●Fermented soybean"Natto" This japanese food is rich in nutrients.

Hello everyone! !

There are some foods that you should never forget as Japanese traditional foods.

It's Fermented soybean "Natto"

There are various types of natto sold at natto corner such as supermarkets. Not only the size of the soybean grains, and the types of grains and varieties of soybeans, but also the taste of the sauce is abundant. Learn about the health benefits of natto and incorporate it into your daily diet.

What is Fermented soybean "Natto"?

Natto is a food made by fermenting boiled soybeans with natto bacteria.
Today, natto is lined up on the table as is commonplace, but according to history, it was said that when natto was born it was wrapped in straw. I put the boiled soybeans in straw for some reason, such as because I couldn't eat them, and after a few days, they naturally fermented them and started drawing threads. One of the original episodes was that it spread because it was delicious.
Most of the natto currently sold are not naturally fermented like this, but most are made artificially with natto bacteria.
There are 100 billion natto bacteria that produce natto per 100g of natto. Compared to the 80 billion lactic acid bacteria contained in 100 g of kimchi that I wrote before, I think you can see the dense density of natto bacteria.

Natto can be said to be "a food product in which natto bacteria proliferate on the surface of boiled soybeans, creating a unique mucilage called" natto thread "and producing a flavor unique to natto."
When proliferating, Bacillus natto decomposes soybean protein to make it easier to absorb, and also produces various vitamins and enzymes to make food rich in nutrients.
Fermentation of natto is short, unlike miso or soy sauce. Fermentation of natto ends in about 20-22 hours from the start. It takes about 3 days from the start of manufacturing to shipping.

And since Bacillus natto is strong enough to survive even in hot water at 100 ° C and resistant to stomach acid, it can reach the intestines alive. Many fermented foods are susceptible to heat and gastric acid, while natto is strong against heat and gastric acid. This is the strength of natto as a fermented food.

About types of Fermented soybean.

1. There are various types such as large grain, small grain, and Hikiwari.

For example, large grains have large grains and are very tasty and slightly sticky. You can enjoy it with natto alone as a side dish.
The small grains are tenacious and can be enjoyed deliciously with rice.
Since the grains are small, it is suitable for baby food, spices and sauces.

And there are differences in nutrients.

・Hikiwari natto ・ ・ ・ Since the soybean hulls are removed and crushed finely before fermentation, there are many areas where natto bacteria adhere and the natto is more delicious than grain natto. Also, Vitamin K is contained 1.5 times as much as natto.
・ Grain Natto:・・・There are various grain sizes such as "large grain / medium grain / small grain / extremely small grain". Since it is fermented with soybean peels on, it contains a lot of dietary fiber, and it also contains minerals that are melted during the manufacturing process of natto.

2. There are various types of containers.

For example, straw.
The traditional method is to wrap natto in straw and ferment it. This is very difficult to control quality. I like the smell of straw! There are also persistent straw natto fans.
Also a pine tree. This is also an old manufacturing method and quality control is difficult. It is also popular because it can be wrapped in pine tree to make natto with a good flavor.
The rest is the standard Styrofoam tray.
The feature is that the temperature is easy to control and the finish is even.

Fermented soybean contains many nutrients.

Nutrients contained in natto

* (Reference) Natto Society, National Federation of Natto Cooperative Association website.

Also, Bacillus natto produces various enzymes during the division process, and these enzymes
It enhances the intestinal regulation effect, keeps the intestines young, and works wonderfully.
One of them, "nattokinase," is an enzyme that dissolves blood clots that cause myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.
As of now, it is getting a lot of attention.

Effects and benefits of Fermented soybean

Prevent myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction! "Nattokinase" that dissolves blood clots

An enzyme called nattokinase contained in natto has the effect of dissolving blood clots. This is said to be as effective as the infusion of thrombolytic agents used in hospitals. The great thing about nattokinase is that it doesn't just dissolve the blood clots, but its persistence. Since the effect continues for 6 to 8 hours, it is effective to eat natto and sleep at night. This is because blood clots tend to form while sleeping. By continuing to eat, the action of dissolving blood clots will be further improved. This will help prevent thrombosis such as myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction

For diet and diabetes! Effect of suppressing increase in blood sugar level

Dietary fiber and vitamin B2 contained in natto have the effect of suppressing an increase in blood sugar level. This effect is also demonstrated when combined with rice! Since rice is a sugar, it is a food that causes a rapid rise in blood sugar, but by combining it with natto, the rise in blood sugar can be suppressed. As the blood sugar level rises rapidly and the sugar content easily changes to fat, it is effective for the diet to slowly increase the blood sugar level. Suppressing the rise in blood sugar is also effective in preventing diabetes.

Has anti-aging effect! Good for beauty!

Natto's "polyamine" ingredient is effective for anti-aging, such as improving skin firmness and preventing arteriosclerosis. Natto also contains digestible proteins, amino acids, and rich B vitamins. Since these are nutrients that make skin and hair, they can be expected to have beauty effects.

For prevention of osteoporosis!

Vitamin K2 contained in natto prevents osteoporosis. It is said that there are no foods that contain vitamin K2 as much as natto, and it is also reported that prefectures that consume more natto have lower fracture rates. Bone density that decreases due to aging, diet, and decreased female hormones. It is a food you should eat to prevent osteoporosis.

Increase your memory! Good for exams and forgetting things!

"Lecithin," which is abundant in soybeans, the raw material of natto, has the function of producing neurotransmitters. This can be expected to have the effect of enhancing memory. Especially effective in short-term memory. You may want to improve your grades by eating before the exam. It is also recommended for those who are concerned about forgetting things recently.

There is more! Effective against hay fever and also boosts immunity

Levan, which is contained in the sticky stick of natto, has an allergy-suppressing effect and is effective against allergies such as hay fever, bronchial asthma, and urticaria.

In addition, the intestinal rectification effect of Bacillus natto helps up to immunity.

What is an effective way to eat natto?

Natto and raw eggs are incompatible! ?

Don't worry too much about eating "natto+raw egg".
Because this diet interferes with the absorption of nutrients called biotin, which has the effect of promoting collagen production, but biotin can be made in the intestine.
However, if you want to take full nutrition, it is more effective to add only egg yolk or to heat the egg white.
Avidin contained in egg white interferes with the absorption of biotin contained in natto, but since avidin is sensitive to heat, it does not matter if it is eaten into soft-boiled eggs or hot spring eggs.

Don't put it on hot rice!?

Nattokinase is vulnerable to heat, so if you put natto on hot rice cooked freshly, the effect will disappear. Nattokinase will die if you apply heat of 70 degrees, so let's wait 5 minutes before eating freshly cooked rice. By doing so, the temperature of nattokinase will not be killed, and you can receive the effects of nattokinase.

Increase the number of mixing to improve the health effect! ? How to eat delicious natto?

The nutritional value doesn’t change depending on the number of times it’s mixed, and the health effect doesn’t change, but since glutamic acid, which is a savory ingredient, and sweetness are increased, umami is increased as it’s mixed!
The best way to mix delicious natto is to put natto in a large bowl and mix about 30 times, then add spices such as leeks and mix for about 50 more times until sticky. Let's add the sauce at the end. You can get more stickiness by mixing only natto first.