10-Minute Miso Soup
Jeanne Grosset, a Natural Health Specialist and Cooking Instructor at UCSD, starts her day with a warm cup of miso soup, which is as easy to make as a cup of coffee, with far more health benefits...
Food as Medicine: A Life-Changing Fermented Breakfast Swap
Jeanne Grosset is a Natural Health Specialist and instructor at UCSD Extension. She talks about a wellness journey that started with morning soup.
The first time I heard about having miso soup for breakfast, I paused in disbelief. I wanted to change my life, but I couldn’t imagine wanting to start my day with a savory soup.
Now, I cannot start my morning without it.
I grew up on a standard American diet packed with processed, devitalized foods, refined sugars, and animal products. By the time I was 35 years old, I was struggling with digestive issues, skin problems, sleepless nights, repeated injuries, migraine headaches, and frequent bouts of flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, and strep.
Frustrated with my ever-declining health, I decided it was time to make a change. And I made a lot of them, shifting to whole foods and a plant-based diet with fermented foods at the core of my new lifestyle practices.
I had never eaten probiotic rich foods on a daily basis, and every day that I did, I felt a little bit better, stronger, and clearer. Over the year that followed, I began to look forward to starting my day with miso soup, and my blood sugar stabilized, my emotional swings calmed down, and my overall temperament improved.
I was amazed at how what I ate empowered my body to naturally heal itself.
Now, 16 years later, I crave the soup whose warmth ignites my digestive fires and provides a mental and physical stimulation that the typical dose of morning caffeine can’t compete with.
Research has shown that miso contains active cultures that help restore the intestines with beneficial probiotics. It is also a complete protein containing all essential amino acids.
This soup is high in antioxidants that help protect against free radicals, helps to stimulate the secretion of digestive fluids in the stomach, helps to strengthen the immune system and aides in lowering LDL cholesterol, aids in the digestion and assimilation of other foods in the intestines, and naturally protects the body with dipilocolonic acid, an alkaloid that bonds to heavy metals and discharges them from the body.
Making a proper miso soup is a simple process that’s no more time consuming than brewing a cup of coffee and the benefits might just change your life, too.
About the Author
Jeanne Grosset is a Natural Health Specialist and Cooking Instructor. She is the co-creator of Vibe Tribe Foods, a company dedicated to educating, nourishing and empowering people on the natural path to good health. Working side-by-side with her husband Executive Chef Patrick Grosset they offer a weekly meal service, cleanse program, and on-going cooking classes throughout the year. Jeanne is the Retreat Director for the Vegetarian Educational Institute, Teacher for Shumei America’s cooking class series, a keynote speaker at the Whole Health Forum in Israel, and does workshops for a Professional Chef Culinary School in Milan, Italy.
Jeanne co-teaches a 4-day Natural Healing and Cooking retreat (the next one is September 5th) as part of UC San Diego Extension’s Integrative Nutrition certificate, which is designed for those who want to learn about using food as medicine and plan to use their credentials to coach their patients, families, or social groups.
Anyone looking to develop or deepen their focus on diet and nutrition from a holistic perspective will benefit from sessions taught by UC San Diego health professionals, researchers, authors and expert plant-based chefs. Check out the entire lineup of classes at extension.ucsd.edu.
Make the Recipe
