Hi all! I have been vegan since July 2010.  In the past few months, I have been having 1 serving of tofu just about everyday for lunch - usually in an Ezekiel tortilla or salad.  Sometimes I will have another 1/2 serving for dinner.  

I want to know what you all think about tofu.  I know Alicia only recommends eating tofu once or twice a week which is why I am a little worried about how much I am eating.  I also heard some recent health news that too much tofu / soy could be very bad.  

At the beginning of my vegan diet, I was eating avocado or beans for lunch instead of tofu.  I started eating tofu as I was concerned about my protein intake.  I have some tempah in my fridge that I just bought this week, so I am excited to try that.  

I also am trying to get pregnant (we have been trying for the last few months... and I also have a gorgeous 20 month old).  So, I want to make sure I am getting enough protein (even though I know I get a lot from the oats I have for breakfast and the whole grains I have for lunch & dinner...) 

My main question is... should I try to lay off the tofu for a bit? or at least lessen it to 1-2 servings per week.  

I agree with Alicia.  I try to only have soy, whether it be tofo, soy milk, & etc... once or twice a week.  it can make you really bloated and gassy.  

for protein i suggest nutritional yeast.  sprinkle that on everything you eat and you'll get plenty of protein.  like this: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nutritional+yeast&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=748751302436666248&ei=RiVTTbXICcL88AaexpH3CQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CEIQ8gIwAw#

oh ya! the best thing about only having tofu once a week is that when you do have it, it's a big treat!

Yes, I'm guilty of eating alot of soy products too!

I eat tofu at least once a day.  If you do more research into it as long as the soy product is not heavily processed (soy milk, ice cream etc) it is not bad.  In many asian countries tofu or similar soy product appears in most meals for the day and they are doing prety wells so im not worrying about it

Tofu has very few ingrediants and is very natural, it's basically soy cheese. I am not sure why the strictness from Alicia's book. I think everyone is different, in all honesty I feel that the high protein/high fat content of helps my weight. I love beans but they are not that high in protein and very high in complex carbs. I like to mix all my proteins to get variety. I eat wheat meat the least.

I also eat tofu once or twice a day. It's the only way I can keep the carbs down.

With traditional tofu, I can't see the harm. Loads of Chinese (especially buddhists) eat tons of tofu. It could be soy products like fake meats and soy milk that are more trouble. They are way more processed and highly concentrated. 

Any reason why its only recommended a few times a week? Pretty much all of the negative soya propaganda is easily debunked.

Goitrogens - Inactivated with cooking and fermentation which covers all soya food reallys.

Phyto-estrogens - Weak mimicking estrogenic compounds which lock up receptor sites so more harmful estrogens arent absorbed. The phyto-estrogens in soya have many proven benefits via studies such as improved bone density, reducing risk of breast and other cancers etc.

Pending you are getting enough iodine i see no problem.

http://www.amlaberry.co.uk

Too much soy can mess with your estrogen levels from what I've read. There are two camps of people: one thinks soy is ok and eat as much as you want and the other says too much soy is not good for you , especially women. I'm in agreement with the latter and like to err on the side of caution and so when I do have tofu, which is like once a week, I make sure it's sprouted non GMO organic sprouted tofu. The brand I use is Wild Woods SprouTofu and it's pretty easy to find. 

I think it depends on your serving size, refering to the mons mentioned in previous posts, they ate it as a garnish, kind of like nuts and nut butters should be used as, I think its not only the gassy bloaty part but the fact that the majority of people dont actually cook there tofu all the way, or even at all. Its devoid of fiber, so a dayto day protien source being tofu allows your body to miss out on alot of fiber and minerals from beans and grains. I dont think tofu in itself is bad, its about quality, quantity, and frequency.

There's a good (and trustworthy) article about soy on the PCRM website: http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/soy-and-your-health