Tofu is a great food choice that's packed with iron and calcium. But today, we're looking at how high it is or isn't in potassium.
Table of Contents
- Is tofu high in potassium?
- How much potassium is in tofu?
- Is tofu good for you?
- Nutrition Facts: 3.5 oz (100 g) Regular Tofu
- Is it OK to eat tofu every day?
- Which has more potassium: tofu or seitan?
- Can you take in too much potassium from tofu?
- Can you eat tofu on a low-potassium diet?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Is tofu high in potassium?
Tofu is relatively low in potassium because 100 grams (3.5 oz) of regular tofu has around 121 mg of potassium. That's a third of what a small banana has and constitutes only 2.5% of the recommended daily potassium intake.
Can You Check Your Potassium Level at Home?
How much potassium is in tofu?
Fried tofu has a bit more potassium inside (146 mg), while salted tofu has much less (only 75 mg). Firm tofu also contains more potassium, almost double the amount (237 mg). Here's the overview per 100 grams (3.5 oz):
- Salted tofu: 75 mg
- Regular tofu: 121 mg
- Fried tofu: 146 mg
- Mori-Nu silken tofu: 194 mg
- Mori-Nu silken firm tofu: 194 mg
Is tofu good for you?
I love tofu, as it's really a blank slate that I can mold into whatever I want and add spices or marinade to make it crunchy or silky smooth. The following are some other benefits of tofu.
1. Tofu is versatile
Tofu is a wonderful type of food that's made by pressing curdling soy milk into a solid tofu block. It comes in firm and silken varieties that can be cut and sliced in different shapes and cooked and fried in many ways.
2. Tofu may decrease breast cancer
Although tofu had a bad rep in the west (and somewhat still has) due to researchers testing soy products on rodents showing an increase in breast cancer, that apparently couldn't be further from the truth.
In fact, some studies are showing that tofu and other soy products may even decrease breast cancer occurrence. That's quite a 180-degree turn on tofu and a cautionary tale not to vilify new and "exotic" foods that we're still discovering in the west.
3. Tofu may reduce bone loss
Soy in tofu contains isoflavones that may not only reduce bone loss but, in fact, increase bone mineral density. That's especially true after menopause as it has other benefits in reducing some symptoms.
Nutrition Facts: 3.5 oz (100 g) Regular Tofu
- 76 Calories
- Total Fat 4.8 g 7%
- Saturated fat 0.7 g 3%
- Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
- Sodium 7 mg 0%
- Potassium 121 mg 3%
- Total Carbohydrate 1.9 g 0%
- Dietary fiber 0.3 g 1%
- Protein 8 g 16%
- Vitamin C 0%
- Calcium 35%
- Iron 30%
- Vitamin D 0%
- Vitamin B6 0%
- Vitamin B12 0%
- Magnesium 7%
Is it OK to eat tofu every day?
Not only is it okay for you to eat tofu every day, but it can actually be super beneficial for you. It's a great way to add protein, iron, and calcium to your diet. Soy products have a bad rep in the west, but Asian cultures have been thriving for centuries on a soy-based diet.
Which has more potassium: tofu or seitan?
Both tofu and seitan have a very similar potassium content. While regular tofu has 121 mg of potassium per 100 grams, seitan has exactly 100 mg of potassium. That's 2.5% and 2.1% of recommended daily intake of potassium, respectively.
And, just like tofu, seitan is also loaded with iron and calcium, as well as protein, and is therefore recommended, not only for vegans and vegetarians but also the general public.
Just like meat, you can buy smoked or plain seitan and marinate it or add spices, just like you would with a steak or chicken breast, for example.
Can you take in too much potassium from tofu?
Although tofu generally isn't as high in potassium, if you're eating other high-potassium foods, you could be getting too much of it while following a low-potassium diet.
Half a cup of regular tofu has around 150 mg of potassium. That's only around 3% of DV for adults and between 5 and 7.5% for low-potassium diet followers (2,000 to 3,000 mg per day).
Can you eat tofu on a low-potassium diet?
Tofu can be an excellent source of iron, calcium, and magnesium while keeping your potassium intake relatively low. You only need to make sure to stick to the regular non-salted version rather than fried, salted, or silken, as they tend to have more potassium as well as sodium.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tofu is considered to be healthier than meat because you get all the benefits, like high protein, fiber, iron, and calcium content, but without the cholesterol and saturated fat that's regularly found in meat and meat-based products.
Paneer is more similar to cottage cheese than it is to tofu. That's obviously because paneer is made of cheese and tofu is made of soy. Paneer is, in essence, an Indian soft cheese that's made from curdled milk and some fruit or lemon juice.
Tofu is great for weight loss as it's loaded with protein but is, at the same time, low in calories and cholesterol-free. Those are the buzzwords that everyone seems to like to hear, and tofu checks all the boxes for weight loss.
Look at tofu like a piece of meat. On its own, it doesn't taste good, but when you add spices or marinate it, it tastes much better and to your liking. You can also buy smoked tofu that already tastes great or some other out-of-the-box tofu meals that taste delicious on their own.
Conclusion
If Asian cultures have taught us anything, it's that we can not only prolong our lives by carefully choosing our foods but also that we can be healthy deep into our golden years.
Tofu is a staple food in the East and is an excellent addition to any diet, even if we need to control our potassium intake or, on the flip side, boost it. There's a type of tofu out there for anyone!
Don't know which foods are high in potassium? Read our article, 15 Best Food Sources of Potassium. We also have a guide to this important mineral: Potassium 101: All You Need To Know About Potassium.