FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why should I choose tempeh over other kinds of soyfoods?

Henry’s Tempeh has several distinctive advantages or benefits over other kinds of soyfoods.

• Protein: Tempeh has twice (or more) the protein of tofu.
• Fibre: Tempeh is high in soluble or dietary fibre. Tofu has no fibre.
• Cultured: Tempeh is a cultured food, tofu is not. The culture is significant in that it “predigests” as much as half the soybean’s protein, converting it to amino acids during the culturing process, therefore making digestibility easier.
• Fermented: Tempeh is a fermented food, tofu is not. Fermentation is significant in that it neutralizes the phytate acid present in soybeans. This acid limits the body’s absorption of minerals; neutralizing this acid means that by eating tempeh one does not limit the absorption of essential minerals.

How much tempeh should I eat daily?

There's is no minimum or maximum amount. We only advise that tempeh is part of a well balanced diet. The FDA (USA Food and Drug Administration) recommends consuming daily about 25 g of soy proteins. This corresponds to 125 g tempeh.

How can I eat the tempeh?

Normally, tempeh is eaten cooked. Tempeh can be marinated, grilled, grated, stir-fried, pan-fried, toasted, baked or steamed.

How do I know that my tempeh is good?

The soybeans should be bound together into a tight cake with no mould growing other than the white tempeh culture. Small black spots may occasionally appear. These spots do not necessarily indicate spoilage, but are part of the tempeh culture's life cycle.

The texture should not be slimy and the aroma should be mushroom-like (or yeast-like). A very slight smell of ammonia is normal.

How do I store tempeh?

Fresh tempeh, in the unopened vacuum sealed pouch, can be kept in the refrigerator (2 - 4°C) until the best-before date stamped on the package. Once the package has been opened the tempeh will generally keep well for several days, provided it is stored in a sealed container and in the refrigerator. Frozen tempeh keeps well for several months. It thaws in the fridge overnight and at room temperature in 3 hours. Once thawed, it can remain in the fridge for 5 days and once cooked it can be frozen again.

Moulds can produce toxins! How safe is tempeh?

The mould (Rhizopus Oligosporus) used in the production of tempeh is edible and doesn't produce any known toxins. There is no record of illness resulting from the consumption of tempeh.

Where is the expiration date on the Tempeh package and what does it mean?

The expiration date is printed in blue ink on the front of the Tempeh package. It looks like this: Sep 09. This indicates the month and the day. We guarantee the quality and freshness of our Tempeh for five to seven days when opened on or before the date stamped on the package. Tempeh must be kept refrigerated in a closed container or bag after opening. Always provide the expiration date in any correspondence with us.

What is the significance of the fermentation that is part of making tempeh?

Fermentation is very significant. The fermentation process breaks down the complex proteins found in soybeans, and therefore tempeh is more easily digested than are whole soybeans and non-fermented soy foods. The fermented soyfoods are tempeh, natto, and miso; the “real” soy sauces are also fermented products but the soy sauces most commonly used in Canada are not fermented.

Can you tell me more about the mould used in making tempeh?

The mould used in making tempeh is rhizopus oligosporus. This is a type of filamentous form fungi, it is not a bacterial form. This mould is a beneficial fungus; it is very similar to the ones used in making cheeses that have a white film or coating (e.g. camembert).

The mould plays a critical role in “predigesting” a large portion of the soybeans’ protein, converting the protein into amino acids which makes for easy digestibility of tempeh.

Another very significant role of the mould is in producing an enzyme phytase which break down phytates present in the soybeans, thereby increasing the absorption of minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium.

Rhizopus moulds also produce natural, heat-stable antibiotic agents against some disease-causing organisms. Indonesians who eat tempeh as a regular part of their diet recognize it as a medicine for dysentery and rarely fall victim to the intestinal diseases to which they are constantly exposed.

What about soy's estrogen-like qualities and women's health? breast cancer?

One day you read that there is a positive relationship between the use of soy products and prevention of breast cancer....a week later, you read the opposite. Studies on soy's estrogen-like compounds, its phytoestrogens, may not yet definitively have established their effect on the risk of breast cancer but the picture that is emerging is one supportive of soy being effective in combating breast cancer.

Plant foods, like humans, have hormones. The technical name for these hormones is phytoestrogens (the prefix "phyto" is from the Greek word for "plant"). Phytoestrogens are structurally similar to but a weaker form of human estrogen. Soy foods are rich in a particular type of phytoestrogen, called isoflavones. The most powerful isoflavone in soy, genistein, has been shown to inhibit breast cancer cells in the laboratory. However scientists do not know if it is possible to eat enough genistein to reach the high levels that prevented breast cancer cell growth in the lab. 

How may the isoflavones found in soy reduce the risk of breast cancer? The effect of isoflavones is tissue specific, meaning they work differently in different areas of the human body, and also depends on other factors such as estrogen receptor numbers and the competing human estrogen levels in the body. Researchers believe phytoestrogens may help protect against breast cancer because phytoestrogens compete with estrogen in the body to bind to estrogen receptor sites in breast tissue and block the more powerful human estrogen from attaching. But because phytoestrogens are weaker than natural estrogen, they only displace it and do not exert an estrogenic effect. Since estrogen triggers breast cell reproduction, some researchers believe that a higher amount of estrogen in the body may encourage the growth of cancerous breast tumours. It is believed that by displacing natural estrogen, i.e. by blocking the body's natural estrogen from reaching estrogen receptors, phytoestrogenic isoflavones reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Other research suggests that eating soy products may decrease the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women due to the effect of dietary isoflavones on menstrual cycle length, which is one of the risk factors for breast cancer. There is a theory, but no clinical proof, that Asian women have a lower risk for breast cancer because of longer menstrual cycles and lower estrogen concentrations in their bodies. A recent study confirmed that a diet rich in plant estrogens might offer protective benefits. Studies in animals suggest that isoflavones are natural anticancer agents that are involved in regulating cell growth as well as cell death. 

Researchers are less certain about the effects of soy in post-menopausal women as isoflavones are believed to work differently in premenopausal women than they do postmenopausal women. There is little proof that soy intake decreases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Some small studies have shown that soy may provide post-menopausal women with many of the same benefits as hormone replacement therapy. Soy may reduce hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and other menopausal symptoms. Soy may also protect against bone loss (osteoporosis) and heart disease and possibly reduce the risk of diabetes and kidney disease. 

Tempeh is a fermented soy food with a decided advantage over unfermented ones such as tofu. During fermentation, the natural microbes that act as fermenting agents cleave genistin's sugar molecule, converting it to the better-absorbed genistein. Once genistein is absorbed by the body, it functions as a phytoestrogen. 

Special Consideration/Contraindications: 
Women who have been diagnosed with estrogen receptor (+) breast cancer should be cautious with their soy intake. Because the plant estrogens in soybeans may act like estrogen in the body, eating large amounts of soy products could be harmful for women with this specific type of breast cancer. Women taking Tamoxifen should also talk to their physician regarding soy intake. This is because Tamoxifen functions by attaching to estrogen receptor sites. Thus to get the most benefit from Tamoxifen it is recommended that the intake of weak plant estrogens be restricted. On the other hand, for a woman who is not on Tamoxifen or who doesn't have a history of estrogen positive breast cancer, the weak plant estrogens may protect against breast cancer. 

What about soy and men's health?

Scientific and medical studies have confirmed soy's role in promoting good health. Soy helps fight disease on several fronts, lowering cholesterol levels and reducing risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and kidney disease. By adding soy to their diet, men can reduce their risk of incurring these illnesses. 

Soyfoods have been proven effective in preventing the buildup of arterial plaque, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension. Soy isoflavones have antioxidant properties which protect the cardiovascular system from oxidation of LDL (the bad) cholesterol. Oxidized LDL cholesterol accumulates in the arteries as patches of fatty buildup, blocking the flow of blood and resulting in atherosclerosis. Genistein, one of soy's isoflavones, inhibits the growth of cells that form this artery clogging plaque. Arteries damaged by atherosclerosis usually form blood clots. This can lead to a heart attack if the clot goes to the heart, or a stroke if it goes to the brain.

Genistein, an isoflavone in soy foods, is believed to be effective in preventing prostate cancer by hindering cell growth, blocking some of the effects of testosterone, which can hasten the progression of prostate cancer. In cell cultures, genistein appears to be cytotoxic and inhibitory of prostate cancer cell proliferation, that it that inhibits proliferation and expression of the invasive capacity of prostatic cancer cells with different invasive potentials.

Study results show that genistein slows prostate cancer growth and cause prostate cancer cells to die. It appears to act against cancer cells in a way similar to many common cancer-treating drugs. Research suggests soy's phytochemicals protect against cancer via several different mechanisms, including interacting with intracellular enzymes, regulating protein synthesis, controlling growth factor actions, inhibiting malignant cell proliferation, inducing differentiation, deterring cancer cell adhesion, and inhibiting angiogenesis.

The chief dietary enemy of the prostate is saturated fat. Researchers believe saturated fat helps "wake up" sleeping cancer cells. Men who eat foods high in saturated fat (such as red meat, mayonnaise, and butter) are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men who avoid such fatty fare.  Studies suggests that switching to a low-fat diet may cut the rate of growth of prostate cancer cells in half. 

While lowering intake of saturated fat is one of the single best recommendations to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and cutting down on animal and dairy products, sweets, cheese, and fried foods is a great start, it isn't the whole story. What you eat instead is just as important. Eating tempeh, a natural sources of isoflavones, can protect and enhance your overall health. Isoflavones work together with soy protein in fighting disease. Studies show that isoflavones account for approximately three-fourths of soy's protection, while its protein is responsible for about one-fourth. 

The best way to consume isoflavones is in food form, so that you can benefit from all of soy's nutrients and beneficial compounds. The highest amounts of isoflavones and soy protein are found in tempeh. Researchers recommend consuming at least one to two servings a day. A serving is equal to 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of tempeh, 1 ounce of soy nuts; or edamame; or 8 ounces of soymilk. Since prostate cancer cells usually multiply slowly, the development of prostate cancer can take many years before symptoms appear. During this time period, the benefits of natural therapies like soy consumption are more effective at dealing with the problem while it is still small.

Tempeh is by far the most nutritious and easiest to prepare and digest soyfood. It contains the highest amount of soy protein, isoflavones and fiber per serving. Many prostate experts are underscoring the link between what a man puts in his mouth and what happens to his prostate.

Disclaimer: All information in this website has been researched and compiled from sources that are considered reliable and accurate. The compiler of the material contained in this website has no training in medicine or science. Readers are advised to consult with their physicians when making decisions in respect of their diet and health. 

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Henry's Tempeh Inc.

Kitchener, Ontario (Canada)