2024-01-27 09:03:33
In a country of soups, stews and stews like Spain, recommending a Japanese broth may seem a bit strange. But these national dishes, so popular in winter, should not be a regular presence in our diet due to their high fat and calorie content. In the case of the Japanese soup we are going to talk about, this is not only possible but highly recommended.
Finding a soup based on plant content that is digestible and also provides beneficial nutrients for the microbiota is not a recent revelation. The Japanese imperial dynasties and their samurai knew the properties of miso centuries ago, specifically kome miso, the sweetest variant they ingested. If at that time they took it as a restorative after a cold and as a curative in general, now more benefits have been found to take into account.
Miso is a fermented food that is eaten as a soup or as a condiment with other dishes in Japanese cuisine. Its peculiarity is that in Japan they eat it at any time of the day, starting with breakfast, although it is not a unique dish. When it is not soup, they eat it with white rice. It does not contain lactose, gluten or fat, so it does not require taking with caution, but quite the opposite given the multiple properties it contains.
What it is and how to cook it at home
It is a condiment usually made with soybeans, although it can also be mixed with other cereals (barley, rye, wheat…), which are fermented with a fungus and sea salt is added. To eat it as a soup, dashi is added, the broth itself, which is normally fish and is also used as a base for noodle dishes. The miso soup is seasoned with ingredients such as tofu, wakame seaweed or leek, among others.
The basic guideline for miso is that it has been fermented with the fungus for at least 180 days, and this period can be extended to up to two years, to be stored cold afterwards. In stores it can also be found as a powder or prepared soup, which must also be stored in order to preserve all the probiotic benefits.
The intestinal microbiota, the main beneficiary
The fermentation of soybeans gives miso a combination of probiotic and prebiotic qualities to take into account for the intestinal microbiota as they help digestion. In addition, it is an important source of protein, fiber, manganese, vitamins (K and B6) and minerals (magnesium, calcium, potassium…). And it also has a significant sodium content, not recommended for people with hypertension.
Although its star benefit has to do with the protection of the intestinal microbiota, it has others that the scientific community has discovered in recent years:
- Lowers cholesterol: a study published in the journal Japanese Pharmacology and Therapeutics concluded that participants who ate miso soup decreased their levels of high cholesterol and LDL compared to the group that ate placebo.
- It could reduce the risk of cancer: a study of the Hiroshima University has confirmed that fermented miso could help reduce radiation injuries and tumor progression.
References
Hori, G. & Yamamoto, K. & Kakinuma, S. & Nagaoka, Satoshi. (2003). The effects of the miso soup containing soy protein hydrolyzate with bound phospholipids on serum cholesterol levels. Japanese Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 31. 155-161. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289887634_The_effects_of_the_miso_soup_containing_soy_protein_hydrolyzate_with_bound_phospholipids_on_serum_cholesterol_levels
Watanabe, H. (2013). Beneficial biological effects of miso with reference to radiation injury, cancer and hypertension. Journal of toxicologic pathology, 26(2), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.1293/tox.26.91
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