Food Facts

Miso Health Benefits & How It Improves Your Lifestyle.

Me So Healthy. Why You Must Include Miso in Your Diet.

Miso is one of the healthiest foods to consume in your daily diet. Best of all, you don’t even need a lot of it to reap the rewards. Here are the main miso health benefits, how it improves your lifestyle, and why you must include it in your diet:

What is Miso?

Miso translates to “fermented beans” as miso is a paste that is made of fermented soybeans and grains. The taste is what’s described as umami and you can commonly find it used in Eastern Asian diets like in Japan and China. In fact, the Japanese start the day with a comforting hot cup of miso soup.

The most known miso paste is white miso which is made of soybeans and rice and fermented for no longer than 2 months. The result is a light color that is mildly sweet and slightly salty. Kyoto specializes in white miso paste, and you can purchase it at the Nishiki Market.

Yellow miso is similar to white miso in that the difference is the fermentation time is slightly longer.

Red miso, which is the darkest in color, is made from a higher proportion of soybeans and fermented up to 3 years. The result is a saltier, deeper, and fuller flavor. The vegetable dip for that massive cabbage above includes a red miso dip on the right.

There’s also barley miso, which is similar to white miso expect instead of rice barley grains are blended with the soybeans.

A tub of miso paste goes a long, long way. Note, though, that miso paste is seldom eaten alone. You can add a couple of tablespoons to a pot of soup (like fish soup, ramen, etc), spread it on a filet of salmon to roast, for miso soup, as salad dressing, and even like this vegetable dip above.

Fermented Food Benefits

Because miso is a fermented food, that means it contains probiotics and millions of good bacteria which promotes healthier gut health, stimulates digestion, strengthens your immune system, and energizes the body.

Nutrients in Miso

In a tablespoon or even just a teaspoon, miso is loaded with nutrients including protein, iron, calcium, vitamins B, C, K, potassium, phosphorous, folic acid, selenium, copper, and manganese. And while miso is loaded with sodium, remember that a little goes a long way with this paste.

Miso Health Benefits

Heart Healthy

Speaking of the sodium content, yes miso is high in salt but it has been proven that the sodium intake of miso does not have the same damaging effects as other high sodium foods like meat or snacks. In fact, miso can actually lower bad cholesterol to the point where the Japanese have a lower risk of cardiovascular problems because of including miso in their diet.

More Miso Health Claims

Miso is a part of an alkaline diet which promotes a whole healthy lifestyle. On top of that, miso is packed with antioxidants that fight against cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. And for the icing to all this, miso is also great for glowing skin and a healthy head of hair.