Raw Tofu

[ElaineinIN]

My four year old daughter absolutely loves raw tofu. She eats it for dinner. She eats it for lunch. She eats it as a snack. I've not found any problem with eating it raw so long as its fresh, and I'd like to continue to let her eat it, but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about it being a problem?

[Sparkly]

1. No, my daughter loves it, too!

She was and is a picky eater, and vegetarian as well. So it's been an important protein source for her. My only fear was other people going "Ewwww!!!" and turning her off of it that way. (I used to specifically instruct the babysitters and others, in advance, not to do that!)

She still loves it, which is odd considering all the "normal" things she won't eat.

[Ellen Forradalom]

2. Absolutely not

It's the soy equivalent of cottage cheese. It's a good source of calcium and protein. You're very lucky that she likes something so healthy.

I myself love raw tofu cubes with banana slices.

[wildeyed]

3. It is a great finger food for toddlers.

Soft, consistent texture, easy to cut into finger sized squares, nutritious. It is alllll good.

[Warpy]

4. Tofu isn't raw

Soybeans are cooked before they're turned into soymilk in one process; in another, the soymilk is heated to boiling before the coagulation process starts. In both cases, the raw product is thoroughly cooked and the milk is coagulated when hot and cools only when the curds are then pressed into the final cake.

Let your daughter eat as much of it as she wants. She'll be fine, and you can be grateful it's not McDonald's.