I asked a Japanese nutritionist why miso soup is good for you

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I am sure if anybody was asked what soup is Japanese, 99% would picture miso soup. 

Miso soup is very easy to make, and have so many varieties of ingredients you can put in it. Numerous tests in Japan show that miso soup is very good for your gut, helping you to take in the necessary nutrition to stay healthy.

But all of these are just what my family has told me, so I asked a Japanese nutritionist to explain why miso soup is so good for you.


What is miso soup?

Miso soup is a soup that has dashi(出汁) or concentrated soup stock of fish, kelp, or shiitake and miso paste dissolved. It's been part of Japanese cuisine for hundreds of years.

The ingredients and which dashi to have in the soup differ from household to household, and it is most consumed with breakfast.

So why is miso soup so popular in Japan?


Any ingredient will pair well with miso, and is a very good way to eat vegetables!

The most popular and typical way to eat vegetables is obviously through salads. But salads can also be boring after a while, and the dressing can be very fattening, too.

So that's where miso soup can come in. Traditionally, the Japanese would have miso soup every meal. But a modern way can be to have it once a day. 

You should NOT really think "what are the correct ingredients to put in miso soup." In miso soup, you should be putting all kinds of vegetables that sit in your fridge. All ingredients generally pair with miso well, and it's important that you take more variety than just repeating a few of the same vegetables.

A very good way is to put seasonal vegetables. Go to a farmer's market or smaller markets. The vegetables sold in the market have a higher chance of being in the season. It will be sold cheaper than when it is off-season, and more nutritious. Just buy whatever is in the market, and you diversify the nutrients you take in!

It's a good way to take all the nutrients of the vegetables

A lot of the nutrients in vegetables dissolve in water. When you boil or cook these vegetables, you lose a good portion of the nutrients. 

But if you take the whole soup, then the nutrient is left in the soup. 

You'd still lose vitamins like vitamin C which is broken by heating, but you can take these from fresh food like fruit.

So why can't it be other soups, and should be miso soup?

Vegetable lactic acid bacteria is why it should be miso soup

The main reason why miso soup is more recommendable than other soups is that the fermented soy which is miso is good for your gut.

The vegetable lactic acid bacteria is believed it has a longer-lasting effect than cheese or other animal lactic acid bacteria. It is strong enough to reach the gut, which helps the bacteria to function well.

When the balance of bacteria in your gut is broken especially from eating too much meat, it results in constipation, poor quality sleep, feeling of anxiety/depression, or dysfunction of your body cells to take in proper nutrients from food, resulting in a lack of energy. 

If you are not a cooking person, you can take the easy way out by using instant miso soup. You would mix the instant miso soup with boiled water, which is a lot better than not taking miso soup.

Eat a heavy miso soup in the morning

But we urge you to create time and effort to cook a vegetable-rich miso soup, especially in the morning.

We are taking more sugar than ever before, and this results in blood sugar level spiking and feeling sleepy from it. Take miso soup with vegetables with lots of fiber, and the control of the blood sugar level is much easier.

Lack of protein also makes your brain feel hungry, so it's good to include protein-rich nutrients, too. The most popular are tofu, pork, or eggs. Throw in canned tuna or salmon, too. Take the whole juice of the canned fish so that you don't have to worry about putting dashi in your miso soup!

By putting a variety of food in your miso soup, you can start your day feeling good, and it will be much easier to fight hunger during the day!

Miso soup is extremely easy once you have the necessary condiments, and the basic recipe is in your head. It will warm your body and your intestines will function well. In this blog, we introduced various miso soup recipes to get you started!

Why not start your day with a bowl of miso soup? :)

Follow me for more to come :) 

In this blog, I post my food trips around the world, as insights into Japanese food in comparison to all the different cuisines I encounter through my trips.

I love food businesses that aren't just into making profits but strive to protect their food culture and are genuinely passionate about what they do. I feel I can share with the world all my food experiences that filled my heart:)

Having a relative at a green tea farm in "one of the biggest green tea plantation cities, Kakegawa," an uncle running an unagi eel restaurant in an "eel town of Japan, Hamamatsu," and a mother who was one of the first people to introduce the izakaya culture in Silicon Valley, my life has a lot to do with Japanese food culture.

I have traveled to many places in Japan, so I hope to share what I know to help you better plan your food trip to my home country!
“When you eat, it’s supposed to go deep into your heart. 
Whether you are rich or poor, eating isn’t just to fill your stomach, it is also to fill your heart.” 
- Ryu Aomi 青海 龍

 


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