I'm surprised at how many people do not like
natto. Is it because of the smell that one refuses to try it as was my own case?
I don't know why I selected
natto as a Japanese food I disliked as it is one of my favorite Japanese foods today. Granted, at first I did not like it, not because I tasted it, but because the smell was so "bad" I refused to even try it.
After I discovered the tremendous health benefits of
natto I tried it and have been eating it ever since. To tell the truth, it tastes nothing like it smells and it did become tasty after a while. At least once a week I will have
ika natto (
natto with slivers of raw squid, a little soy sauce and
wasabi).
Some of the health benefits of
natto are:
an excellent source of protein, vitamin B2, and vitamin k2, which is useful for preventing osteoporosis. It contains compounds including phytoestrogen, selenium and others that may help prevent cancer, and also contains a powerful beneficial enzyme called nattokinase.
Nattokinase has been found to help prevent and reduce the risk of blood clots, as well as provide heart-protective benefits. Some studies suggest that nattokinase can also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
See The 6 Healthiest Staple Foods of Japanese Cuisine
Nattokinase has also been proven in more than a few studies to ward off heart attacks, reduce clotting in the blood, reduce blood pressure along with several other benefits. See
Nattokinase: Powerful Enzyme Prevents Heart Attacks and Strokes.
Is it any wonder why the Japanese have one of the longest life spans of any people on the planet? Could it be their diet and food? Many studies have proven this to be so.
Nutrition Science News says in a column entitled, Natto: The Newest Soy:
The incidence of breast, colon and prostate cancer is significantly higher in the United States than in Japan. In fact, breast cancer kills three times as many American women as Japanese women. American women also have quite a different menopausal experience than women in Japan. Some 80 to 85 percent of U.S. women experience unpleasant hot flashes compared with less than 25 percent of their Japanese counterparts. Scientists attribute some of the Japanese population's protection against breast, colon and prostate cancer, as well as the symptoms of menopause, to diets rich in soy phytoestrogens.
.....But Americansﾂ―particularly womenﾂ―would do well to acquire a taste for natto, since its potential health benefits are as extraordinary as its flavor.
Eating
natto would probably save many from the harmful side effects of man-made drugs to help with the problems of osteoporosis and menopausal problems in women and an enlarged prostate in men as well as some forms of cancer.
As soy products are so good for the human body I eat them in all forms several times a week including
miso soup along with a pound of
edamame (boiled soy beans in the pod).
I also enjoy
tofu in all forms and raw
miso paste with cucumber also known as
morokyu in Japanese.
Therefore, before one knocks
natto because of the smell, one should check out the health benefits and maybe incorporate it into one's diet as it may just save/extend your life. Trust me, you can develop a taste for it.
When I first tasted raw tuna I thought it was the most disgusting thing on the planet and just swallowed it (almost vomiting in the process) to please my Japanese hosts. How I learned to love it along with other forms of sushi, I do not remember, but it is as tasteful to me today as any steak and, given the choice, I would select raw fish and
natto.
