Me so love my miso.

Recently, while I was at the Omega Center in Rhinebeck NY, I felt a cold coming on. Luckily, the dining hall offered alkalizing Miso Soup for breakfast. That’s all I needed to feel better.

Miso is a fermented bean paste, usually made from soybeans, but sometimes with beans such as chickpeas and adukis. It is fermented with the Koji culture – rice or soy, which is inoculated with the Aspergillus oryzae culture. The culture breaks down the legume/grain mixture, creating a paste which is rich in active microflora, nutrients, and healing power.

Miso is highly detoxifying and alkalizing, and helps reduce the effects of radiation, smoking, pollution, and other toxins. Combined with seaweed, it’s a detoxifying super-power.

(After the Atomic bomb blast in 1945, Dr. Akizuzki, director of Nagasaki’s St. Francis Hospital, fed his staff and patients miso soup with seaweed on a daily basis, forbidding consumption of sugar and sweets. As a result, he protected everyone in the hospital from radiation poisoning. The hospital was only a mile from the blast site.)

Miso is also the perfect food to boost immunity and promote easy, smooth digestion. Its active enzymes and microflora help break down food, populate the intestines with beneficial bacteria, and protect you against illness and disease.

Miso comes in different strengths. Mellow white miso is aged for a few months and has a mild, sweet flavor. Darker misos such as barley and hatcho, have been fermented for a year or more. Darker misos are stronger tasting, saltier, and more powerful.

To use miso, add to soups, stews, dressings and sauces. NEVER BOIL MISO. Boiling miso will destroy beneficial enzymes and microorganisms.

What’s your favorite way of enjoying miso?  Post your comments and questions below.

Marian

Nourish Your Body-Mind, Transform Your Life.