Should instant miso soup be avoided?

[damon]

After having taken my first cooking class where I got some hands on experience with making miso soup from scratch, I got wondering about all those instant varieties available. A number of them appear to be made of some high quality ingredients. Is there a reason some choose to make their soups from scratch rather than just use a packet of instant??

Thanks for any insight!
Damon

[Bruce Paine]

Originally Posted by damon

After having taken my first cooking class where I got some hands on experience with making miso soup from scratch, I got wondering about all those instant varieties available. A number of them appear to be made of some high quality ingredients. Is there a reason some choose to make their soups from scratch rather than just use a packet of instant??

Thanks for any insight!
Damon

Is your health good, Damon?

If you are well, you can experiment, take chances.

Get some instant miso soup and try it.

For myself, I have instant soup (which also come with packets of ramen) on rare occasions.

It might be nice at times when one does not have the facilities or time to cook.

Which do you think has more life energy, homemade food or foods manufactured in some factory?

Which is a whole food, foods made from plants that containing living energy, or foods that have had much of the life force removed during processing?

Convenience foods are nice once in a while but can you live happily and healthfully on them?

If you can, then take me to your manufacturer! LOL

Thank you, very much

Bruce Paine

[damon]

Bruce,
You raise some good points. There were two things that got me thinking about this topic.

First, in Dirk Benedict's book, he comments that instant miso soup is part of his daily regime. I realize now that one's personal health is a significant factor and that you can't take on a diet "by the book"; however, beginners like me are always looking for direction so when I heard that a mb veteran included instant miso daily, it made me wonder. This then ties in with my next point.

Second, there are a number of other foods that I frequently read are actually recommended in their non-fresh form; dried shiitake mushrooms are a good example.

What you said about living energy being reduced through manufacturing instant soups make sense; does this also apply to other products like the mushrooms? Or are we talking about different manufacturing processes here?

Thanks!
Damon

[Bruce Paine]

Originally Posted by damon

Bruce,
You raise some good points. There were two things that got me thinking about this topic.

First, in Dirk Benedict's book, he comments that instant miso soup is part of his daily regime. I realize now that one's personal health is a significant factor and that you can't take on a diet "by the book"; however, beginners like me are always looking for direction so when I heard that a mb veteran included instant miso daily, it made me wonder. This then ties in with my next point.

Second, there are a number of other foods that I frequently read are actually recommended in their non-fresh form; dried shiitake mushrooms are a good example.

What you said about living energy being reduced through manufacturing instant soups make sense; does this also apply to other products like the mushrooms? Or are we talking about different manufacturing processes here?

Thanks!
Damon

"Damon,

According to Rebecca Wood in her The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Resource for Healthy Eating:

SHIITAKE

Black Forest Mushroom, Chinese
Mushroom'

(Lentinus encodes)

The second most widely produced edible mushroom, the shiitake has a rich woodsy flavor and a meaty texture when cooked.
The shape of a shiitake is similar to a common white mushroom-only its brown cap is peaked at the center like an umbrella and its gills are tan.
Health Benefits
Shiitakes strengthen, de- toxify, and restore. They contain two potent substances with proven pharmacological effects as immune regulators and antiviral and antitumor agents; they also positively affect the cardiovascular system. Shiitakes treat diseases involving depressed immune function including cancer, AIDS, environmental allergies, candida infections, and frequent flu and colds. In addition, they soothe bronchial inflammation, regulate urine incontinence, and reduce chronic high cholesterol.
Shiitakes are rich in vitamins D, B-2, and
B-12, and are a good source of minerals when grown in a mineral-rich medium. They contain about 2.5 percent protein.
Use Cooking, especially roasting, sauteeing, or grilling, enhances the flavor of shiitakes.
The longer the cooking, the more water they lose and the denser and chewier they be- come. Use in soups, stir-fries, pasta sauces, entrees, and side dishes.
To reconstitute dried shiitake, soak in warm water for at least 2 to 3 hours or, pref - erably, overnight. Use the soaking water for stock. But discard the woody portion of the stem.
Buying
When purchasing fresh shiitakes, took for firm, fleshy mushrooms with a dry, blemishfree surface. Select thick mushrooms with their peaked caps intact over flat, or broken, mushrooms. The more aroma the mushrooms have, the more flavor.
Dried mistake are readily available in Asian, natural food, and specialty food markets. Top- quality shiitake, called donku, or ''flower petal''' in Japanese, are very costly because they are grown outdoors on hardwood. Most commercial shiitake grow in a few weeks in warm conditions on artificial substrate.
See Mushroom Family."

My understand of fresh Shiitake mushrooms are usually more yin than dried shiitake mushrooms so dried mushrooms might be good for helping heal conditions of a more yin nature.

Often one finds fresh shiitake mushrooms being served in gourmet restaurants, where meat and dairy foods are served.

Another benefit of fresh siitake is that they very tasty.

Okay?

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine