Tofu – also known as Soya Bean Curd - has been called the perfect food. It is high in protein, low in saturated fats and a good source of calcium as well as vitamin E. It is also cholesterol free. Let’s find out more about ‘the cheese of Asia.

Tofu is made by grinding cooked soya beans until a milk is produced. The milk is then solidified with a mineral coagulant calcium sulphate. The resulting tofu is naturally bland. It is, therefore an ideal additive to both sweet and savoury dishes. There are two basic types of tofu. Silken tofu is soft and can be utilised as an ideal additive for dressings, sauces and in dairy free versions of ice cream or cheese cake . Firm tofu, on the other hand, comes in a more solid form. It can be stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked or barbecued.

Steamed tofu is particularly good for vegetarians. It will give the non-meat eater a plentiful supply of calcium ( which is derived from the calcium sulphate), as well as phosphorous and iron. Tofu is, therefore, an excellent substitute for meat in many vegetarian recipes.

Recent studies have also shown that Soya beans and products derived from them may play a role in preventing various types of cancer, particularly breast cancer. It has also been seen to have preventative capacity with regard to osteoporosis and symptoms related to menopause. An additional benefit of tofu is that it is extremely easy to digest. This is because the soya bean’s fiber is removed during the manufacturing process.

One drawback associated with tofu is that it absorbs cooking fat easily. It will, in fact, take in about 15 % of the fat used in the frying process. Soya is also known to be a common cause of food allergy.

When shopping for tofu, check that it is not sour. Do this by smelling for freshness. You should be able to find a freshness date stamped on the wrapping. When you have your tofu at home, rinse it and then keep it stored in the refrigerator in fresh cold water. Make sure you use the tofu within three or four days.

Tofu deserves to be a valuable addition to your diet. Ease into it slowly, however, monitoring if you are affected by any allergic reactions. Try to cook your tofu in non-fat products and you will enjoy all of the benefits of this high protein, low food Asian wonder food.

Rules for the Valentine Challenge by Be My Skinny Valentine!!!

Guidelines:

It's pretty simple, eat what you want and count your points daily. Calorie points are your total intake, not the calories after you workout. each day you should total your points, wether it's in a notebook or your blog and at every weigh in, you'll give me your total week's points. [that's the full 7 days].

Example:

Monday:

1,200 calories = 6
1 serving of strawberries [red food] = 5
3 glasses of water = 6
20 min. exercise = 3
100 cals. burnt = 2

total: 22 <-- add up all of your weeks totals for the number of points you will give me.

Please tell me ahead of time if you can't weigh in on a certain day. And if its your time of the month, just tell me [you can message if you want more privacy] and I'll keep your weight the same and you can update it the next weigh in. If you forget to weigh in, you have 2 days to weigh in or you will get dropped.

FAQs
Q: Why do you get more points the more calories you eat but when you fast, you get the most?
A: The more calories you eat, the healthier you're trying to lose the weight. When you fast, it's a lot harder to keep the weight off. I think it's fair.. and I'm definitely not changing it.

Q: Are the mini-challenges required?
A: No, the mini-challenges are completely optional. I just think they make the challenge more interesting and fun.

Q: What if it's your time of the month on a weigh -in day?
A: That's an easy one, tell me in a comment or a message [if you want more privacy] and I'll leave your last weight and you can weigh in on the next weigh in day. Please don't weigh in afterwards, it makes everything so much easier when it's all together.

Q: Uh-oh, I can't weigh-in, what do I do?
A: Please tell me about it asap. Before or within 2 days after weigh-in. I'm sorry but it's only fair.

1. Exercise at least 1x week for at least 10 min. (This isn't required, but it'll help.)
2. There's a 2,000 calorie maximum.
3. Weigh-in on the stated "Weigh-In" days.

Tips for Team Members:
1. Cut down on the junk food or DON'T eat it at all. (I prefer the 2nd choice)
2. Exercise 5x a week for at least 30 min.
3. Try not to reach the maximum.