You might have heard that miso contains a high amount of sodium, which is often the reason people give when they tell me they do not want to have miso. But does miso really affect your blood pressure?
Miso is high in sodium, but if you are using high quality and authentic miso, it is great! Keep reading to find out how miso can actually help prevent high blood pressure.
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How may miso help to prevent high blood pressure?
Miso is often avoided by people with high blood pressure because of its high-sodium content, but actually, miso can lower the risk of cardiovascular issues!
This is because it contains potassium and magnesium, as well as peptides which help prevent high blood pressure. Miso is a probiotic food, also known as beneficial bacteria, and may improve blood pressure control.
Potassium
This mineral helps to relax the walls of our blood vessels, which helps to lower blood pressure and prevent muscle cramping. Foods rich in potassium can minimise the effects of sodium by flushing it out through your urine.
Magnesium
Research has shown that magnesium help to prevent blood vessels from constricting, which can increase blood pressure and has shown to improve blood flow.
Peptides
Through research, it is also shown that food protein peptides have an effect on blood pressure because it helps to regulate blood pressure and they are known as “blood-pressure lowering agents”.
Studies have also shown that despite its high-sodium content, miso does NOT affect our cardiovascular system in the way that typical sodium-filled foods can. Although the relationship between miso and our cardiovascular system is still unclear, some researchers have speculated that the unique soy protein composition of miso (including peptide building-blocks of protein that get formed from soy proteins when the beans are fermented) is one of the major reasons miso is shown to support the cardiovascular system.
Are you still worried?
You can put potassium-rich veggies like sweet potato and pumpkin or seaweed in your miso soup!
Veggies rich in potassium include:
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
Also, seaweed such as Wakame help to lower blood pressure by binding sodium in the gastrointestinal tract and releasing the excess sodium from the body.
Make sure to have artisan miso that is unpasteurised and has “sea salt” as an ingredient and not just regular salt for your health benefits. You can check out how you can choose “quality miso” from my previous blog HERE!
Making your own miso is the best! I make miso every winter because it is the best time to make fail-free and yummy miso (if you make it in the summer, it gets mouldy easily as well as has less flavour and nutrients).
Hope you can join my miso class in winter, or my online cooking class (in the future) if you live far from Sydney!
If you’re interested in Japanese superfoods and want to learn more about miso, you may want to get my Japanese Superfoods cookbook‘. Latest edition is available NOW!
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Plant Based Cookbooks
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Happy Japanese superfood cooking xx
