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With the days getting longer, the sun shining and an upcoming deadline almost complete, I’m feeling very happy. I’ve been cooking alot these days and this is one soup that is very delicious and will make you happy too!

That’s because it contains a fermented food called “Miso.”

What Is Miso?

Honestly, I didn’t know about miso for most of my life. I had heard of miso soup and tried it at various sushi restaurants, but really never knew what it was or if it was good for me or even how to find it at the grocery store. Well, as soon as I started doing some investigating into my own health, I quickly realized that fermented foods like miso were absolutely crucial for a healthy diet.

Miso paste is created from a mixture of soybeans, sea salt and rice koji and then fermented. The fermentation process creates enzyme-rich compounds that are effective in detoxifying and eliminating industrial pollution, radioactivity and artificial chemicals from the soil and food system from your body. It has been used for centuries in asian cultures as a form of probiotics, to strengthen the immune system, and to provide beneficial B12. Miso is very powerful!

Where do I get it?

I remember when I used to scour International grocery stores to find miso. When I did, it would always have a language I couldn’t read and I had no idea how it was produced. Now, thankfully I found an organic brand called “Miso Master” – produced by a small business out of Asheville, NC. You can find it nationwide in the same refrigerated section as other soy products like tofu, tempeh, etc. at the grocery store. They even make one out of chickpeas if you are allergic to soy! The reason I buy organic miso, and organic miso only, is because I do not want to purchase GMOs or soy that have been extracted with a very carcinogenic chemical called hexane (also found in gasoline). Also, Miso Master Organic Miso got an excellent rating from my friends at the organic industry watchdog group, Cornucopia Institute. The report is available here, if you’d like to read it.