Amazing Miso

It has made me feel better..

Hey folks,

It tis the season here in the Carlock household. My wife Laura and my son Elijah both have really bad head colds. So far, me and Josh are doing cool. But every time one of us start feeling under the weather, Laura goes into the kitchen and makes a big pot of Miso Soup.

Now I never took much thought of it. I have had it. I actually love it. It has made me feel better in the past. Fast actually. But I never really took much though as to what it is. So I wanted to look at Miso Soup in this Health and Science Segment. I found the following quite interesting.

Amazing Miso

Miso has been eaten in Japan and China for many centuries and has been attracting the attention of many of us because of its health and anti-aging benefits. It's also quite delicious. When you aren't feeling well a bowl of miso soup can be especially soothing.

While it was once thought that soy was the reason for the low rates of heart disease, breast and prostate cancer in Asia, more evidence is now showing us that it is the consumption of traditional fermented soy products (usually eaten every day) that are providing the real benefits.

Traced from ancient China, where it was known as hisio, a seasoning prized by aristocrats, miso was perfected in Japan from the 7th century to today.

Making miso is an art form in Japan. It is made of soybeans and koji, a culture starter made from beneficial molds, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. As long as you choose unpasteruized miso, you will be getting the benefits of live friendly microflora for the health of your inner ecosystem.

There are many types of miso, some made with just soy beans and soy koji (called Hatcho miso, a favorite in Japan) and others made with barley and rice.

No matter which type you choose, this fermented superfood has many health benefits. Miso Benefits

Many studies have been done on miso, some on humans and some on animals. These studies are showing the following benefits of miso²:

• Reduces risks of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.

• Protection from radiation

• Immune strengthening

• Antiviral -- miso is very alkalizing and strengthening to the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.

• Prevents aging - high in antioxidants, miso protects from free radicals that cause signs of aging.

• Helps maintain nutritional balance - full of nutrients, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, miso provides: protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid and lecithin.

• Helps preserve beautiful skin - miso contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps your skin stay soft and free of pigments.

• Helps reduce menopausal complaints - the isoflavones in miso have been shown to reduce hot flashes.

Length of Fermentation Matters

Soy protein is hard to digest and takes a long, slow process of fermentation to break it down. Bacteria that can digest soy are much more hardy than the more fragile bacteria used to ferment vegetables, young coconut water and milk products (so while you may love our line of Starters, they won't help you make homemade miso - but they WILL help you make a variety of other probiotic-rich fermented foods and drinks.

With miso, length of fermentation matters. Hiro Watanabe, PhD, an expert in developmental biology and cancer prevention in Japan, conducted several animal and human studies using freeze dried rice miso to better understand how miso protects against cancer, radiation and other diseases.

Dr. Watanabe's studies showed that when it comes to healing illnesses like breast and prostate cancer, the ideal length of fermentation was between 180 days (6 months) and 2 years.

Dr Watanabe also found that miso fermented for 180 days is typically a rich color and has plenty of healthy microflora. After 2 years of fermentation, the amount of friendly bacteria has begun to disappear. And while the miso would still a fermented food and is not "spoiled" there is a risk that other pathogens can grow in the miso.

Sipping Miso Soup for Your Health

According to Dr. Watanabe's studies, the sodium in miso did not show adverse affects for people with salt sensitivity and hypertension. Here are the amounts of miso soup he recommended for different health conditions:

• Cancer - 3 or more cups per day

• High blood pressure - 2 cups per day

• Menopause - 1 - 3 cups per day

• Special Note: Here at Body Ecology we recommend eating less miso in the summer months because our body needs much less salt in the hot months. Donna often recommends adding it to salads, cultured veggies or salad dressings during the summertime. However, right now it is winter and much of the country is having extremely cold weather. Miso is a great food to eat every day.

For health maintenance, follow your intuition when it comes to how much miso soup you enjoy. This delicious, healing food is a great way to nourish yourself to great health!

Make Your Own Miso Soup

When you are ready to introduce the benefits of miso into your diet, you have more options than soup. For example, you can blend this certified organic miso (made with healthy sea salt) (Miso Master is another recommended brand; check with your local health food store) in with your cultured vegetables or add it to salad dressings for a delicious dose of protein, minerals and anti-aging power!

Or, sip your miso in a warming cup of soup as the Japanese have been doing to stay healthy for centuries. If you are really in a hurry simply dissolve a heaping spoonful of your favorite miso paste into a cup of hot water that you've poured into a favorite coffee mug. Spoon some cultured veggies into another bowl, add some roasted pumpkin seed oil and some sea salt to these and enjoy a perfectly balanced meal. This is fast food at its finest!

To make a more traditional miso soup, follow this easy recipe:

EZ Traditional Miso Soup Recipe

5-inch strip wakame (sea vegetable)1 large onion (about 1 cup)4 Cups filtered water2 Tablespoons miso (ideally, fermented for 6 months - 2 years)Garnish - chopped parsley, green onions, ginger or watercressInstructions

• Soak the wakame in water for 10 minutes and slice in into 1.5 inch pieces.

• Thinly slice onions

• Put water, onions and wakame in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

• Reduce the heat to simmer for 10 - 20 minutes, until tender.

• Remove 1.5 cups of broth from the saucepan, place in a bowl.

• Allow water in the bowl to cool a bit and add the miso, mixing it into the water (the water should not be boiling, because it can kill the live beneficial microflora and enzymes in miso. In general, the microflora in koji, the starter used to make miso, die at 105° F).

• Turn off heat, allow the water to cool a bit.

• Add the miso broth to the soup in the saucepan and add chopped parsley, green onions, ginger or watercress for garnish.

RECIPE NOTE: The above recipe is a vegetarian version. You can also add bonito flakes (dried fish) - check out these bonito flakes at Amazon or check with your local Asian market. Simmer one tablespoon of bonito flakes in the water for 10 minutes and strain. Then continue as above. When made with the dried fish as a quick stock your miso soup will be even more strengthening.

P.S. Donna and Scott Eibel, President of Body Ecology, just returned from a trip to Japan. They enjoyed several bowls of miso soup each day...even at breakfast. They felt great.

Folks, please do not get these two words to keep you from trying Miso. The two words I refer to are "fermented" and "live." Trust me, it tastes great. And it works. We here in this country are so use to processed, over processed, in a lot of cases, fried, foods. We do not even think about the benefits of raw foods. Let alone live foods. But many other places all around the world do.

If you look at the general health of Americans vs many other countries, you will find we lag far behind. We thrust forward with sickness and disease. We have many health problems that are mostly diet related. Maybe it's time we start taking the nutritional lead from others and not be so afraid to try new stuff. It will be beneficial in so many ways.

Don't believe me? Next time you are feeling a little under the weather, try the Miso recipe. See for yourself.
Peter

Sources:
Body Ecology -Miso Soup: A Delicious Bowl of Health and Anti-Aging Power