If you're not on the miso bandwagon already, jump on! You might remember miso soup from your last trip to a Japanese restaurant. A bowl filled with dashi stock, silky tofu and seaweed is set in front of you. Inside that bowl floats a cloud of flavor, a fog of salty richness that disperses with a gentle stir of your chopsticks. That, my friends, is pure delicious and nutritious miso.
Oh, Okinawa!
Have you heard about how the residents of Okinawa island are the longest-living people in the world? Here are some facts about the Okinawans from About.com[1]. Okinawans have...
- more people over 100 years old per 100,000 population than anywhere else in the world
- the lowest death rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke (the top three killers in the US)
- the highest life expectancy for both males and females over 65
Research has attributed the incredible good health of Okinawans to a positive attitude, not smoking, lots of exercise and a healthy diet rich in soybeans - and miso is made up of fermented soybeans! The typical Japanese breakfast staples include rice and miso soup.