Tofu Shirataki

Has anyone else heard of this product?

I just found it, and it's fabulous!  It is shaped like a noodle but made with tofu.  It comes in 4 ounce plastic packages, each with 2 servings.  You just drain the liquid and rinse it a few times and use inplace of noodles.

Guess what??? It has 20 calories for 1/2 the package!  That's right, 103 grams (drained) noodles for only 20 calories!  I've been using it in stir-fry. 

I also have a new snack food.  I use 1 cup vegetable broth (The best in the world is Better than Bouillon Vegetable base brand, and it even comes in an organic version) for 10 calories and these noodles.  Total:  30 calories 

Nutrition Facts:  serving size 103 grams (1/2 package)

Calories:  20   Total fat:  0.5  Cholesterol:  0  Sodium 15 mg

Total carbohydrates:  3 g  Dietary fiber:  2 g  Protein 1 g

I have heard of these noodles and would love to try them but I have not been able to find them in a store in my area. 

what do they taste like? tofu? soy milk? something else?

I feel like I need to give you all a WARNING:

The shiritaki noodles cause major intestinal distress for some people, so start with a teeny portion and see if you can handle them.  I had abdominal cramps for hours and even threw up after eating them.  The last time I threw up was 3 or 4 years ago, and I eat over 30g of fiber--sometimes as much as 45g a day--so it wasn't that. 

They do not taste like tofu.  They don't taste like soy milk.  The ingredient is soy, but it tastes more like a bland noodle, but not at all starchy.  I don't know how they do it.

I live in an interesting city (Ashland, Oregon).  All 3 of our supermarkets carry a large selection of organic products and lots of veggie alternatives.  We have a co-op that carries even more.  I can get just about every type of bean or grain, all organic.  I can choose from at least 8 different tofu brands, and that doesn't include seasoned tofu, tofu pate, or tofu deserts.  I don't know if you are so lucky.  They sell these noodles in at least 2 of our stores here.  They sell for around $2.00, making it $1.00 a serving.  It is more expensive than noodles, but I'm willing to pay the price.

Oh wow!  Sorry to hear that writestuff.  I haven't had any problems with this.  I eat at least 35 grams of fiber a day, with a lot of soy and beans, so maybe my body is used to it???

I saw them at trader Joes.  Havent tried them yet though

love, Karen

Oh, wendy, I'm really glad to hear you're ok with them!  I was worried you'd just had them for the first time tonight!  Eeek!

Anyhow, I don't know what caused the distress, but I'm not allergic to soy and eat lots of fiber (had 51g yesterday) on a regular basis with no problems.  My boyfriend also had a bad experience with them, and there were some folks on a post a couple of months ago who did too, so I just wanted to tell everyone, just in case. :)  

Actually, we were so excited about them b/c we don't eat meat (just fish) and we thought they'd be like a miracle food--lots of noodles for few calories and good soy and fiber.  I didn't want anyone else to think, "hey, I'll have a big bowl of them" the first time and end up sick as a dog like I was. 

BTW, your co-op sounds great!  :D

Tofu Shirataki noodles taste kinda rubbery to me.  I much prefer using spaghetti squash in place of regular pasta for my pasta dishes.  I tried it for the first time yesturday with marinara, parmesan cheese, and some leftover chicken.  TAsted sooooo good.  Tasted even better than spaghetti with regular spaghetti noodles.

Please see http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/s hiratakinoodle.htm

for the info I learned about... I love these to calm my pasta cravings, BUT more than one serving sends me straight to the restroom... i usually stirfry them w/ tofu and veggies...

enjoy.

I will have to check Trader Joes again Karen.. and thanks for the intestinal warning issue..

I tried them and didn't like the texture.  Too slithery.

i eat alot of them because it can allow you to have pasta-y dishes that otherwise you might deny yourself. i mean, it feels so good to just sit down to some spaghetti with tomato sauce and parm. but take away the past and you can't exactly just eat a pile of tomato sauce. you get a big serving for only 40 calories, and although they aren't quite the texture or taste of pasta, it gives you a similar eating experience

Great idea, but you still need your energy from noodles. I think I'll still stick to wholewheat soba noodles. Taste great and not that heavy on the calories!

LOVE THEMM