Question:
How good is TOFU for a gastric bypass patient?

   — smile915 (posted on October 7, 2008)

October 7, 2008
Tofu was recommended to me just last month by my NUT. She is vegetarian and said tofu offers some great pluses for WLS. Go for it. Lots of protein and it can mimick many meats depending on how you prepare it. I like it a lot. Lyn
   — SkinnyLynni2B

October 7, 2008
I love Tofu...but I like meat better! (Different meats have different amino acids that we need for proper and complete proteins) So if you go all vegetarian and eat only tofu and other veggies, please read up on it...It's very complicated and hard to get all your needed nutrition, unless you know the ins and out's of proteins...Okay?! Tofu is much leaner and lower in calories thathan meat...the only problem is that some people can't eat too much soy...and I've personally had to cut back due to thyroid problems...Soy and thyroid meds do not mingle well...I won't give up soy completely since I can't do 100% whey... Vegetable protein is so great too (it's all soy! )...I buy TVP(Textured Vegetable Protein) in the health food section where they sell flour and/or cereals...It's cheap ($2.50 a bag) and tasteless...You add broths and flavorings and use as you would any ground meats...I make tacos and hamburger helper type stuff...I make chili with it...Sometimes I even use a little hamburger and mix with the TVP...It tastes great as a crunchy topping on yogurt or SF ice cream too for added protein...Since it is tasteless you can use it for nearly anything you want. I mix it with peanut butter and protein powder for crunchy little protein snack balls. Tofu is a little like egg whites to me and the texture is a little too soft for me sometimes....But I like to make smoothies with it...They have moistened TVP in the refridge or freezer section too...It looks like ground beef...It makes great soups and meatballs too! I eat more of it when I am trying to cut back on calories...Enjoy!
   — .Anita R.

October 8, 2008
Tofu is smooth and very good protein, so I say go for it. It has zero flavor though and a texture that you need to adjust to, but if you can, it is great for you. Try it as a stirfry, a little olive oil, and lots of garlic, then quick fry to put a crispy texture on it, mix a few veggies, yum, yum! Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

October 8, 2008
It's not any better or worse for a gastric bypass patient than it is for someone who hasn't had gastric bypass. Compared to meat (and of course, it depends on how you prepare it), it is lower in calories and total fat. It has no saturated fat or cholesterol at all. It's a good source of iron. Wikipedia has a good entry on it, found here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu). If you remove the (), you can paste it into the address field of your browser. Soy is a phyto-estrogen and have effects on the body similar to estrogen. It has isoflavones, an antioxidant, and has some activity against certain types of breast and prostate cancer. You can do a lot of things with tofu as it doesn't really have a taste and picks up the flavors of whatever you mixing it with. I stick it in the blender with eggs and then make scrambled eggs... increases the protein without increasing the cholesterol. There are a million and one ways to cook it including baked, grilled, or fried. If you buy silken tofu, you can add it to smoothies or pudding to increase the protein. If you go to a healthfood store (maybe a large supermarket), you can find all sorts of seasonings or mixes to go with the tofu. My partner, who is a vegetarian, cuts it into chunks and stir-frys it with broccoli, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sesame oil and its really good.
   — mrsidknee

October 13, 2008

   — Lisa C.