Can Tofu Make You Gain Weight?

It’s high in protein but low in calories – a winning combination when it comes to weight loss or weight maintenance. However, tofu isn’t calorie free, and it could contribute to weight gain if you eat more than the recommended serving size or serve it with rich, high-calorie additions. Nutrition Facts

Dr. Rupali says, “Anything in excess is bad, Tofu may be packed with dense amounts of protein, but too much of it can take your calorie count up, resulting in weight gain. ” The calorie requirement is 1,200 a day for women and 1,800 a day for men. 5. May Cause Mineral deficiencies

She says that “tofu can be challenging to digest,” and explains that this “can lead to digestive side effects such as gas, bloating, and digestive distress.” What’s more, soy products, including tofu, contain “isoflavones that mimic estrogen and can lead to weight gain and hormone dysregulation in men and women.”

Eating too much of anything makes you gain weight. Just because it’s tofu doesn’t mean it’s exempt from that rule. It’s all about portion control.

Deep-fried tofu, for example, can contain hundreds of added calories and dozens of fat grams from oil. When tofu is served swimming in a creamy sauce, such as full-fat coconut milk curry or dairy-based cream curry, it’s more likely to lead to weight gain because it’s in a higher-calorie dish.

Tofu, on its own, is a food that’s more likely to help you lose weight than pack on the pounds. It’s high in protein but low in calories – a winning combination when it comes to weight loss or weight maintenance.

Not all ways of cooking tofu are diet-friendly, however. Fried tofu, which often appears in Asian or vegetarian recipes, brings the calorie count in a 3.5-ounce serving up to 271 and the fat content up to 20 grams, of which 3 grams are saturated.

Nutritional Benefits of Tofu. Soft tofu contains 61 calories per 3.5-ounce serving and contains almost 4 grams of fat, of which half a gram is saturated. It also has 2 grams of carbohydrates and almost 7 grams of protein, and offers 11 percent of the daily value for calcium, 6 percent for iron and 11 percent for folate.

How many grams of protein is in tofu?

It also has 2 grams of carbohydrates and almost 7 grams of protein, and offers 11 percent of the daily value for calcium, 6 percent for iron and 11 percent for folate. A 3.5-ounce serving of firm tofu provides 70 calories, 4 grams of fat — a little under a gram of which is saturated — about 2 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein.

A personal trainer, run coach, group fitness instructor and master yoga teacher, she also holds certifications in holistic and fitness nutrition. Firm tofu holds its shape in stir-fries. Tofu is a versatile, inexpensive source of plant protein, making it a staple of many vegetarian diets. Also known as bean curd, …

Stir-fry tofu with minimal oil and lots of fresh vegetables or blend it into a fruit smoothie. On the condiment side, use it instead of mayonnaise to thicken a salad dressing. All of these preparations complement a diet that emphasizes weight management.

A diet containing moderate amounts of soy foods such as tofu appears safe, reports the Linus Pauling Institute, but the safety of consuming soy isoflavones in supplemental form for the long term is unknown. The phytoestrogens don’t directly cause weight gain; it’s other potential associations with breast cancer and endocrine disruption that may be of concern. To maximize the positive attributes of soy foods, choose whole soy foods — such as tofu — over those with added soy protein, notes a 2010 paper published in the Frontiers in Neuroendicrinology.

Soy isoflavones may help relieve symptoms related to the reduction in estrogen, such as hot flashes and mood swings. A diet containing moderate amounts of soy foods such as tofu appears safe, reports the Linus Pauling Institute, but the safety of consuming soy isoflavones in supplemental form for the long term is unknown.

Similar in structure to the female hormone estrogen, isoflavones are sometimes recommended for women as they enter menopause and their natural production of estrogen slows down. Soy isoflavones may help relieve symptoms related to the reduction in estrogen, such as hot flashes and mood swings.

As long as you stick to healthful preparation methods, tofu isn’t fattening, and makes an excellent addition to any diet.

How to eat tofu?

To make it more flavorful without adding a lot of calories or fat grams, use spice rubs, fresh herbs or marinades when you prepare it.

Bake or roast tofu cubes to give them a crisper texture, and serve the tofu with nutritious accompaniments such as brown rice, steamed vegetables or fresh fruit . If you are an omnivore, you can cut calories and fat from some of your weekly meals by replacing red meat with tofu.

Nutrition Facts. According to the USDA, a 1/2-cup serving of tofu has about 90 calories, 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber and less than 1 gram of sugar. It also has more than 250 milligrams of calcium, which meets a quarter of the 1,000-milligram daily recommendation for adults.

When tofu is served swimming in a creamy sauce, such as full-fat coconut milk curry or dairy-based cream curry, it’s more likely to lead to weight gain because it’s in a higher-calorie dish. But a single food is rarely responsible for making you gain weight, since it’s excess calorie intake – rather than the specific food you eat – …

How Fattening Is Tofu? Tofu, on its own, is a food that’s more likely to help you lose weight than pack on the pounds. It’s high in protein but low in calories – a winning combination when it comes to weight loss or weight maintenance. However, tofu isn’t calorie free, and it could contribute to weight gain if you eat more than …

How often should I eat tofu?

She also says it shouldn’t be eaten on a daily basis, period. Instead, she advises “limit [tofu consumption] to a couple of times per week.”.

Tofu may have been around for thousands of years, but it only started to take off in this country back in the hippie days (via History) when it became a bland, squishy stand-in for meat. (That was before they knew how to put the texture in textured vegetable protein.)

She says that “tofu can be challenging to digest,” and explains that this “can lead to digestive side effects such as gas, bloating , and digestive distress.”. What’s more, soy products , including tofu, contain “isoflavones that mimic estrogen and can lead to weight gain and hormone dysregulation in men and women.”.

Hickey sees both the good and the bad in tofu. He says it is a great source of protein, particularly if you are vegan and thus have limited options. Hickey also cites the fact that “tofu is packed with vitamins and minerals,” and says “considering that most people have vitamin deficiencies tofu should become more of a staple in our diets.” He also speaks of the isoflavones the food contains, saying these “have been proven to have estrogen antagonist properties that help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and hypertension.”

Why do restaurants dip soy in sauce?

Plus, restaurant cooks typically dip the bland blocks of soy in decadent sauces or deep fryers to improve the flavor. The resulting dishes are ones that can leave you both sick and fat.

In its purest form, coffee’s benefits span from warding off Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease to aiding weight loss efforts. But the second you start tinkering with your cuppa joe— adding things like chemical-filled flavor syrups, whipped cream, and fatty half-and-half—you start diminishing these health-protective properties and adding in tons of calories. To reap the most benefits from your morning cup, add a splash of milk, a teaspoon of sugar, and a shake of cinnamon if you need some extra flavor.

Share via e-mail. Like Katniss and Finnick from The Hunger Games, certain superfoods are better described as weight loss frenemies than allies. Yes, that’s right, some seemingly innocent eats can cause you to pack on the pounds—despite the fact that they’re overflowing with disease-fighting nutrients. There are a few reasons this happens.

Tofu is a potent source of protein, calcium, and iron—and it’s served in many vegan and vegetarian restaurants which trick people into believing it’s a health food worth ordering. But not so fast. Certain varieties of tofu contain magnesium sulfate, a coagulant shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Plus, restaurant cooks typically dip the bland blocks of soy in decadent sauces or deep fryers to improve the flavor. The resulting dishes are ones that can leave you both sick and fat. If you want to enjoy tofu, make it at home and be sure to look for a package that’s made with a better-for-you coagulating agent such as nigari salts, lushui, or clean sea water.

If made with nuts, salt, and nothing else, nut butters are a superfood that serves up a potent dose of minerals, healthy fats, and satiating proteins. And even if you manage to stick to a reasonable serving size (which is a tablespoon or two, by the way) that won’t matter much if you’ve purchased an icky container that’s filled with added sugar and hydrogenated oils, a type of man-made trans fat that can raise bad cholesterol levels and promote inflammation that builds belly fat and induces weight gain.

But wine glasses these days are oversized, making it particularly difficult to stick to the 5-ounce serving, which packs about 130 calories. To make sure you don’t overdo it—a habit that can lead to weight gain —pour a glass of good red wine into a measuring cup and then transfer it into your wine glass. This will help you eyeball the right amount next time you want to enjoy some vino. However, you should also know this: Drinking alcohol, even something with healthy properties like red wine, can make you more sensitive to food aromas and less likely to resist indulgent fare. One study found that sipping alcohol caused people to take in an extra 384 calories daily, on average. That means if you drink three times per week, you’d potentially pack on 17 pounds of fat in a single year.

Prunes are one of these 21 Surprising Foods That Melt Fat — and for good reason. A serving of four to five dried plums packs three grams of fiber. “About half of that is insoluble, which helps speed food through the digestive tract. The other half is slow-moving soluble fiber, good for enhancing satiety, lowering cholesterol and regulating blood-sugar levels,” explains Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN. The fruit is also a potent source of polyphenols, plant chemicals that help preventing disease. But here’s where things go awry: a cup of dried fruit packs up to eight times more calories and sugar than a cup of the fresh stuff. So, if you tend to have trouble controlling your portion size, prunes and other dried fruit may wind up doing your waistline you more harm than good. As a general rule, think of dried fruit as a garnish and not as a snack.