Getting your gut right: Miso soup

Years ago, I took a continuing education course in massage therapy. The instructor had some metaphysical things to say that I didn't really pay much attention to. But I do remember one thing. He said that all energy flows from the heart, and in order for your massage to benefit more than muscles, your massage work should radiate out from the heart. What I'm suggesting to you this new year is build your foundation from the center in a similar manner, because it affects every other aspect of your health. I'm talking about the gut, and it is at the center of your well-being.

In your gut, as most people have heard by now, are millions of bacteria. Studies have shown that the makeup of that population customizes itself according to an individual's habits. According to The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on Gut Microbiota and Human Health, a NIH study, an imbalanced diet such as the Standard American Diet can significantly hinder the gut flora's ability to derive full nutrition from ingested food. So if you eat a bad diet, you starve your good bacteria, and as a result you starve yourself of nutrients. What is needed is a regular infusion of good bacteria derived from fermentation to supplement and help resuscitate weakened gut populations. 

But in order to effect change, it needs to become a habit, Traditional miso soup is tasty, but it's not what I want on the menu every day. What was needed was more like the bullet coffee version of miso soup- a shot of good stuff you can glug down first thing in the morning like the lemon water that seems to be in vogue nowadays. So I made a relatively plain brothy soup, chock of good things like seaweed for pituitary-balancing  and blood-enriching minerals. shiitakes and cloud ears for the linoleic acid and B and D vitamins, and ginger and capsicum for anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2tbl red miso

1- 1 1/2 tbl white miso

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos

1/2 tsp sugar

4 cups water

two pieces of kombu

four slices of dried shiitake mushrooms

1-2 cloud ear mushrooms

1" chunk of ginger, sliced in thick pieces

optional: chili flakes, chili sauce, or sriracha

Method:

1. Put the water in a pan over high heat. add the kombu, mushrooms and ginger.
2. Bring water to a boil, lower to medium and let it boil gently for ten minutes.
3. Take off heat, let cool two minutes, then strain. return liquid to pan, discard solids.
4. Mix the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and worcestershire/coconut aminos together in a small bowl. 
5. Mix the miso together and, with a small amounf of water, make into a smooth paste.
6. Mix the miso into the broth. Right before serving, add the soy sauce mixture and spicy stuff, if desired.

Drink a small cup of this every day to help restore your gut flora to fighting condition.