Miso is a fermented soybean paste, and with fermented foods gaining popularity due to the rise in gut health issues, it’s becoming more well-known globally.
However, in Japan, we’ve been consuming fermented foods for centuries.
Miso is not only rich in beneficial bacteria and highly nutritious, but it also offers many benefits for the skin. Thanks to the fermentation process, it contains around 400 health-promoting components, offering a wide range of benefits.
“Eating Miso Daily Keeps the Doctor Away”—A Japanese Proverb That Says It All!
Miso Health Benefits
Miso stands out as an exceptional superfood that offers a wide array of health benefits such as:
- Lowering cholesterol
- Improve blood pressure control
- Cancer prevention
- Healthy gut & immune boost
- Build and maintain healthy bones
- Contains antioxidants
In Japan, there are even quite a few proverbs about it, like “Eating miso every day keeps the doctor away”—just like the saying about apples in the West.
Miso for Healthy, Youthful Skin
What’s more, miso is also fantastic for beauty, especially in maintaining youthful, radiant skin.
There’s another proverb that Japan uses: “Miso soup is a medicine for perpetual youth and longevity.”
This proverb means that if you drink miso soup, you will be healthy and live a long life. This is because miso brings both beauty and health benefits, which I will introduce below.
Enhanced Skin Complexion and Long-Lasting Hydration
Daily consumption of miso soup can significantly improve skin health by promoting a finer complexion and maintaining hydration. Research by Dr. Maeda KenHisashi from the Tokyo University of Technology suggests that miso contains components that increase ceramide levels in the skin, which are crucial for hydration.
Boosts Collagen for Firm, Elastic Skin
Miso is also known to be rich in 18 amino acids, including lysine and proline, which are essential for collagen production. Collagen, making up 75-80% of the skin, is vital for skin fullness and elasticity, contributing to a more youthful appearance.
Rich in Antioxidants and Probiotics for Skin Health and Anti-Aging
Moreover, miso is packed with antioxidants like vitamin E, isoflavones, and saponins, which help neutralise free radicals and combat signs of ageing. The dark pigments in long-aged miso, known as melanoidins, also contribute to its antioxidant properties. As a powerful probiotic food, miso’s double fermentation process ensures it retains live probiotics even when cooked, supporting gut health by restoring beneficial bacteria in the intestines. This improved gut health can aid digestion and may help alleviate skin conditions such as acne, further enhancing overall skin quality.
Miso for Anti-Aging, Healthy, and Beautiful Skin
Choosing authentic alive miso
Despite the popularity of miso, many low-quality options flood the market, making it essential for consumers to seek out high-quality varieties. Historically, the only type of miso made during the Edo period was alive (unpasteurized) miso, crafted with simple ingredients like soybeans, rice koji, and sea salt. Today, authentic alive miso is rare, as most commercial varieties are often dead and mass-produced, made with refined salt and additives that compromise flavor and health benefits. These mass-produced misos are not fermented properly, are heated to kill beneficial enzymes and probiotics, and often contain MSG and other chemicals.
Select Genuine Alive Miso for Maximum Health Benefits— Avoid dead miso that’s Everywhere
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