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Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
on: December 18, 2017, 04:35:58 AM
Texturized Vegetable Protein is a sort of byproduct of extracting the oil from soy beans. It's usually in the form of little flakes, and can be flavored or not. Artificial bacon bits are flavored TVP. If you eat the flavored stuff dry, it's about like any other salty, crunchy snack. If you hydrate it, it will absorb about 3 times its weight in water, and turn into a soft material with a meaty consistency. Chicken flavored TVP ends up tasting kinda-sorta like chicken, for instance.

Why bring it up? First, with the oil removed, it is very shelf stable. 10-20 years in a sealed #10 can. If you sealed some of this stuff in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber, it would have a very good lifespan in an emergency bag in a car truck or wherever.

A serving is a quarter cup (24g) dry. That serving is 80 calories, and 12g of protein. So, yeah, this stuff is 50% protein by weight. For just under an ounce of weight. Compare that to a 2.6oz (74g) tuna packet, which has 70 calories and 17g of protein with much higher weight. The Tuna packet costs about $1 if you get a good price. A 10oz (283g) package of TVP (Bob's Red Mill brand, unflavored) is $3, and that's about 11 servings. So under 30 cents per serving.

The level of protein and calories per ounce of TVP is similar to beef jerky, but the cost is lower, and it has better shelf-life.

Soy protein, unlike some other legumes, is a complete protein.

TVP works best added to other food, like in soups and such. It works well when added to Ramen noodles. But it can be eaten dry.

Pros? Lightweight protein source, for cheap, with a good shelf life.
Cons? If you have soy allergies, it's no good. By itself, it has not much flavor, and you might not want the add the artificial flavors.

If you're a backpacker, or looking for food to put in a survival bag, or long-term food storage, this is a pretty good possible addition.

I'm still testing TVP here. As I said, I've tried adding it to ramen noodles. That works pretty well, where the TVP absorbs the flavor of the ramen packet. It is a very convincing 'meat' when properly flavored. I used it to make tacos yesterday. That worked really well, and I've put it in chili before, where it was fantastic. Any dish where the meat has been turned into little indistinguishable bits, TVP works pretty well. In fact, you don't have to use JUST TVP. You can use it to stretch other meat-dishes... sloppy joe, Meatloaf, etc. I don't think it's some magic thing. Just another possible protein source that's cheap and has good shelf life. it's not as cheap as dried beans, but it's also much faster to prepare. Just a thought.


nz Offline zoidberg

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #1 on: December 19, 2017, 08:33:28 AM
Sounds interesting, I will have to find some and give it a try.


si Offline lister

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #2 on: December 20, 2017, 03:55:33 PM
Textured Vegetable Protein as opposed to Textured Animal Protein which is basically roadkill with tire tracks visible?  :D
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us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #3 on: December 21, 2017, 01:01:43 AM
I will have you know, I am from 'Underprivileged Appalachia'. Visible tire tracks just means pre-tenderized where I come from (cue banjo music). :D


wales Offline Smashie

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #4 on: December 21, 2017, 01:50:29 AM
Yes soy protein is a complete protein, however for men there are drawbacks.

This is based on MY PERSONAL experience after suffering (and still suffering) liver disease. If you want to know how that happened I'll answer any direct questions about it.

A bit of history, At the age of 6 months I was moved to SE Asia because of my fathers job, I came back to the UK in 1980 (10 years later). my diet as the time was obviously heavy on soy products. No problems up until 18 months ago. Boom Liver disease!

With reduced liver function you cannot process the Phyto estrogen that is prevalent in soy. After all soy therapy is used in the treatment of post-menopausal women.   

Right now for the fun part (if you are going to take the piss make sure I can't find you). I grew smurfing boobs, painful boobs as well! There are other side effects as well that you can look up. (the boobs have gone now so no you can't cop a feel lol).

Having served and been shot at many times and a self confessed lover of boobs. This was a complete sideways blow to the very essence of me being a man and didn't help with the other smurf I was going through at the same time.

Soy is ok, but like everything eles, IN MODDERATION.
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"I'm not feeling very talky today, off you smurf". - Smashie
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nz Offline Syncop8r

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #5 on: December 21, 2017, 02:07:28 AM
I was going to say something about soy and moobs.... I didn't know they are a symptom of something more serious. I'm a vegetarian but I try to limit the amount of soy I have. I have tofu once or twice a week and a little soy sauce here and there but I generally try to get protein from other sources if possible eg chickpeas, lentils. When I use protein powder I go for pea protein.


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #6 on: December 21, 2017, 05:32:52 AM
While Gynecomastia (moobs) isn't absolutely impossible from the consumption of Soy, it is extraordinarily rare. As in, a handful of documented cases.

And in almost every case, requires extraordinary additional factors, beyond simply consuming soy products.

Smashie, it's at least as likely that reduced liver function was the cause of your issue, NOT consumption of Soy. The liver metabolizes the estrogens and androgens we produce, and if it doesn't do it properly, it can lead to androgens being processed into estrogens in an overabundance. I'm not making light of the cause. I know that while I'd be thrilled for more chest, it's mortifying for guys. It's just that liver issues are well known as a reason for gynecomastia, and Soy is exceedingly rare.



es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #7 on: December 21, 2017, 03:04:53 PM
just one thing, Smashie, that surprised me years ago about soy consumption

Latin Americans and US citizens tend to consume way more soy than Europeans, and eben those more Asians (page 263, or page 4 in the PDF) https://file.scirp.org/pdf/FNS20120200017_14673242.pdf

both as soybean oil and or isoflavone containing soy products (soymilk, soy "meats" and derivatives, etc.) (page 17, table 2 and page 18) http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/257994-1215457178567/Soybean_Profile.pdf
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Offline Samuelcox

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #8 on: January 13, 2018, 12:49:45 PM
can you source this in the uk by any chance? anyone know good retailers?


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Reply #9 on: January 13, 2018, 05:02:15 PM
can you source this in the uk by any chance? anyone know good retailers?

Does this help?
https://www.realfoods.co.uk/product/900/tvp-light-mince


 

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