Why tofu? Have you ever noticed how there are dietary requirements for many of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need? Of course you have. Did you know that cholesterol is actually a steroid metabolite that is actually needed in order for parts of our bodies to function correctly? So why is there no dietary requirement for cholesterol? You never hear the lady at the WIC office say "well, your diet is great but we would really like to see you increase your intake of cholesterol." That's because our bodies already produce all the cholesterol we need and if we get more than what we need, the much needed cholesterol turns into our assassin. Tofu is cholesterol free, so using this as a protein replacement has actually been proven to reduce cholesterol and heart disease.
I remember when my husband and I first became vegetarian. Heart disease and diabetes runs very high in his family. He had a health screen and we found that his bad cholesterol was so high that the good cholesterol wouldn't even read on the test. His triglycerides were over 300 which means he was fast on the track to a heart attack. By this time we had already given up red meat so these results were astounding! Being that we had just had our son we decided we needed to take some drastic steps to help ensure his health and future. We stopped eating meat and dairy products completely and in just eight weeks his cholesterol and triglycerides had plummeted and were completely normal. Our son is now five years old and we recently had our daughter. As the years have passed we have backslid and dairy products have found their way back into our diet but not on a daily basis. My husband "cheats" and eats white meat on occasion when we go out but not having it in his regular diet continues to improve his health and our family's.
I have raised my son completely vegetarian and for his first three and a half years he was completely vegan. Today he has mastered all academic areas required for the first full year of kindergarten, in the first trimester. He continues to excel above and beyond the other children and he's healthy as can be. He rarely gets ill, he's 45 pounds and 45" tall, and he’s active and happy. My oldest daughter is thirteen and comes from a long family history of depression, mood, and personality disorders yet she suffers from normal teenage girl disorder rather than her family curse. Our baby is only nine months but I maintained our diet throughout my pregnancy and she has maintained a perfect 50 percentile on the growth chart since she was born. She too is excelling physically and cognitively. I myself was diagnosed with endometriosis at seventeen years old and polycystic ovarian syndrome a few years ago. I do suffer in pain during menses but other than that I have none of the other long term complications of these diseases which can include sterility, hypothyroidism, obesity, diabetes, excess facial hair, balding, severe acne, discoloration of skin, etc. Do I attribute this to our diet? Partially, I believe God's grace is the majority to blame. However, God also gives us free will to take care of the body He has given to us and He allows us to suffer the consequences if we don't and the rewards if we do. So yes I do attribute a lot of the credit to our diet.
Additionally, according to the Foundation for Integrated Medicine, tofu has also shown to decrease the risk of breast and lung cancer and increases bone density thereby decreasing risk of fractures. They also state the following:
"The special health benefits of tofu have been attributed to two major components: isoflavones and amino acids. Isoflavones are a special group of bioflavonoids found more highly concentrated in soy than in any other food. They are:
* Potent antioxidants, like most other bioflavonoids. Antioxidants protect the cells in your body from damage to DNA and cell membranes. Regular consumption of tofu protects your blood vessels from the damaging effects of cholesterol by slowing the rate at which LDL-cholesterol is oxidized.
* Anti-inflammatory. Inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, caused by a chemical called "soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)", is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Soy isoflavones specifically inhibit this type of inflammation.
* Anti-cancer. The isoflavones genistein and daidzein inhibit the growth of cancer cells. In Asia, higher consumption of tofu is associated with a decreased risk of lung cancer and breast cancer.
* Hormone modulators. Isoflavones have a structure somewhat similar to estrogen and modify the effects of estrogen in your body. It is believed that this hormone modulating effect accounts for the decreased risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis associated with regular consumption of tofu."
There are many benefits to choosing tofu; I encourage you to research this subject for yourself. Then comeback, get a few recipes, taste and see that it is good.
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 1:2
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