As the plant-based lifestyle continues to gain more popularity thanks to its outstanding health benefits, new plant food products are constantly coming onto the market. While increased variety can be a good thing, increased processed food is not. Many people are under the impression that if a food is plant-based, vegan, or vegetarian, then it automatically makes it a healthy or healthier choice. The same goes for people thinking that if something is organic, then it is healthy. Both those ideas are not always true. What is the common catch? The food being a processed food.

Whether it is an organic canned vegetable soup or imitation meat, we cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by processed food. Consider all the attributes of an optimally healthy diet, namely that the foods eaten are as natural and close to their original source as possible, organic, plant-based, and to a high degree raw or minimally heat-processed. If you could only apply one of those dietary attributes in your life, the most important one, and the one which would make the most impact on your health and weight is the concept of the food being natural — not processed. Therefore, if something is a processed food, especially ultra-processed, it doesn’t matter if it is organic or plant-based, as it is not what provides the body with proper nutrients or healing and prevention health and weight benefits.

This brings us to the topic of this article—textured vegetable protein. This item isn’t necessarily new, but with the plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian lifestyles becoming more popular, so has this product. At first glance, it sounds terrific from a nutritional and practical perspective. However, when we examine what this product is and how it is made, it is far removed from any kind of “natural” or “wholesome” food. It is not just processed, but ultra-processed, and not something that those of us who are on the journey of optimal health, healing, and prevention would consider consuming.

What is Textured Vegetable Protein?

I first heard of TVP or textured vegetable protein in passing in some vegetarian discussions a few years ago. I never bothered to learn more about it at the time, or bothered to buy and eat it. It sounded like a processed food and I had no interest in it. By researching the whole protein topic thoroughly, I knew that no one was at risk of protein deficiency of any kind if they were eating enough calories for their metabolic needs from a general variety of foods, and did not suffer from any serious degenerative disease. Right from the start of my plant-based journey, I saw how easy it is to meet and consistently exceed my protein requirements strictly with plants foods. Hence, I had no need or desire to consider TVP as any kind of protein addition or magical protein source, which is how it was often marketed to plant-based eaters.

Then, recently a friend asked me for some advice about TVP, saying that a nutritionist recommended it to her “to get more protein into her diet”, given that she was eating a 100% plant-based (vegan) diet. She tried it and loved its versatility in her meals. Given her praise for this product, I decided to finally learn more about it, and in an open-minded manner re-consider my stance about it, as perhaps there was something there of value.

I remembered seeing TVP in passing at some grocery stores from Bob’s Red Mill (my favorite natural, pure whole grain company). So on my next grocery store trip, I decided to purchase a bag of their TVP product. I read the details on the package, which stated:

Textured Vegetable Protein is a highly nutritious soy product. It is incredibly wealthy in complete protein and contains no fat, so it is an excellent alternative to meat. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

So based on reading that, what do you think? It sounds very positive.

The ingredients stated:

Defatted soy flour

That does not sound so bad, so I bought the package with the intention of trying it.

In terms of its physical appearance, the product presents itself as small, rough, odd-shaped yellow granules. It is dry and hard, but if you squish a bigger piece, it almost powders itself. To eat it, you add boiling water to it, and then it can be eaten as is, or added to various recipes. Besides its protein hype, its other claim to fame is that it has an uncanny resemblance to the texture of ground meat, like beef and turkey. It can be made into various veggie burgers, fish sticks, and other fake meat foods, as well as be used as a meat replacement in chili, taco, and Asian dishes, as it has achieved a reputation for one of the best “mock meats” given its rubbery “meaty” texture. This is why TVP tempts many new vegetarians and vegans, as its versatility is pretty incredible. You can make numerous meat, including fish, dishes in plant-based formats.

However, we have to consider something important here before we proceed. If your choice to eat a plant-based diet includes wanting to avoid the animal cruelty that comes from the confinement, torture, and killing of animals for “meat”, then why on Earth would you want your food to resemble a dead animal product? Whether it is the real thing or a “mock meat”, one would think that it would be very unappetizing, if not outright disturbing, to consume anything that resembles “meat”. From an ethical, spiritual, and moral perspective, normally the last thing any of us plant-based eaters would want is any of our food to resemble any dead animal product, or be named after it. Now, if you are eating a plant-based diet strictly for health benefits, and are not bothered by the animal cruelty related to the commodification of animals for food or if this is not one of your concerns, then one would naturally want to avoid processed and ultra-processed foods, like TVP. Many would argue that eating the natural “meat” from a high-quality, organic, local, and trusted farmer would be a much healthier thing to do than to eat a TVP-based mock meat.

How is TVP Made?

After my TVP purchase, I wanted to experiment with it and see how it could be used in meals in other ways. I didn’t get fancy, I just wanted to try the product “as is”, to know personally what its flavor and texture was like. Immediately upon mixing it with some boiling water, the product began to absorb the water and grow in size. Within a few minutes all the water was absorbed and I had a soft and somewhat rubbery, crumbly mixture. Texture wise, it definitely resembled ground meat. Thank goodness it did not resemble it in taste, smell or color. In terms of flavor, TVP doesn’t really have its own — it is neutral or bland, so you can make it taste like whatever you want, which is typical with soy products. I tried it on its own without anything added to it, and it had a pleasant, mild flavor, with a soft, mild chewy texture.

TVP is promoted as being healthy and nutritious, not to mention cheap, misleading many people into thinking this is a good food product when nothing could be further from the truth. It isn’t until one takes some interest into what this product really is and how it is made, that a different side of TVP is exposed.

According to the Bob’s Red Mill package, it states:

Textured Vegetable Protein is made from defatted soy flour that has been cooked under pressure and then dried.

Now how does that sound to you? Depending on your level of nutritional awareness, it can sound anywhere from “fantastic” or “nothing wrong with that” to “horrible”.

But wait, it gets more interesting. You have to imagine that there needs to be some serious chemical process involved to “de-fat” soy flour. Making soy into flour already involves some food processing, and to make it “de-fatted” amplifies the food processing heavily. Let us pause here for a moment and consider how far this product needs to come from the fresh, whole soybean.

According to soy proponent Henk W. Hoogenkamp, in his book Soy Protein and Formulated Meat Products it states that:

TVP is produced by thermoplastic extrusion of defatted soy protein flour with a protein content of 50%.

Thermoplastic extrusion? It just keeps getting better.

Definition of thermoplastic: a large molecule that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a very glassy state when cooled sufficiently.

Definition of extrusion: an industrial processing technique used to to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile.

To explain this process further, the defatted thermoplastic proteins are heated to a temperature of 150-200°C, which denatures them into a fibrous, insoluble, porous units. Going into a simple biology lesson here, the term denature means pretty much what it sounds like – to lose one’s nature. It is a term we use in biology when explaining the nature of proteins. Proteins are very temperature sensitive and even a slight change in temperature can denature them, making them lose their structure and function. This is one of the reasons why very high, prolonged fevers are dangerous, seeing as our body relies on a lot of different proteins for proper functioning.

To put it into plain English, what this means is that when proteins in our foods are subjected to high temperatures, whether it be through simple cooking or industrial heating, they are prone to losing the original shape and function they had. This is one main reason why raw food diets are generally more nutritionally superior. Now remember, your body knows how to deal with food molecules that exist naturally, and it knows best how to work with them in their original and whole food form. This is one big reason why processed foods are plainly put “bad” for us as they are often composed of foreign molecules that trigger the body in various harmful ways from allergic reactions to cellular DNA damage. So by eating TVP, you are eating a substance made of foreign molecules that have been industrially/chemically altered. Now how’s that for healthy and nutritious?

And if you are thinking past TVP to other high protein foods like eggs, then yes, technically this is why raw eggs are a much healthier option than cooked eggs. The proteins in cooked eggs are coming into your body in a completely different form than their original form, the same goes for meat. Most doctors would tell you this is no big deal and to look how well we are doing having eaten like this for decades, but optimal health experts say otherwise. First of all, we are not doing well at all. Secondly, various reactions are noted, especially inflammatory reactions within the body that cause it to attack its own tissues on high animal food diets, specifically cooked animal food diets. (See the work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell - Nutrition Studies, Dr. Neal Barnard — Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. C. Esselstyn, and others for more information about this.)

Now, one final processing step, which normally precedes the above mentioned, is that soybeans are routinely processed with hexane — a petroleum chemical, in order to convert them into TVP. Various amounts of hexane are regularly found in processed soy food products. To elaborate further, according to a report from the Cornucopia Institute:

Hexane is a byproduct of gasoline refining. Soybean processors use it as a solvent—a cheap and efficient way of extracting oil from soybeans, a necessary step to making most conventional soy oil and protein ingredients. Whole soybeans are literally bathed in hexane to separate the soybeans’ oil from protein.

Now doesn’t that sound appetizing? And it is this kind of information that is constantly hidden from the consumer when they are buying any kind of processed food product. We naively think that if it is in the grocery store and labelled as “food” that it cannot be that bad. We may even read the ingredients, as in the case of the TVP, and not be given any clue into how intensive, invasive, and destructive the food processing of the certain food was. After all, neither the ingredients, nor the package specify what was done to the original food item before, during, and after production to create the product that we see in the package.

Other Health Problems With TVP

Besides the chemical and physical processing, however, here are other problems with TVP and why it does not belong in an optimally healthy body:

Made from soy

This can be a problem on its own, given how soy is mass-produced, bio-engineered, and processed for most foods today. Most soy that is eaten in North America is consumed in heavily processed forms, namely soybean oil and soy fillers. However, not all soy is bad. It has been a healthy staple in Asian cultures for centuries. Learning from such traditions, soy can be enjoyed in a healthy manner, in the form of organic fresh or frozen soybeans (edamame) and minimally-processed soy foods like tempeh in its organic form. Tofu and miso can also be fine, as long as they are from organic soybeans and do not include any harmful additives, but are in their pure forms.

Unless soy is organic, it is most certainly bio-engineered and derived from GMOs. According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, as of 2015 around 94% of soybeans grown in the US are from genetically modified seeds. These soybeans then go on to make up all sorts of foods for us, like tofu, soy milk and TVP, as well as food for animals used in agriculture. When we eat GMO foods, we need to realize 2 things. First, we are agreeing to be lab mice and experiment with our health. In reality, we are agreeing to a high risk of potential health consequences, as GMO foods have been linked to numerous health problems from immune suppression to kidney and liver problems, even including infertility. (Learn more about the dangers of GMO foods if this is news to you.) The second thing is that we are supporting chemical and pharmaceutical companies who are responsible for seed destruction, control, and monopolization. We do, however, have a choice in all this and that is the choice to say “no” to their products every single time we buy groceries or eat out.

Finally, the last problem with it being a soy product, and a processed one, is that numerous people today are discovering they are allergic to soy. Processed, especially GMO soy has a potential link to increased allergies as well.

Highly heat treated

This discounts it from being a raw and nutritionally superior product. Aside from the possible changes in its functional integrity, it is subjected to various nutritional loss and devoid of enzymes. This is taxing for our body, and over the years diets based largely on heavily heat treated foods affect our health in various negative ways.

Gluten component

If you have gluten intolerance, make sure that if for some reason you are considering this food item you read the ingredients carefully. Some TVP can include or be made from wheat, or other gluten components thereby causing an allergic or digestive reaction.

MSG

A lot of TVP is flavored and processed with MSG in many prepared foods. As you may be aware of by now MSG is a processed sodium by-product that should be avoided at all costs as it is harmful to your health. It is linked to anything from weight gain to migraines, not to mention it can set off various allergic reactions as well.

Healthy Sources of Protein

This brings us to the final part of our discussion. If you are not hung up on the texture and versatility, and are only interested in this product as a protein alternative, then I have lots of good news. There is no shortage of protein in a plant-based diet, as long as one is eating enough calories for their metabolic needs from a basic variety of foods (i.e. not eating mono diets based on single foods). Refer to my protein in plant foods guide.

As for protein amounts in our diets, although we are definitely starting to see a societal shift where our perceptions go on this topic, too many people are still stuck on the “protein amount” in their diet. They are either worried where they will get their protein from, or if they will get enough if they reduce or cut out animal products completely. So here are a few key facts that are becoming common knowledge today:

• The average person today eating an omnivore lifestyle is getting more than enough or excessive protein in their diet.
• A whole food, plant-based diet (even if 100% plant-based) can easily offer not just enough, but more than enough quality protein.
• High protein diets, especially from animal sources, are harmful to our health. They disturb the body’s acid-alkaline balance leading to systemic acidity, cause stress to the liver and kidneys, negatively impact longevity, and can negatively impact bone, digestive and cardiovascular health.
• Every food, unless it is 100% sugar or 100% fat, has some protein in it.
• Research shows that whole plant foods, including fruits and vegetables are excellent at contributing to and meeting our daily protein needs and plants offer high quality protein.
• A whole food, plant-based diet (even if 100% plant-based) can easily offer not just enough, but more than enough quality protein.

In the end, the idea of not getting enough protein is just that, an idea and not any kind of fact. We live with so many incorrect, faulty, and limiting beliefs that have no factual truth to them, and nowhere is that more prevalent than when it comes to the topic of protein. Due to the brainwashing, propaganda and fear tactics that our pushed from every angle in our society about protein, mostly driven by corporate and industry interests, too many people to this day live with the false idea that “animal products equal protein” and that “if we aren’t eating animal products then we are at risk of not getting enough protein”. While many people are coming around to freeing ourselves from these limiting and false beliefs, the sad part is that due to constant agendas around protein messaging, the myths about animal protein and protein quantities refuse to die.

To gain more education and empowerment in this area, I highly recommend you read my essay on the 8 myths about plant and animal protein sources.

High-protein Plant Foods:

• Beans (all whole, dry beans that can be cooked or sprouted)
• Lentils (all whole, dry beans that can be cooked or sprouted)
• Nuts (many, especially almonds — raw, soaked, and not roasted)
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds
• Hummus and Bean Spreads
• Nut and Seed Butters
• Mushrooms
• Organic tempeh
• Organic tofu
• Superfoods: Spirulina, Chlorella, Bee Pollen, Raw Cacao

Remember, though, ALL whole plant foods include some protein. There is never a need to specifically seek out high-protein foods. The key is simply to eat a balanced and varied, whole food, plant-based diet.

Conclusion

TVP is being promoted today more heavily as plant-based diets continue to gain popularity, and as a solution to the growing world population as a cheap, nutritional salvation. We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled though. This product is too far removed from its natural, original food source, and is nothing close to being a healthy, whole food. It is nothing more than a chemically-processed, and highly-processed at that, fabricated food product.

Given the power of whole plant foods and how easy it is to meet and exceed our protein needs, we never need to rely on products like TVP. Remember, optimal health, which produces a body that can heal and protect itself from disease, must be based on a foundation of whole, natural foods. You can fool your mind about what is “good” or “bad” but there is no fooling your body when it comes to providing it with real or fake food. Sooner or later, it will always show you the results of your choices.

Questions and Answers

Is it okay or safe to consume TVP in moderation?

You first have to ask yourself, what does moderation mean. You should then figure out what your personal definition of health is, personal standards, and priorities. For some people eating this food will be a step up and improvement perhaps from diets high in fast food and highly refined and processed food. For example, there is no doubt that TVP is healthier than most commercial ground beef products. However, for most people, this will mean including into their diet a highly refined product that is far removed from its original form and nutritional structure.

If you are okay with ingesting TVP after you understand how it is made, then that is your choice. But I cannot recommend for anyone to ingest a substance that is so far removed from its original nutritional integrity in any amount. This site and my work is about optimal health, not about average or subpar health. We always have choices and simply need to minimize excuses, while we maximize personal priorities.

I am interested in having some sort of meat-substitute for the recipes I use and don’t want to buy processed store versions, can I still work with soy products in some way?

Yes, you can, you just have to make sure they are additive free and organic. For example organic tempeh is an excellent choice, organic tofu, especially sprouted bean tofu, although more in the processed ballpark, is a second possible choice. Tempeh can be crumbled or prepared in fillet like pieces, while tofu can be dehydrated for dry textures. Also, experiment with *Jackfruit - a non-soy food, which is an incredibly great food at providing a meat-substitute.

What about Seitan, can that be used instead of TVP in meals?

Seitan is another extremely processed food that should be avoided for optimal health, healing, and prevention. It is simply wheat gluten, which is absurd to eat when you think about it. Whether you have any gluten allergy, intolerance, or not, many people today have such poor intestinal health that it would be foolish to eat a heavy gluten food product. Like TVP, anything heavily processed and extracted is a bad idea for our health and weight

I don’t agree with the information you presented, and think TVP and GMOs have enough data to show that they are safe and fine for us to consume.

I completely understand that this article will not be of value or appeal to everyone, nor should it. However, this is not a forum, nor is it a blog. It is a living reference and information site that is put together based on my research, standards, and understanding of reality. I am well aware that numerous sources exist to share all of the positive sides of foods like TVP and GMOs, while conveniently ignoring the negative sides. And if we are honest and trace any and all of the sources that praise such foods, we find that either such sources are from misinformed individuals who just parrot what others say, OR, more often than not, they trace back to the industries and stakeholders who must protect their investments in such products. Heavily processed foods, bio-engineered foods, and unnaturally created foods are contrary to life and what the human body understands, needs, and thrives on. They will never be good for us regardless of how hard the industry and anyone invested in them personally, professionally, economically, or selfishly tries to defend them. Anyone who is awake and aware, and who understands how badly broken science is today, how corrupt, and overtaken it has become by corporate interests, knows that even so-called “scientific studies” are of little value today, as they set out to prove what they need to prove based on the stakeholders needs. This is why one must see beyond the “noise” and “agendas” and think critically and logically for themselves based on the Laws of Nature and holistic principles that guide the human body and its states of health and disease.

Community Comments

Luciana

April 11, 2014

I just read your article about TVP and have to say that it was the best article I have read about the topic. Thanks for all the information you provided. I recently became a ovo-lacto vegetarian and have tried TVP a couple of times. Needless to say that I will never try it again and will toss what I have left at home. Thanks again.

Lori

February 5, 2014

I was looking for information on TVP and your article was most informative and the only article I needed to read to confirm my feelings about the product. Thanks so much for your insight and confirming my decision that it was not something I want to be putting into my body.

Since converting almost a year ago I share your feelings about trying to replace animal products with things that look like it. I thought TVP was a good choice and have used it only in a few recipes since that time. I hadn’t taken the time to research, but I’m so glad this morning that I did.

Many many thanks….

Michael

November 16, 2013

Your article changed my vegan thinking. After reading your article I threw out three packages of Bob’s TVP, went out and bought hemp seed, dried kidney beans and dried garbanzos and soaked them overnight, had some this morning. You just woke me up a little more and changed my eating habits and my daily practice!

Bri

January 22, 2013

I am not a vegetarian nor vegan and do not intend to be. I was doing some research before buying tvp, which I will not do. I am only slightly aware of the risks of soy concerning estrogen, breast cancer, etc….but it goes without saying that we cannot rely on one miracle food to sustain us for the sake of convenience. I am a tightwad and tvp fits the bill, but it doesn’t fit the standard I attempt to adhere to. Thank you kindly for your research and for sharing. This is just what I was looking for. Blessings!

Patricia

January 20, 2013

This is one of the most thorough articles I have ever found - thank you. Several years ago I was not eating meat or dairy so I was substituting all kinds of products that had TVP in them. One day I decided it was better to eat small portions of real meat than eat TVP. I cannot believe how many products have TVP in them. I won’t buy any so called “health” food with TVP in it. Also I cannot believe how many foods at Earthfare, Whole Foods, etc have isolated soy protein in them.

Anonymous

January 16, 2013

Many so-called vegetarians seem to be more caught up on claiming the label “vegetarian” than focusing on the INTEGRITY of their vegetarian diets. there are LOTS of vegetarians who think that simply consuming things that are not of a meat source makes them vegetarian … WRONG! If your staples are faux soy meat products, rice, pasta, bread, nachos and other “veggie-sourced” junk food, alcoholic beverages, sugary fruit smoothies, and a modest lettuce-based salad a few times a week, you are NOT a vegetarian. And i’m certain that MOST of you know a few “vegetarians” who eat just like that. Eating clean meat is healthier than eating chemically processed vegetables. I also agree that the idea of a vegetarian wanting to consume vegetable-based foods that are processed to look, taste, and satisfy like meat is strange.

Anders

January 9, 2013

I am a recent convert (~1.5 yrs) from traditional western diet to vegetarian to vegan and trying to go more raw all due to health indicators of extremely elevated blood pressure and cholesterol at age 44 while performing ironman triathlons (meaning on avg a 2hr cardio workout). Just wanted to say I appreciate the information and what opened my eyes was Dr. Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. As for why I’m trying to go raw, my reason is due to an experience (and it truly was) while up in Oklahoma City, OK for the Redman Triathlon. I went out with my fiancée to Matthew Kenney’s Organic, Vegetarian and Raw Restaurant. I have never felt more energized and enjoyed the flavor of a meal than what we ate there. It was so good we went there for 2 dinners and lunch over our weekend trip.