I’ll be honest: the first time I made Scrambled Tofu “eggs”, I set the bar pretty low. By low, I mean it was practically laying on the ground. I thought tofu might be a tolerable substitute for eggs but unexceptional nonetheless. Maybe they would turn out chalky? Tofu-y? I wasn’t really sure, but boy, was I wrong. Tofu “eggs” are phenomenal!
When I stopped eating eggs, I still wanted the breakfast scrambles with the rainbow veggies, potatoes, veggies sausages, and a side of toast and fruit. I just didn’t want the eggs anymore. For awhile I made scrambled veggies sans eggs. They were okay, super healthy, but definitely missing something.
The tofu 100% fills that void, and it goes above and beyond! The flavor, the texture, and the health benefits (without the added baggage of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol) are all better with tofu! That’s right, tofu makes better breakfast scrambles than eggs!
I’ve never liked the sulfury smell of eggs and one crunch of a shell and it’s game over. Sometimes people would undercook the scrambled eggs and they’d be slimy. The sight of the shimmery goo on my plate would turn my stomach and I’d struggle through the entire breakfast, trying to be polite. I find nothing appealing about eggs and now that I’ve read books and studies on how unhealthy eggs are for the body, I’ll never look back.
What’s wrong with eggs?
For the majority of my life, I viewed eggs as a health food item and this couldn’t be further from the reality.
Body builders were chugging raw eggs. My active days were started with a plate full of fried eggs, a scramble, or omelet, whichever I was in the mood for. Go to any breakfast restaurant and the majority of the menu items are egg-based. Eggs, it’s what’s for breakfast! Eggs are loaded with protein, so what better way to fuel the body, right?
Wrong. Eggs are not a good way to fuel the body; both the yolk and the egg white are problematic. Yes, even the egg white, which has been engrained in society as healthy, is actually harmful to our health. Egg white is essentially pure animal protein — which is not a good thing, even if you are a bodybuilder! Animal protein is hard on your kidneys; it creates more acid in the blood and puts pressure on the kidneys to filter and process all those substances. What’s so bad about that? Well, for starters: 1 in 8 of Americans are walking around with chronic kidney disease — and most don’t even know it. About 75% of the millions of people affected with kidney disease are completely unaware that their kidneys are starting to fail.1 Putting this pressure on the kidneys can be dangerous. And what about the yolk? A powerhouse of cholesterol. A single egg has around 213 milligrams of cholesterol, which is more cholesterol than an 8-oz steak and double the amount of cholesterol in a Big Mac. In one single egg! Eggs have no fiber to blunt the effects from all that cholesterol.
Well, how much is too much cholesterol? A study done in 2021 found that consuming half an egg per day was associated with more deaths from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and all causes. “For every 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol consumed per day, mortality risk increased by up to 24%.”2.
Half an egg per day increases disease and mortality risk. Scientists are measuring in increments of half of an egg, not even a whole one. Who is eating half of an egg? If someone is regularly having 3 eggs for breakfast, that’s over 600 milligrams of cholesterol from the eggs alone. That’s not even taking into account the bacon or sausage that’s lying alongside the eggs on the plate.
Eating just a single egg a week appeared to increase the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week appeared to double the odds, and just a single egg a day tripled the odds.3
60% of the calories in eggs are from fat, and much of that is saturated fat. A diet too high in fat can increase your risk for diabetes, and eggs certainly fit that bill. Ready for some scary statistics? Eating just a single egg a week appeared to increase the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week appeared to double the odds, and just a single egg a day tripled the odds.4
We need cholesterol to live! But, how much?
Cholesterol has gotten a bad reputation. People talk about it in such a negative connotation that it almost seems like a bad word. But cholesterol plays important roles in our bodies, we need it to live!
So, how much cholesterol should we be getting from the foods we eat every day? The answer is none!
Cholesterol is a non-essential nutrient, which doesn’t mean it’s not important, it actually means that our bodies are capable of producing it in sufficient amount. We don’t need to be getting any more cholesterol from outside sources, our bodies have it covered.
What does cholesterol do? It helps with many functions, including making vitamin D and hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Cholesterol is in every cell, acting as a kind of glue that holds the membranes of our cells together. “Without it, you’d collapse into a gelatinous heap,” as Dr. Neal Barnard vividly describes the importance of cholesterol.
Is the soy in tofu bad for you?
No, unless you have an allergy. But I know that’s not your question.
I was under the impression that soy caused breast cancer but I can’t pinpoint when and where I got this information. Can you? I had such a negative conception towards soy, I avoided it at all costs.
“Playing with fire,” I’d think to myself, shaking my head and passing by a soy product at the grocery store. Where did this thinking stem from? No one bats an eye when you reach for a handful of almonds, an apple, or eat a bowl of strawberries in a single sitting — yet those all have phytoestrogens, too.
Long story short: studies were done on mice in the 70s and 80s; breast cancer cells were grafted on the rodents and they were fed a diet filled with soy. The breast cancer cells grew. Since the breast cancer cells grew in the mice, assumptions were made that phytoestrogens fuel breast cancer growth in humans also.
It turns out that humans metabolize soy very differently than mice but that wasn’t discovered until 2009 when studies on actual humans were done. What happened then? Not a single study showed cancer growth with soy consumption. In fact, study after study only showed beneficial effects5 including lowering the risk of breast cancer occurrence, recurrence, and death! So why is soy still demonized decades after the myth of it being linked to breast cancer or other hormonal issues have been debunked? Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to change the minds of society once an opinion is formed.
I find this topic delightfully intriguing and if you’d like to learn more, check out my post: Does Soy Cause Breast Cancer?
Scrambled Tofu “Eggs”
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Scrambled Tofu “Eggs” are absolutely delicious and a powerhouse way to start the day! Tofu eggs are packed with protein and nutrients and have texture similar to eggs but without all cholesterol and saturated fat baggage!
Ingredients
- 1 Package Medium firm, firm, or extra firm tofu
- 1/3 of a Yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced (or sub 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
- 3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp Salt (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 5–10 grinds of Black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a large (preferably non-stick) skillet, cook onions on medium heat until softened.
- Drain tofu and pat dry. Use your fingers to crumble tofu into the large skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook until excess moisture is gone and tofu is completely heated through. Add any more spices to taste.
Notes
Tofu “eggs” can be enjoyed alongside fruit, toast, veggie sausages, or herbed potatoes! Add any veggies you’d like to make it a scramble!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Did you enjoy these Tofu “Eggs”? I’d love to hear! Leave me a comment below! :)
- https://nutritionfacts.org/2018/02/08/the-effect-of-animal-protein-on-the-kidneys/
- https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/health-concerns-with-eggs?gclid=CjwKCAjw7vuUBhBUEiwAEdu2pHaDdEmF9fNII7HdOtNYyWHCf4xjwU30v2KefhFZPsBoBBoz0p1HBxoCJs4QAvD_BwE
- https://nutritionfacts.org/questions/why-are-eggs-bad-for-you/
- https://nutritionfacts.org/questions/why-are-eggs-bad-for-you/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15514280/
Way better than real eggs for sure!
I agree!! Even before I went plant-based, I always struggled on and off with eggs. Sometimes I thought I’d enjoy them but suddenly couldn’t stand the way they smelled while they cooked and the flavor and texture would turn my stomach. All of it smelled and tasted wrong to me. Tofu being a blank canvas, you can make scrambles with whatever flavor you’d like and the texture is never slimy and never has that surprise crunch of a shell!