Monday, March 30, 2009

Reasons Why Miso Soup Can Help Prevent Breast Cancer

By Jane Yamasaki

Miso soup is a famous Japanese soup that is not only healthy but rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins as well as protein. Miso paste is a mixture of rice, barley, soybeans, yeast, salt and water. This whole mixture is stored into wooden barrels where the process of fermentation will take place for as long as 3 years.

Miso soup is usually served as breakfast but you can serve it as a stand-alone soup course or an appetizer if you want to. This nourishing Japanese soup takes only a few minutes to prepare. You just basically cook the vegetables in dashi, which is a stock made with seaweed and dried sardines and then add in the fried tofu cubes and miso paste. There is also the instant miso soup but they are not really that delicious.

There are many types of miso soup that you can make at home and the flavor will depend on the type of miso and dashi you use including other ingredients. Many Japanese homes are not limited to only one type miso soup. In fact, there are basically 3 types of miso pastes, white, black and red where darker pastes taste saltier.

If you consume a bowl of miso soup every day, just like most Japanese do, you can reduce the risk of having breast cancer. This is attributed to the magic ingredient of fermented soy paste, used to make miso. Miso soup is also said to help regulate the hormone estrogen in women, a hormone that can cause tumors to develop.

Many health researchers also agree that miso soup can really help reduce the risk of having breast cancer. This is all based on the discovery that isoflavones which is found in miso soup, can help block out cells that can become cancerous. However, it is recommended that you drink at least three bowls of miso soup each week so that you can fully reap the benefits.

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