Tofu has long been a plant-based staple, and now it has the receipts. A new scientific scoring system ranked 20 popular protein sources based not just on nutrition, but also affordability and environmental impact, and tofu came out on top.

The Better Protein Institute Score considered factors including saturated fat, cholesterol, essential amino acids, price, greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use. Tofu ranked first for both people and the planet, while plant foods claimed all six of the top spots and 10 of the top 12. The environmental differences were especially dramatic, with producing 100 grams of protein from tofu associated with about 0.61 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions compared with more than 64 kilograms for beef (which was 17th on the list).

The overall top 12 list:

1. Tofu
2. Chia seeds
3. Beans
4. Quinoa
5. Sunflower seeds
6. Lentils
7. Chicken breast
8. Tuna
9. Peanuts
10. Chickpeas
11. Walnuts
12. Brazil nuts

There are some caveats. This is the first version of a new scoring system, prices came from a single UK supermarket, and popular proteins like tempeh and seitan weren’t included. Still, the results make a strong case for putting more plant proteins on the plate, and give tofu fans some scientific ammunition the next time someone asks where they get their protein.
Source: Vegan Food & Living