Try Tofu Tonight

By Kristen Thorpe

Years ago, when I started eating healthier, my older sister remarked that next I would be serving Tofurkey for Thanksgiving. I laughed at the time, thinking how funny it was that my meat, potatoes and no vegetable sister thought eating fruit and salads more would mean I was taking the leap to eating Tofurkey for the holidays. Well here it is a few years later and I find shes not so far off the mark anymore.

I find myself eating less meat for a few reasons. The primary reason is that I just dont seem to enjoy the taste of it as much anymore. Another issue is heart health " the more I read the more I think that we eat far more meat than we need to and certainly more than is healthy for us. Finally, I really dont enjoy eating living creatures " would I do it if I had to go out and hunt it down? I wonder about that.

Now I cant say Ill never have another cheeseburger ever again or go without chicken cutlets the rests of my life. I just find myself finding more ways to build my meals without requiring meat as the main dish. So I suppose I am more of a near vegetarian, someone who generally eats a veggie diet but who hasnt given meat up completely.

One of my favorite meat replacements has to be tofu. I dont eat it constantly since I think you can overdue it with soy like anything else. Soy is a top allergen along with eggs, nuts, and dairy so I think its wise to be moderate with any food. Especially if you already enjoy soymilk and yogurts, youre getting a good amount of soy in your nutrition.

I have a vegetarian friend who doesnt enjoy tofu. Shes tried it but its jut not for her. Instead shell load up on bean dishes or protein-rich veggies to make up the protein portion of her diet. She used to eat fish on a rare occasion but I believe shes completely vegetarian now.

You can also buy Tofurkey as to use on for your sandwiches. The taste mimics turkey quite well and a Tofurkey on rye with mustard, lettuce, and tomato is a pretty impressive sandwich. Even kids enjoy the taste. So youll find there are numerous tasty ways to add tofu into your diet.

So if you have never tried tofu but are thinking about healthy eating alternatives, then maybe its something to put on your list. Do what I did and start with something small. Maybe a local salad bar has some tofu you can add to your salad for a taste.

You can visit your local grocer or health food store to see what selection of tofu and Tofurkey they may carry. Buy a small package of the tofu turkey and make yourself a delicious grilled sandwich with some tomato and cheese on whole grain bread. Youll be surprised how good the sandwich tastes. - 17269

About the Author:

If you haven't added a clay cooker to your kitchen tools, it's time you did. Clay bakers make it easy to cook a wonderfully healthy and delicious vegetarian dish.