soy products are mostly fascinated by their special bean aroma. Whether it is served cold, stir-fried, stewed, or pan-fried, tofu can be made into a rich taste that is either soft or elastic. When paired with other ingredients, tofu can become a perfect supporting role. It does not "steal the show" and affects the taste of other foods, but also absorbs the flavor of the soup base during the cooking process, making the whole dish more delicious.

So many soy products

I recommend you to eat these!

There are many kinds of soy products on the market. If they are classified according to whether they are fermented or not, they can be roughly divided into fermented soy products and non-fermented soy products. The former includes fermented bean curd, fermented black beans, bean juice, etc., while the latter includes tofu, dried bean curd, thousand sheets (bean skin), vegetarian chicken, etc. Considering that non-fermented soy products have a wider audience , we will focus on discussing the nutritional value of this type of soy products.

We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the content of nutrients such as protein, calcium, sodium, potassium, and fat, and found that:

1

First place: Qian Zhang

In general, Qianzhang is outstanding among all soy products . Not only is its protein and calcium content far ahead , but compared with other high-calcium and high-protein players (such as vegetarian chicken, bean curd, dried tofu, and braised dried tofu), it does not have the shortcomings of high calories or high sodium content. It can be said to be well-rounded and quite excellent.

In addition, the preparation methods of bean curd sheets are simple and diverse. They can be served cold, made into soup, or stir-fried. The price is not expensive, so it is really worth recommending!

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Of course, in addition to Qianzhang, the following soy products are also remarkable.

2

Second place: North and South tofu

Whether it is northern tofu or southern tofu, their calcium content is pretty good. Although the protein content is not as good as that of thousand sheets and dried tofu, it is low in fat, sodium and calories , which is quite friendly for friends who need to control their weight and reduce body fat.

It should be noted that although it is also called tofu and has the same soft and tender taste, rennet tofu is different from northern and southern tofu in that its calcium content is very low. Friends who don't like drinking milk and want to supplement calcium with soy products should not make the wrong choice.

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3

Third place: Dried tofu and vegetarian chicken

Common types of dried tofu on the market include tofu with fragrant tofu, dried tofu with stewed vegetables, and dried tofu with smoked vegetables. There is also a type of dried tofu with white tofu, which is not seasoned, stewed, or smoked.

The advantages of dried tofu are high protein and high calcium , especially the calcium content is among the highest among soy products, but the calories are not too high. The main nutritional disadvantage of smoked and brine dried tofu is the high sodium content , which is mainly due to the use of condiments such as soy sauce in the production process. When choosing dried tofu, you can pay attention to the sodium content on the package and choose products with lower salt content.

Vegetarian chicken is made by steaming and adding certain seasonings to bean curd sheets or dried tofu. It tastes better and is comparable to meat. At the same time, because of the further seasoning, the sodium content tends to increase. However, the advantages of high calcium and high protein are not affected.

If you can choose a product with a relatively low sodium content, vegetarian chicken is still a good choice for calcium and protein supplementation.

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4

Fourth place: Yuba, oily bean curd skin

Yuba is a soy product made from a layer of film that slowly condenses on the surface of soy milk after it is heated and cooled, which is a bit like the layer of milk skin on the surface of milk after it is heated and cooled. Oily bean curd skin can be considered as yuba that has not been processed and folded into strips.

The advantage of yuba is that it is high in protein . The protein content of dried yuba can be as high as 54.2g/100g, and even after being soaked, the protein content of yuba can still reach more than 15%. At the same time, the fat content of dried yuba can reach more than 23g/100g, but the fat content of soaked yuba is around 7~9g/100g, which is not too high among soy products.

Therefore, as long as it is processed properly (such as cooking soup or eating it in a hot pot), yuba is still a soy product that is worth eating.

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However, foods like fried tofu and other soy products made by frying, such as fried dried tofu, are not recommended for frequent consumption because they have high calorie and fat content and their nutritional value is far inferior to other soy products.

As for thousand-layer tofu, fish tofu, Japanese tofu, and almond tofu, although the word "tofu" is in their names, they actually have nothing to do with tofu, are not soy products, and are not included in our discussion.

Some friends said that they wanted to make a separate list based on the three elements of protein, calcium content and energy . You can refer to the table below to make your choice.

Soy products per day

You should eat enough of this!

Some friends have heard that gout patients cannot eat soy products because of the high purine content. However, this conclusion is now being questioned by more and more researchers.

On the one hand, not all soy products are unsuitable for gout patients . Although the purine content in dry soybeans is high, the purine content in soy milk, tofu pudding, and northern and southern tofu is not too high, which should be related to their high water content.

On the other hand, more and more studies have found that dietary purine, especially purine from plant foods, has a much lower impact on gout than purine produced by the body's own metabolism. If purine intake is too strictly controlled, it may cause patients to consume more carbohydrates, causing insulin resistance, which in turn leads to reduced uric acid excretion, which in turn tends to increase uric acid.

Current guidelines for dietary intervention for gout tend to control the intake of alcohol, animal offal, seafood, thick broth, and high-sugar foods.

There is no such thing as good or bad, but too much of it can lead to disaster. Although soy products are good, we should also pay attention to the daily intake to prevent nutritional imbalance.

According to the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", the amount of soy products a normal adult should consume per day should be equivalent to 15 to 25 grams of dry soybeans.

This is equivalent to about 350 grams of soy milk , or about 100-150 grams of tofu , or 40-50 grams of dried tofu/tofu shreds , or about 20 grams of dried yuba . Friends can refer to this when eating.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone to pay attention to the cooking methods of various soy products, and try to choose healthy cooking methods with less oil, salt and sugar , such as cold salad, stewing, stir-frying, etc., and less frying, grilling and grilling.

For example, delicious deep-fried tofu and pan-fried tofu should be eaten occasionally, but don't always indulge in deliciousness. Don't turn soy products, which are high in protein and calcium, healthy and nutritious, into "health hazards" with high oil and salt.

References

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022). People's Medical Publishing House, 2022.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Lu, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department, Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru