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From:	Jeff Novick, MS, RD, LD, LN (novick.vegsource.com)
Subject:	Re: Seitan
Date:	July 27, 2008 at 5:32 pm PST

In Reply to: Seitan posted by Mike on July 27, 2008 at 4:49 pm:

Hi Mike,

Seitan is made from gluten, which is the main protein in wheat.

Foods like Seitan/gluten become popular based on the old myths that vegetarians could not get in enough protein, so high protein vegetarian foods like seitan, tofu, tempeh, etc became popular. But, as we know, protein is not an issue and excess protein may be a problem.

While it is not high in fat, like Tofu is, I would recommend you think of this as a condiment, at best, and if you use it, do so sparingly. While it does have some minerals, it is fairly high in calorie density, low in fiber, virtually void of vitamins, and what I would consider a fairly refined and processed food.

We stopped serving it at the last center I worked at, as we found that many people had trouble digesting it and the medical staff always knew the day after it was served, as everyone was up visiting them with stomach and digestive discomfort.

It earned the nickname of "Satan". :)

In Health
Jeff

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