The more I've just now read about soybean meal, the more puzzled I get. I'm not entirely wild about eating this, but it might come in handy sometimes. I can't seem to find ANYWHERE that a person can buy non-GMO soybean meal except by multiple TONS, literally, of it!!   What is the difference in it and this, "Textured Vegetable Protein ... a Highly Nutritious Soy Product?"  http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-tvp-texturized-vegetable-protein
They seem to be similarly processed. Anybody know if these two could be interchangeable?

Quoted from Spring

The more I've just now read about soybean meal, the more puzzled I get. I'm not entirely wild about eating this, but it might come in handy sometimes. I can't seem to find ANYWHERE that a person can buy non-GMO soybean meal except by multiple TONS, literally, of it!!   What is the difference in it and this, "Textured Vegetable Protein ... a Highly Nutritious Soy Product?"  http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-tvp-texturized-vegetable-protein
They seem to be similarly processed. Anybody know if these two could be interchangeable?

I do not consider these equivalent.

Soy meal is ground up soy beans and looks like flour (can be obtained defatted).

TVP is more highly processed product made to substitute for meat. It comes in a variety of forms but large chunks and small flakes are common.

To get TVP from soy meal you mix it with water, flavorings, and other chemicals if desired, cook the mixture, extrude the rubbery dough from the last step, shape as desired, and then dry it out.

Well, C-sharp, I'm still in the dark. Soybean flour is a black dot for me and soybean meal is a neutral. And this stuff at the link I provided says soybean flour is the only ingredient. And, actually, it is made the same as the meal according to what I have been reading. The meal is defatted and heated. Textured Vegetable Protein is made from defatted soy flour that has been cooked under pressure and then dried.

Saw this and can't help but wonder if this is where all our non-GMO soy is going:
Trading for non-GMO soybean meal soars in Europe
http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/millenium/soybeanmealtrading.php Europe's growing appetite for meat products from animals fed non-GMO feed has created a rapid demand for non-GMO soybean meal.  
I don't think it is to be found in this country unless you want to feed it to thousands of pigs and chickens!

If the only ingredient in a tvp product is soybean meal, you can use the rating for soybean meal.

---

If you have a recipe calling for soybean meal, you cannot substitute tvp and expect the recipe to turn out okay.

http://nuts.com/cookingbaking/beans/soybeans/organic-soy-protein-gluten-free.html
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) is made from reduced-fat soy beans and is used to replace or extend ground meats. It can be also added to casseroles to add extra flavor and nutrition
Single ingredient is soy flour

This is also from Nuts.com
SOY GRITS
Soy Grits are small pieces of soy that can be added to cooked cereals, casseroles, soups, etc. for added nutrition and texture. Add them to your favorite bread or cookie recipe for a slight crunch
Ingredients:
defatted whole dry soybeans, toasted
So is soy grits the same as soy meal? But this one apparently is NOT organic!
This game can get so old....... Really.

Reminds me of the nighmarish BEAN conundrum!! That no one was able to answer until SWAMI was introduced! Maybe I need to avoid all this stuff like the plague.

Soy grits are bigger pieces than soy meal.  You could use the same rating.

Textures in recipes would change if you tried to use grits instead of meal.

I love the texture that regular soy flour gives to baked stuff, but I wasn't planning to cook any of this. I only wanted something that could add a little protein with some crunchy to things like cereals, etc.. I have plenty of Dr. D.'s protein powder but it is like glue sometimes! And I'm not wild about the taste/glue in cereal. I usually just mix it in some applesauce and eat it with a spoon.

With tvp you should soak it in water before using it and not just sprinkle it on something.

Soy grits would be better to just sprinkle on from an aesthetic perspective. From a health perspective it may be problematic. Soy beans contain an enzyme that inhibits digestion. Heat destroys this enzyme, but soy grits may not have been heated long enough to destroy the enzyme.

Well, I found some that is organic but you have to buy 40 pounds!! That is better than multiple tons but.......
Why does some of this stuff have to be so hard?

Quoted from C_sharp

With tvp you should soak it in water before using it and not just sprinkle it on something.

Soy grits would be better to just sprinkle on from an aesthetic perspective. From a health perspective it may be problematic. Soy beans contain an enzyme that inhibits digestion. Heat destroys this enzyme, but soy grits may not have been heated long enough to destroy the enzyme.

I think that is the reason they heat it is to destroy that enzyme. But I can't find soy grits that are organic without having to buy a manic amount of it. I'm going to have to give up on this one. Very likely we could buy it somewhere in Europe and have to pay to have it shipped back over here, but who wants to do that? I just wonder what the future holds for the United States if we are going to be left with nothing but messed up food. Even the pigs and poultry are eating better soy than we can reasonably buy for ourselves. At least what I can eat that is on my SWAMI.

Homemade Textured Vegetable Protein
http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-btdlf1/m-1257271457/

A really interesting thread, Lola! Thanks! I've said before that homemade soy milk makes delicious yogurt without a thing added to it!! I don't see any reason why I can't have soy yogurt even though soy beans are a black dot for me. Then, I would have okara to do other things with (how could okara be any different from soybean meal?) It is not even mentioned in my SWAMI, though.  Do you know if okara can be frozen?

Freezing okara works fine

Thanks, C_sharp! No telling how much I tossed in the past because I couldn't use it all up!

Granted, I didn't read entire thread, so this may have been previously posted...I buy NOW brand soy powder (specified non-GMO). Ingredients: soybeans. I use it specifically to make soy milk for my coffee.

Quoted from Drea

Granted, I didn't read entire thread, so this may have been previously posted...I buy NOW brand soy powder (specified non-GMO). Ingredients: soybeans. I use it specifically to make soy milk for my coffee.

For some reason soy powder is not even on my SWAMI list anywhere. Soy flour is a black dot. Soy meal is a neutral. Nothing soy as a superfood.

Quoted from Spring

For some reason soy powder is not even on my SWAMI list anywhere. Soy flour is a black dot. Soy meal is a neutral. Nothing soy as a superfood.

Soy powder is not rated for any one.

If it is a full fat product, use the rating for soy flour.

If it is a defatted product, use the rating for soybean meal.

Usually soy powder is full fat.

Thanks very much, C_sharp. Makes sense! I will see if I can find something that is organic/non-GMO/defatted, and I don't have to buy forty pounds of it!!

Quoted from Spring

I love the texture that regular soy flour gives to baked stuff, but I wasn't planning to cook any of this. I only wanted something that could add a little protein with some crunchy to things like cereals, etc.. I have plenty of Dr. D.'s protein powder but it is like glue sometimes! And I'm not wild about the taste/glue in cereal. I usually just mix it in some applesauce and eat it with a spoon.

Maybe try looking at other vegetable protiens for this purpose. I've seen flax seeds sold in crunchy versions, or you can use chopped nuts, etc.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

Maybe try looking at other vegetable protiens for this purpose. I've seen flax seeds sold in crunchy versions, or you can use chopped nuts, etc.

I have flax seed every morning, and my limit of nuts during the day. So I don't have a shortage of those things, but I was just looking for something a little different to have on hand...... I think C_sharp found the answer for me. Just look for something defatted.... Thanks, though, Ruthie....

http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-tvp-texturized-vegetable-protein-10-oz-each-pack-of-2-1
C-Sharp, is this anything like soybean meal? It is defatted. However, I don't see anything about it being non-GMO.  

TVP can be made from soymeal, but it is highly processed and cooks a lot differently than soymeal.


Bob's Redmill's statement on GMO

Quoted Text

All of our products originate from identity-preserved, non-GMO seeds. This means that the seed planted in the ground is non-GMO. We do not guarantee the complete absence of GMO materials in our products because of wind drift, pollinators and our lack of testing equipment.

Where oh where can anyone buy soybean meal? That seems to be a secret that continues to escape my best efforts. I wonder where Dr. D. got any to even test! Was it cow feed? I know that cows can have all they want, by the ton....! Bob's Red Mill TVP seems to be made by a company in Australia that  touts good practices.... Who knows.....

Quoted from Spring

Where oh where can anyone buy soybean meal?

You may need to buy organic soybeans and grind them into a meal...

Or here is one sold as a fertilizer, but it is Organic Soybean Meal:
http://www.everwoodfarm.com/in.....Lui7cCFeU5QgodfCwAhg