Tofu vs. Egg — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Eggs are slightly higher in calories than tofu. A 100g serving of egg contains 155 calories, while the same serving size of tofu provides 144 calories.

Protein

Tofu is high in protein content compared to eggs. A hundred grams of egg contains 12.58g of protein, whereas tofu has 17.27g.

 Eggs and tofu are both high in all essential amino acids. However, tofu is richer in almost all essential amino acids except lysine and methionine.

Fats

Compared to tofu, eggs contain more fats. A hundred grams of eggs contain 10.61g of fat, whereas tofu provides 8.72g. Tofu provides over 3.5 times more polyunsaturated and 2.5 times less saturated fats. Conversely, egg has two times more monounsaturated fats.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Tofu

2

Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 1.261 g

Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 1.925 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 4.921 g

Egg

1

Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.267 g

Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 4.077 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.414 g

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat	-61.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat	+248%

Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat

+111.8%

Carbohydrates

Although the carb content is not very high in eggs and tofu, tofu has a higher level of carbohydrates. A hundred grams of eggs contain 1.12g of net carbs and are fiber-free. Tofu has 0.48g of net carb and 2.3g of dietary fiber per hundred grams.

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Tofu

0

Egg

0

Cholesterol

Eggs are significantly higher in cholesterol. A 100g of eggs contains 373mg of cholesterol, whereas tofu is cholesterol-free.

Vitamins

An egg has more vitamins B2, B5, B6, B12, and folate. Eggs also contain three times more vitamin A and provide vitamins D, E, and K in small quantities. Conversely, tofu is high in vitamins B1, B3, and C.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Tofu

3

100 g 300 g 0.25 block - 81g0.5 cup - 126g

Egg

10

100 g 300 g 1 tbsp - 8.5g1 large - 50g1 cup, chopped - 136g

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+139.4%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+495.3%

Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+402.9%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+951.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+31.5%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12	+∞%
Contains more FolateFolate	+51.7%

Minerals

The egg contains over two times more selenium and five times more copper. Egg covers your daily copper needs 180% more than tofu. Moreover, the egg provides 293.8g of choline. In contrast, tofu has more phosphorus, iron, manganese, potassium, and magnesium. Compared to eggs, tofu has over 13 times more calcium. 

Egg provides 50mg of calcium per hundred grams, whereas tofu has 638mg. Moreover, tofu has over nine times less sodium. A hundred grams of egg contains 124g of sodium, whereas tofu has 14mg.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Tofu

7

100 g 300 g 0.25 block - 81g0.5 cup - 126g

Egg

2

100 g 300 g 1 tbsp - 8.5g1 large - 50g1 cup, chopped - 136g

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+480%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+1266%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+88.1%
Contains more IronIron	+123.5%
Contains more ZincZinc	+49.5%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-88.7%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+4442.3%

Contains more CopperCopper	+429.1%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+77%

~equal in Phosphorus ~172mg

Oxalate content

Eggs are oxalate-free. The oxalate level of tofu is 6mg per hundred grams.

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index of eggs is equal to 0. Tofu has a glycemic index of 15.

As we can see, tofu tends to have a higher glycemic index than eggs. However, the glycemic index of both eggs and tofu falls in the low category.

Insulin Index

The insulin index of eggs is 23, whereas tofu has an insulin index of 21.

Acidity

The pH values of eggs usually fall between 7.75 to 8 (1). Tofu has a pH level of 7.2 (2). 

Another way to measure the acidity of a food is the potential renal acid load(PRAL). The PRAL value demonstrates the ability of the food to break down into acids or bases inside the body. Eggs have a PRAL level of 9. The PRAL level of tofu is 0.1. That shows that eggs are more acid-producing than tofu.

Cardiovascular Health

Egg consumption may lower the risk of hypertension (5).

The results from the three cohorts demonstrate that moderate egg consumption—up to one egg per day—is linked to a potentially lower risk of cardiovascular disease in Asian populations but is not generally associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (6).

High consumption of isoflavones and tofu is associated with a moderately lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) (7).

A daily consumption of 26.7 g of tofu may lower the incidence of CVDs by 18% (8).

Cancer

According to the research, eating more tofu reduces the risk of breast cancer (9).

Tofu consumption may also decrease the risk of prostate cancer (10).

Egg proteins and peptides have immunomodulatory properties. In several cell lines, these proteins and peptides can activate or repress pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as alter the synthesis of inflammatory mediators (11).

Neurodegenerative diseases

According to the study, high tofu intake may increase the incidence of cognitive impairment symptomatic of dementia in older people. Eating more tofu each week leads to lower memory performance (12).

Another study found that high tofu consumption is associated with brain atrophy in older people (13).

Cancer

The study found that egg consumption may enhance the risk of pharynx, oral cavity, colorectal, lung, breast, prostate, and bladder cancer (14).

One comprehensive study, for example, revealed a positive dose-response relationship between egg intake and gastrointestinal (GI) neoplasms (15).

Allergy

Egg and soy are the most common allergens in young children (16, 17). 

If you are allergic to soy, you should avoid tofu. For many people, consuming soy is risk-free. If you have a soy allergy, your immune system perceives the protein in soy as a dangerous "invader," similar to a bacteria or virus. There are 16 putative soy protein allergens identified, although their clinical relevance is uncertain (18). 

According to the study, the primary allergen in tofu is beta-conglycinin (19).

Proteins in the soy attach to particular IgE antibodies produced by the person's immune system.

Egg allergy occurs when the body's immune system gets sensitive to proteins in egg whites and yolks and overreacts (20).

Allergic responses are unpredictable and can range from mild to severe.

Soy and egg allergy symptoms may include stomach cramps, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tightness in your throat, cough, itching, eczema, anaphylaxis, etc (20, 21).