Is natto good for you?!


Question: Fermented Japanese soybeans called natto is very nasty smelling and tasting.

But is it supposed to be good for you?

Has to be an acquired taste right?


Answers: Fermented Japanese soybeans called natto is very nasty smelling and tasting.

But is it supposed to be good for you?

Has to be an acquired taste right?

Natto is an ancient Japanese food made from the Natto soybeans. Natto is soaked and fermented, which makes the soybeans quite sticky, and produces a springy or web effect between each bean. It can be an acquired taste because the fermenting process makes the smell of natto very strong, and to some not used to the dish, unpleasant. It also tends to produce bad breath, though a vigorous tooth brushing using removes the traces that one has been snacking on natto.

In certain parts of Japan natto holds great popularity. It may be eaten as a breakfast food, sometimes with a little sugar, or may be served over rice. Some prefer to add sauces to natto and rice, and may use different hot mustards, soy sauce, quail eggs or grated radishes as a topping. It is quite nutritious and low in calories. It has about 7-8 grams of protein per serving, and each serving only has about 90 calories.

Natto is also celebrated for its high amounts of vitamin K, which makes it an outlaw food for those taking warfarin (brand name Coumadin?). It also is high in a number of anti-oxidants, particularly selenium. Natto also contains a protein called nattokinase, which may be a natural blood thinner. Since natto allows the soybeans to ferment and grow bacteria, it is also a probiotic food.

does not sound good to me

It's very very healthy. Acquired taste? Just add stuff to it, I add tomato sauce, sometimes, I mix natto in with kimchi.

When I visited Japan, my work companions took me all over Tokyo to find a place serving natto - sort of a hazing thing - by the time we found it, I had druck so much whiskey it tasted OK to me! Sure it is supposed to be good for you - almost everything is in moderation.





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