Organic Village Tempeh

What is Tempeh?

Traditional tempeh is a fermented, soy based food that originates from Indonesia.  Through a very controlled fermentation process, culture binds soy beans to create a firm block of beans with probiotics.  Unlike Tofu which is more highly processed, tempeh retains more of the whole soy bean so it is considered to be higher in dietary fibre, protein and vitamins. In addition, it is rich in gut loving probiotics that can help improve your digestion.

Organic Village Tempeh

As you are probably aware, I consume soy regularly (see my blog Is Soy Healthy) however I do recommend as balanced a plant-based diet as possible.  So for that reason, I love the fact that Organic Village offers non soy tempeh in different varieties: Hemp & Mung Bean, Chickpea & Linseed and Black Bean & Forbidden Rice.  This means I can get a real variety of legumes in my diet every single week…and the bonus is they all taste delicious and offer unique flavours.  One of my favourite dishes is the Soba Noodle (or Black Rice) Japanese Black Bean Tempeh Bowl.  Let’s do a label review and break down the key reasons I like this tempeh:

• Organic ingredients
• Non GMO
• Non Pasteurised so we can be sure it contains the full whack of vitamins that these legumes contain
• Contains digestion improving probiotics so we can make sure our guts are functioning at their best. There’s no point eating amazing foods if we cannot absorb and utilise the goodness.
• Good source of calcium and iron
• Good source of dietary fibre
• Great source of clean protein
• No cholesterol

Where can you get Organic Village Tempeh?

If you live in Australia, Organic Village Tempeh is available in Woolworths across Australia. I believe it’s not yet in every single store, so if not, ask the store manager to get it in.  In addition to that it is available in select health food stores.

If you live overseas this brand is coming soon. In the mean time, soy based tempeh products are 100% fine.  However, to ensure you are getting a good balance of foods, make sure you are consuming lentils, chickpeas, black beans and/or kidney beans as well regularly over the course of the week. Legumes in general are considered the longevity food.  Each of the ‘Blue Zones’, areas of the world who live the longest, make legumes a regular part of their diet (1).

References:

1. https://bluezones.com/2016/06/10-things-about-beans/