Long ago when refrigeration was not available food would spoil…so humans invented ways to preserve food via fermenting to lengthen shelf life. Miso is one example of a fermented food. In Asian cultures Miso is incorporated into peoples’ diets daily. Instead of coffee and breakfast cereal, Miso is often served at breakfast to start your day off right…

What is Miso?

Miso is a paste made from soybeans, sea salt and a mold starter called Koji. It’s often mixed with grains like barley or rice and then fermented for 3 months to 3 years. The result is a salty flavorful paste you can use in soups, stews and sauces.

What is Miso used for?

Miso is used not only as a yummy soup to begin your day but it has many health benefits as well. The Japanese culture uses it to stimulate digestion and energize the body. It’s generally served at the beginning of a meal to prepare your digestion system for food.

It’s also used for improving poor, sluggish or compromised digestion, detoxifying your body, and nutritionally to provide needed Vitamin B12 and complete veggie protein.

How does Miso work?

Miso’s action to detoxify your body is rooted in a compound it contains called Zybicolin. Zybicolin has the ability to bind toxins in your body and remove them. This includes environmental pollutants in the air and buildings, chemicals and toxic elements like lead and mercury… It can even neutralize radioactive material via an alkaloid called Dipilocolonic Acid. Dipilocolonic Acid also chelates heavy metals and discharges them from your body.

As for its ability to improve digestion, Miso acts on your digestive system in a number of ways. First, it is high in Vitamin B12 which you need for many functions in your body, including healthy digestion. Miso also stimulates digestive enzyme production in your stomach and intestines. Sufficient digestive enzymes are necessary for effective breakdown of food. Miso further restores beneficial probiotics in your gut to make sure you retain gut flora and balance.

Some studies also show that Miso, because it is a fermented soy product, is protective against breast, prostate and colon cancers. For estrogen related cancers, studies show that the Soy Isoflavones in Miso protect against strong estrogens which can contribute to the development of some forms of cancers. How Miso protects against colon cancer has to do with the brown pigments called Melanoidins. Studies show that Melanoidins cut the growth rate of colon cancer cells in half by disrupting cancer cell growth.

How do you use it?

Miso comes in multiple varieties, from rice to barley. They vary in colour from light yellow to dark brown. The darker the brown pigment in Miso the higher the concentration of Melanoidins, which are anti-cancerous….and the lighter the colour the sweeter and milder the flavour.

Take a tsp of Miso and add hot water to dissolve the paste for a quick cup of Miso soup. Add Miso to homemade soup or stews instead of soup flavouring. Or make traditional Miso soup with seaweed, shitake, green onion and kale for a nutritional meal over Kelp Noodles.