Does tofu have wheat or any kind of monosodium glutamate in it?

Question

Plz help! I really want to be a vegetarian because of the animals but I really do like the taste of some meats.All the vegetarians I know say tofu is a good substitute for meat so I think that will help but I have to know what tofu is and what are the ingredients because I have celiac disease which is a chronic internal disease that is extremely serious and if it has something in it that can hurt me serious complications will arise and risk me for cancer.So plz tell me what is tofu and what's in it thanx!

Answer 1

MSG or monosodium glutamate is a synthetic chemical. Tofu is pretty much just soybean curd. If you buy some kind of flavored tofu it may have MSG in it to make it more tasty, but you could find that out by checking the ingredients list on the back. However, be careful, as there are other forms of free glutamate that may also be harmful to your health. These are often listed as "yeast extract", "natural flavors", "hydrolyzed vegetable proteins", "hydrolyzed yeast", etc. Your best bet is talk to your doctor/nutritionist and beef up on your MSG and food-labeling knowledge.

Answer 2

Lots of foods have MSG...Chinese food for one. Many processed foods have it. Look on the label for monosodium glutamate or MSG, but sometimes it's just listed as a flavor enhancer. When you start reading labels, it's amazing how many foods have MSG.

Answer 3

First of all, a basic answer might be NO!....But, much MSG is derived from wheat sourced Gluten, after being broken down by various methods including hydrolysis by enzymes and other methods involving acids. It can be made synthetically, but there is a fantastic amount of glutamate just there for the tasting in so much of our food, that to say it IS A SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL is misleading.It is present in MISO, SOY SAUCE, FISH SAUCE, TOMATO, MUSHROOMS, CHEESE,....and on and on...usually where proteins have been subjected to fermentation...in the presence of sodium...as in salt...sodium chloride...It ...glutamate,..is a neurotransmitter.

Answer 4

No....unless of course you are considering some sort of flavoured/seasoned version. Tofu is usually just soybean curds, but if you have any doubt you can make it yourself by bringing soymilk to a boil and adding lime/lemon juice as needed to coagulate it. Remove curds from liquid and compress to give it structure.

Answer 5

Tofu also know as Doufu, is a food of Chinese and Japanese origin, it made is by coagulating soy milk and is creates curds. And that is how you Tofu.

In Chinese the word "Tou" or "Dou" means "beans", and the word "Fu" means "Curds".

Yes, some Tofu has MSG (monosodium glutamate) in it.