In Hazel’s second column, she answers the question: Is tofu scramble as nutritious as scrambled eggs?
You hard-boil them, you scramble them and, sometimes, you even fry them – eggs. Aka versatile little nuggets of all-round nutrition.
But, with veganism on the rise (almost 170,000 people signed up to Veganuary in 2018 and GBBO will be having a Vegan Week this series), and the health benefits of shifting towards a more plant-focused diet well documented – not heard of the flexitarian or reducetarian diet? – it’s no wonder that egg-free alternatives to breakfast favourites are popping up nationwide.
And, for those of you who perhaps want to reduce your own animal product consumption, opting for a plant-based meal for one or two meals each day – or having a meat-free day each week – is a good place to start.
Enter tofu scramble, the vegan alternative to scrambled eggs.
I have to admit, I was sceptical.
But, as with scrambled eggs, it all comes down to how you cook tofu scramble and what you flavour it with – both in terms of taste and nutritional value. Let me explain.
UNDER THE KNIFE
What is tofu scramble?
As you can probably guess from the title, it’s scrambled tofu. Simples.
What is tofu?
Also known as bean curd, tofu is made by soaking soybeans and extracting their ‘milk’. The fresh soya milk is then curdled, pressed into a solid block and cooled. The end result is a white, wobbly block of tofu. It is categorised by its consistency, which is determined by the water content – the more water, the softer or ‘silkier’ the tofu; the less water, the firmer the tofu.
How do you make tofu scramble?
To ‘scramble’ the tofu, you crumble the block with the back of a fork and fry it up in a pan – typically with turmeric, onion and garlic (it’s pretty bland tasting otherwise).
THE DOCTOR’S VERDICT ON TOFU SCRAMBLE
How healthy is tofu scramble?
For one serving of tofu scramble, you need about a half a block of firm tofu (approx 140g):
- Calories: 140kcal
- Fat: 7.6g (of which 1.2g is saturated)
- Protein: 16g
- 1g salt
This excludes any extras you may add to cook it such as olive oil, extra salt, turmeric, onion and garlic.
Tofu is considered a complete protein in that it contains all essential amino acids, which is rare for a planted-based protein, and it is a good source of both iron and calcium – two other nutrients that are difficult to obtain from a plant-only diet.
How does tofu scramble compare to scrambled eggs?
A two medium-sized egg scramble (approx 58g x 2) comes out at:
- Calories: 132kcal
- Fat: 9.2g (of which 2.6g is saturated)
- 12.8g of protein
- 0.4g of salt
Again, this is excluding anything else you may include – for some that may be butter and milk; for others, it may simply be a splash of water and seasoning.
@TheFoodMedic
Crack on or crumble up?
Head to head, tofu scramble and scrambled eggs are nutritionally comparable and both healthy choices.
They are complete sources of protein, providing all essential amino acids; are low in calories; and relatively low in saturated fat.
The main points of difference are the high salt content of tofu, which is something to keep in mind when seasoning, and the marginally higher saturated fat content of the eggs.
A note about soya and cancer
There have been concerns that soya, from which tofu is made, has a link to cancer – in particular, breast cancer. This is because soya is a rich source of phytoestrogens called isoflavones. Isoflavones have a chemical structure similar to, but not identical to, the human hormone oestrogen and, as breast cancer is strongly associated with oestrogens, a hypothetical risk was made by many people.
However, phytoestrogens are far less potent than oestrogen and do not behave in the same way, in the body. Human research published over the past decade is extremely reassuring and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that soya foods can safely be consumed and, additionally, the World Cancer Research Fund International concluded soya may actually improve the survival of breast cancer patients.
So, despite the conflicting evidence, the final word is that it is safe to consume tofu and it does not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer.
Try your hand at tofu scramble
Serves 2
Ingredients
One block of firm tofu, drained (approx 280g)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Garnishes: salsa, chopped avocado, chilli flakes, hot pepper sauce, sourdough (optional)
Method
1. Crumble the tofu using the back of a fork.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic until soft (approx 2-3 minutes).
3. Add the spices to the pan, then the tofu scramble. Cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through and season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve it with your choice of garnishes – for me, that means sourdough!
Has this feature given you food for thought?
Email womenshealth@womenshealthmag.co.uk with suggestions for what you'd like Hazel to spill the beans on next. Until then, read more at TheFoodMedic.co.uk.
While you're here, check out these 6 tofu recipes and these 10 best scrambled eggs recipes.
