TVP - OH, THE HORROR!

[fatgirlgoinveg]

Comments

[bilbo42]

No particular feelings either way but Quorn (as it's known here in UK) has been a staple in my freezer for years - even when I was omni.

Have tried some tofu - company here in UK 'Cauldron' do a fair bit with it and I found their sausages better than Quorn, which I liked. And some marinated this evening in a stir-fry. It was good - I used to think it was like that packing stuff you get in electronic kit packaging :-(

Have a block of tofu so will see what I can do with that. Must admit that now that tofu isn't a bad as my previous experiences I may go that route instead of TVP/Quorn. Not happy with all that processing (thanks to F.G. for steering me there) that goes into it, but I'll research the Quorn thing here (UK) and report back.

[fatgirlgoinveg]

I have heard so much about how awesome Quorn is, but I am having a hell of a time finding it here. I live in a state (Yank here) that is very veggie and local eating friendly, but that is more along the farmer's market and outdoor sellers in each city. Everything else is sold in a few health stores that are CRAZY overpriced.

[bilbo42]

I thought Quorn was a brand name for a type of TVP. Late now - will get back tomorrow

[fatgirlgoinveg]

It is, but my local stores don't seem to carry them in anything. I have been wanting to try pretty much everything they make for the last several months, but to no avail. We have, like, Morningstar and such.

[happytree923]

Eh, I try to avoid blatant meat substitutes. I love a good grain-based veggie burger, but I don't like eating heavily processed soy (I still eat organic tofu occasionally) because of the estrogen in it. The estrogen makes my period cramps worse and they're already bad enough to make me want to rip out my uterus. Of course, I'm veg for environmental reasons, so replacing meat with heavily processed GMO-soy is probably not the best way to lower my environmental impact.

[fatgirlgoinveg]

I had no idea that tofu had estrogen. Is there a brand you would suggest that doesn't?

[happytree923]

All soy and soy products have some plant estrogen in them; soy is what they make natural hormone replacements out of. The more processed the soy is, the more concentrated the estrogen is. If you're eating stuff like tofu or edamame, it should be fine as long as you're not eating it every single day (remember a lot of Asian cultures consume a lot of minimally processed soy, and they're fine). It's the chik'n and boca burgers made from soy protein that you want to at least limit. Not all people have a bad reaction to soy products, but just be aware in case your skin gets bad or you start getting bad cramps. When I buy any tofu, I get organic tofu because all soy in the US is GMO unless specifically stated.

[fatgirlgoinveg]

Can I maybe shrink you down and put you on my shoulder so that when I go grocery shopping you can flick my ear and say "Bad wannabe veggie!" whenever I pick up a not-so-good product? Cause, like, I'll pay you...