What is TVP?

When it comes to food storage, many people don’t think much farther from thestaples—wheat, honey, instant milk, etc. And although having these basics is a great way tostart preparing for emergencies, in a real disaster when people will have to use their foodstorage, these few ingredients may not be enough to sustain the health of all those in thefamily. It’s better than nothing—but people need more than just the minimum. It’s alsoimportant to have things like vegetables, fruits, and protein sources.TVP, or textured vegetable protein, is one of those protein sources that would be great tohave around in a disaster. It is made by taking the fat out of soy flour and it can be boughtand cut into all different shapes and sizes. Although TVP is made from soy, it is not thesame as tofu. Where tofu is spongy and sometimes too-soft, when TVP is cooked in hotwater for ten minutes, it develops a fibrous, slightly elastic texture that is very similar tomeat. TVP is also completely tasteless, and because it must be rehydrated, it will easily takeon any flavoring it is cooked with.One of the major advantages of TVP is its versatility. As mentioned above, it can be sold orcut into big chunks or smaller flakes and granules for easy cooking. And while it doesn’thave any flavor on it’s own, there are many different varieties of TVP, so people don’t evenhave to worry about flavoring it. TVP is also completely safe for vegetarians or vegans, socooking with it will mean that no one has to worry about the meal they are eating.There are also health benefits in addition to the great versatility TVP has. Regular meat isfatty—even the lean kinds. TVP is a great substitute that contains just as much protein asmeat, but much less fat and other unnecessary or unhealthy elements. TVP cooks fasterthan meat, and it doesn’t have to be fried or grilled, which reduces the risk of consumingcarcinogens while eating meat.Textured vegetable protein is also lower in calories than regular meat, just because it comesfrom a vegetable, rather than an animal. It also has low cholesterol content; as manypeople know, this is quite high in meats and can be very dangerous for someone’s health.TVP, like all food storage, can be stored for much longer than its competitors. If bought in atypical package at a supermarket, TVP can last for well over a year. However, thanks to thespecial technology emergency preparedness businesses like The Ready Store employ toprolong the life of their food, the shelf life of TVP can be up to 30 years. This means thatthere will always be a meat substitute around, whether people choose to use it because of adisaster that prevents them from shopping or cooking, or if they’re just tired after a longday and need a break. It also means that people will save money.TVP helps people to save money in more ways than one; the first and most obvious is thatTVP is simply cheaper per pound than most meats. For example, ground beef (which is oneof the cheapest kinds of meat around) costs approximately $2.00/lb. or more.TVP, on the other hand, only costs about $1.50/lb. It’s often less than that if people chooseto buy in bulk. It also takes a very long time to ruin, so there is no danger of eating rancidmeat or having to throw out bad meat after only a week or two.The second way TVP can save people money is a little less obvious. When people purchasemeat at the store, they are paying per ounce of raw meat. Raw meat contains juices andwater that will cook out of the meat when they use it, which means that they are paying fora lot less meat than they think they are getting.TVP is also sold by weight at the time of purchase. However, because TVP is dehydrated soyflour, its weight actually increases when it is cooked. This means people are actually gettingmore for their money when they purchase textured vegetable protein.TVP is a very healthy food that can be use in many different recipes to replace meat withoutanyone noticing the difference. Some great examples of where to use TVP includecasseroles, tacos, lasagna, soups, and chili. Recipes for this unique meat substitute can befound online, or in specialized cookbooks.Besides just being used during emergencies, textured vegetable protein is a great solutionfor anyone who is on a Kosher, vegetarian, or gluten-free diet. It also frees people from

worrying about contracting a disease from their meat. TVP has a very low water andbacterial content, so there is no way for viruses like E. Coli to survive.The low cost, high protein content, and versatility make TVP a great choice for anyonelooking for a meat substitute. It cooks quickly and will take on any flavors put into the panwith it, and it’s virtually free of disease and will last a very long time. While texturedvegetable protein is a lesser-known but excellent addition to anyone’s food storage—or evenjust to their pantry.