# tofu vs. tempeh which is less processed and healthier?



## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

we have cut back on almost all soy now but dh wants to have tofu or tempeh every now and then in stir frys etc. now im trying to figure out which one is the lesser of 2 evils so to speak,







. i would think tempeh is the less processed and better for you but i jave no clue. please enlighten me! tia!

p.s. this is in no way to start a soy debate,so please don't!


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## nina_yyc (Nov 5, 2006)

My understanding is that tempeh is better. I don't know a lot about the making of tofu, but tempeh is a traditional food and the soybeans are fermented. Fermented soy products aren't the ones you need to limit. I like it better in stirfry anyway...mmm


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)




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## rootzdawta (May 22, 2005)

Well, I think both of them are equally (and minimally) processed in that I can make either one at home. However, the concensus is that fermented soy products are better for the body (and at one time I think tofu was also mainly fermented). That being said, I use either one depending on what I have on hand.


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## ChristaN (Feb 14, 2003)

: I've never made tempeh, but I have made tofu and it is not at all what I would consider processed. You basically soak the soybeans overnight or longer, then blend them up with a blender and water. You then boil the mixture and strain it removing the fiberous part of the bean which leaves you with something like soymilk. That is then cooked with a thickener (seaweed derived or a calcium based product sometimes). The tofu starts to coagulate and you pour it into a wooden box with holes in the sides and press it to remove excess moisture which then leaves you with a block of tofu.

Like others have said, tempeh has the benefit of being fermented, but tofu also does start with soaked soybeans which, if I recall correctly, should reduce the phytates which seem to be something that those who are opposed to soy consider to be a problem.


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

The folks who wrote Laurel's Kitchen think that tempeh is marginally better because the soybeans are whole, so they still have all their fiber.

You can bake tempeh in marinade, just like with tofu (when it's not too hot out to bake things, I mean.) I keep the tempeh in the freezer so that the fermentation doesn't go past a certain point.


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## Quirky (Jun 18, 2002)

Tofu has never been a fermented food, but it is a traditional food. Tofu is no more a "highly processed food" than cheese is -- in many ways it's the same process, with a coagulant being added to a liquid to solidify it, and then excess moisture pressed out.

You can also do things with the okara, the leftover fiber. William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi's books on tofu and tofu making have some great ideas.


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

thank you everyone! your knowlege is amazing!


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## nina_yyc (Nov 5, 2006)

I never knew that's how tofu was made. I will now eat it with less guilt!


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## AutumnMama (Jan 2, 2004)

Here is a quote from Amanda at www.rebuild-from-depression.com/

I've been getting her newsletters on soaking to reduce Phytate levels, they're very interesting!

Quote:

A study of phytic acid in soybeans documents in detail the
phytic acid level at different stages of preparation. What
they found is that it is very difficult to break down phytates
in soybeans. In the study, the researchers boil the beans,
pour off the water, soak them again, dehull them, steam them,
drain them, and cool them. The phytic acid levels change very
little with all of this effort.

It is only when they ferment the beans in the form of tempeh
that the phytate levels reduce to about 45% of the levels of the
soaked soybean. Fried tempeh is an improvement still, but if
the tempeh is stored for two weeks at 5ºC and then fried, the
researchers reached the optimal (but not perfect) reduction of
the phytic acid. A 2003 study also found that the phytic acid
level decreased by only 31% by fermenting soybeans (Egounlety
and Aworth 2003).

Thus, fermentation is the only reasonable option for reducing
phytates in soy. Keep these results in mind as you shop for
soymilk and tofu. Soybeans in soymilk are soaked, strained,
and cooked. Tofu has an additional step - a coagulant is added.
Both of these products retain nearly 100% of the phytates. You
will not get the mineral value out of them that you expect from
the nutritional label.

If you are an avid soymilk drinker, you might consider culturing
it using a process similar to yogurt of kefir.


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