Food & Nutrition
Chicken is the protein most people reach for when cutting red meat, and tofu is the swap most often suggested in return. They are closer nutritionally than either camp expects, and the gap on cost, welfare and antibiotic use is wide.
| Criterion | Tofu | Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Complete protein; firm and extra-firm varieties are dense enough to carry a main course. | Higher protein per 100 g, which matters mainly for very high-intake athletes. |
| Cost | Usually the cheaper protein per gram, especially in bulk blocks. | Cheap by historical standards precisely because of intensification. |
| Cooking | Needs pressing, marinating or freezing to develop texture — the main reason people say they dislike it. | Forgiving and familiar. |
| Welfare | No animals involved. | Fast-growing broiler breeds suffer lameness and heart failure; stocking densities are among the highest in animal agriculture. |
| Antibiotics | None. | Poultry is a major site of agricultural antimicrobial use and resistance monitoring. |
