I'm new to the Zone (started wednesday) I am VERY excited about it and have been thinking about experimenting with some new foods. I was wondering if anyone knew some GREAT recipes with Tofu for dinner. I've never tried it and I'm a bit of a skeptic so you're favorites or ones that are HIGHLY recommended will make me a little more at ease :)

I've really enjoyed reading the posts in the forums and I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the Zone community.

Naomi

I don't use tofu very much, but you can use it in stir fries and in soups very easily. I dice it up and toss it into the wok or saute pan instead of using meat. And, I have used it in some vegetable soups for added protein.

I use the extra firm variety, that seems to hold up best during cooking.

Hi Naomi,

Here's a tofu recipe I posted in another thread here, yesterday:

If you're a tofu lover, for a yummy change, try blending a packege of firm or extra firm tofu(usually contains about 5 blocks P) with a couple generous big spoonfuls of cocoa powder, a teaspoon or two of alcohol free almond extract (it's Zone friendly, plus it adds a hint of sweetness), some olive oil or nut butter, a teaspoon or two of fructose, and just, a little water to get a very smooth consistency. Top it with some cherries for the rest of the carb needed to balance. It travels well in an insulated lunch bag, and can be used for either a meal or snack.

I would also like to add that if you use tofu, you will really want to use the firm or extra firm variety. Otherwise, the smoother varieties count as more of a mixed protein/carb, rather than a whole protein block.

Does anyone know anything about avoiding soy such as tofu if you are on thyroid medications? I would appreciate the reference source of any information you have. Thanks

Hi,

I've been wondering that myself. My endocrinologist says to limit it if you have hypothyroid, but I'm not sure what Barry Sears' advice would be for those individuals. There's a featured article about soy on the articles page of this site (click on the word articles at the top of this page) . The article includes a qn from a person who depressed their thyroid function with too much soy consumption, along with Barry's reply to it, but there's no mention of the implications of eating soy (especially in the form of tofu) for a person with existing hypothyroid who's taking thyroid med.

I listened to a radio show that had an author of this book:
"The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food"
http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Soy-Sto...954&sr=1-1

I would really stay away from soy based food alltogether for a lot other reasons than its potential harm of thyroid.

According to author, soy has a number of dangerous toxina, that only get neutalized after a lengthy fermentation process (or extensive processing involving heat and chemicals). So only soy products that are safe are miso and tempeh. Tofu is not fermented.