Tale of the Bean Curd: The Good, the Bad and The....

Is bean curd or otherwise known as tofu really a good or bad food?

Back in the early 1990s, bean curd gate-crashed onto the food main stage with a pop! Its potential as the wonder food was boundless then, as it supposedly had potential to prevent various types of cancer, lower cholesterol level (thereby reducing the risk of heart disease), enhance bone mass (reducing the risk of osteoporosis) and alleviate hot flushes. It had even been shown that a type of bean curd may be effective in reducing harmful dioxins in the blood.

Testimonies about the positive effects of bean curd from firm converts abounded, enabling it to catapult to almost cult status. A note-worthy fact: Okinawa (in Japan) has the world's longest living people whose diet is significantly high in bean curd or tofu.

Suddenly, the market for bean curd and bean curd related foods exploded with a huge bang. It was hard to find any food that could withstand such hype piled on bean curd.

Soy milk is coagulated to produce bean curd. It contains between five and eleven percent protein and one and two percent fat by weight. It is known to be rich in phytoestrogens, iron, calcium and vitamin B.

Some recent studies have cast doubts on the value of bean curd as the wonder food. A study suggested a positive correlation between bean curd consumption and cerebral atrophy though that was rejected by the Food and Drug Administration.

We are what we eat. That is an undeniable fact. So, is bean curd really good or bad food? That depends on which camp you are in. Is this a case of those green-eyed critics splashing cold water or a co-ordinated backlash from competitors? This, you have to decide yourself.

Almost two-thirds of the world's population consumes bean curd, in one form or another. Therefore, one can assume that it is okay or safe to eat. Rather, one should be practical and not to assume that if a little of something is good, then a lot must be really good. Life is not as simple as that, I presume.