Miso Healthy (Soup Is Good Food)

According to the ancient Chinese medical text, the Huangdi Neujung (or Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), we should live in harmony with the natural cycles of our environment. The cold and darkness of winter urges us to slow down, reflect on our health, and conserve strength. My last blog post gave you some moves to maintain flexibility and this post advises what foods will best support you in winter.

Winter is Yin in nature; inactive, cold, and damp compared to other times of the year. Remain introspective, restful, and consolidate your Qi through the season to prepare for spring’s burst of new life and energy.

Winter is ruled by the Water element, which is associated with the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands. The kidneys are the source of all energy (Qi) within the body. They store all of the body’s reserve Qi so it can be used to heal, prevent illness, in times of stress and change, and to age gracefully.

During winter months it is important to nurture and nourish our kidney Qi. Winter is when energy is most easily depleted. Our bodies instinctively express the fundamental principles of winter – rest, reflection, conservation and storage. The Nei Ching, another ancient Chinese classic, advises us to go to sleep early and rise late, after the sun's rays have warmed the atmosphere a bit. This preserves Yang Qi for the task of warming in the face of cold.

To keep nourished and help warm the body’s core, eat the following:

• warm hearty soups,
• whole grains,
• and roasted nuts.

Fortify the kidneys with:

• dried foods,
• small dark beans,
• seaweeds,
• and steamed winter greens.

Cook foods longer, at lower temperatures and with less water.

Small, regular amounts of salty and bitter foods are needed in the winter to promote a sinking, centering quality which heightens the capacity for storage. Such foods also cool the exterior of the body and bring body heat deeper and lower (with a cooler surface, one notices the cold less). However, use salt with care. An excess salt will cause over consumption of water which creates too much coldness weakening the kidneys and adrenal function and the heart.

• Salty foods include miso, soy sauce, seaweeds, salt, millet and barley.
• Bitter foods include lettuce, watercress, celery, asparagus, alfalfa, rye, oats, quinoa and amaranth.

To summarize: Sleep early, rest well, stay warm, eat small and regular amounts of bitter and salty food and cook the food longer at low temperature.

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Here is a recipe of for Miso Soup with Scallions, which not only supports the kidney during winter; it is also an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for colds.

In 300 AD famous herbalist, Ge Hong, writes about Miso Soup with Scallions in a book called, Bei ji zhou hou fang or Emergency Formulas to Keep Up One’s Sleeve. The soup is indicated for the onset of a cold when a person is just beginning to feel a headache, stuffy nose and a slight fever.

So, the next time you feel a cold coming on, be sure to have your miso!

Miso Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 3-4 Tablespoons red soy bean paste
  (a.k.a. miso, usually sold in the refrigerated section)
• 3-5 green onions stalks, chopped

Directions:

• Dissolve the miso in a little bit of boiling water
  (about 2 tsp.)
• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add the miso & scallions.
• Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from heat top with green onions and serve.

Variations:
You can add various other ingredients to make a more substantial soup, such as tofu, fresh mushrooms, cooked shrimp, snow pea sprouts, cooked rice noodles, or paper-thin slices of fresh ginger.