Do you love Japanese comfort soups? If you answered yes, you may love to hear the answer to whether miso soup is keto-friendly. The delicious umami-style flavors of miso soup can be yours on a keto diet because of the low-carb benefits. Moreover, the soup has other advantages to help you follow the keto rules. The long answer suggests you know what goes into miso soup and how to make sure you get the right macros.
Considering how many Japanese people eat miso soup every single day, it's safe to assume that it's good for you. After answering your questions about carbs, you can also learn more about miso's nutritional content and its other health benefits.
What is Miso?
The key ingredient to make miso is soybeans. Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans, barley, or rice. Miso is made from soybeans, sometimes mixed with grains (usually rice or barley), and koji, a type of fungus. Miso paste ferments and ages for months to years, creating a stronger umami flavor as the blend darkens. The grain koji type can also change the umami strength, such as white miso paste from rice koji.
Miso is a flavorful, nutrient-dense ingredient that can fit into a ketogenic diet when used mindfully. It's become a staple ingredient in Japanese home cooking since it was first brought from China 1,300 years ago.
Understanding the Keto Diet
Embarking on a ketogenic lifestyle means paying meticulous attention to the foods we consume, considering their macronutrient profile against our keto goals.Everyday Health points out that typical keto diets entail eating 20-50 net carbs daily. The keto diet recommends eating 20-25% protein, 5-10% carbohydrates, and 70-75% fat from your daily calories.
Read also: The Health Powers of Miso
Miso and Carbohydrates: A Balancing Act
While soybeans are a rich source of protein and fiber, they also contain some carbohydrates. The good news is that the carbohydrate content of miso soup can be relatively low when calculated per cup. Also, the amount of carbohydrates depends on the type of miso paste used as well as any additional ingredients.
However, when analyzing miso, we find that 100g of this flavorful paste contains 19.97g of net carbs. Miso is robust in flavor, requiring typically small amounts to make a big impact. In most recipes, miso is used in amounts of 1 to 2 tablespoons. Given that a strict ketogenic diet typically limits net carbs to around 20 to 50 grams per day, that single tablespoon of miso constitutes a significant portion of your daily allowance.
Types of Miso and Their Impact on Carb Count
There are three types of miso. Miso is also classified by its color and texture. Shiro, a white, yellow, or light-colored miso paste has a milder, sweeter taste with a shorter fermentation process, lasting 3-12 months. Aka, a red, brown, or dark miso paste has an intense umami taste with a longer fermentation process, lasting six months to ten years. You may be able to incorporate the other varieties of miso into your low-carb diet.
Nutritional Profile of Miso
Miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning, exhibits an impressive nutrition profile that comprises both macronutrients and micronutrients. Miso is packed with macronutrients that are crucial for our body's everyday functions. Carbohydrates, comprised chiefly of net carbs and dietary fibers, serve as body's primary source of energy. The presence of proteins is quite significant in Miso. The amino acid profile is impressive, with every essential amino more than sufficiently represented. Leucine stands out at 0.82g, followed by glutamic acid at 1.92g, and arginine at 0.78g.
Miso goes the extra mile with a remarkable array of micronutrients. It contains a significant amount of sodium (3728.0mg), which plays an important role in fluid balance and nerve function. Minerals are also well represented, from common ones like calcium (57.0mg) and potassium (210.0mg), to trace elements like selenium (7.0ug).
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Here's a detailed breakdown:
- Net Carbs: 19.97g per 100g
- Carbohydrates: 25.37g per 100g
- Fiber: 5.4g per 100g
- Total Fats: 6.01g per 100g
- Protein: 12.79g per 100g
- Sodium: 3728.0mg per 100g
- Potassium: 210.0mg per 100g
- Magnesium: 48.0mg per 100g
- Calcium: 57.0mg per 100g
- Vitamin A: 4.0ug per 100g
- Vitamin B-6: 0.2mg per 100g
- Vitamin B-12: 0.08ug per 100g
- Vitamin E: 0.01mg per 100g
- Vitamin K: 29.3ug per 100g
- Copper: 0.42mg per 100g
- Iron: 2.49mg per 100g
- Phosphorus: 159.0mg per 100g
- Selenium: 7.0ug per 100g
- Zinc: 2.56mg per 100g
- Beta-carotene: 52.0ug per 100g
- Manganese: 0.86mg per 100g
- Thiamin: 0.1mg per 100g
- Riboflavin: 0.23mg per 100g
- Niacin: 0.91mg per 100g
- Pantothenic acid: 0.34mg per 100g
- Folate: 19.0ug per 100g
- Choline: 72.2mg per 100g
- Calories: 198.0kcal per 100g
- Water: 43.02g per 100g
Health Benefits of Miso
Miso has supported our health since ancient times. Miso contains probiotics, which may contribute to improved gut health. Because miso is high in probiotics, it helps the body maintain healthy bacteria levels. This bacteria contributes to digestive health, reducing gas, diarrhea, bloating, and constipation. The dashi stock, seaweed, and other vegetables in miso soup add even more antioxidants to your miso soup.
Potential Downsides of Miso on Keto
The primary health challenge tied to miso in the context of a keto diet is its potential to inhibit ketosis due to its carbohydrate content. The ingestion of miso might lead to an increased carb intake, which, if exceeds the daily limit, can knock someone out of ketosis. This is the main potential negative health implication for keto dieters.
Incorporating Miso into a Keto Diet: Strategies and Considerations
For those firmly committed to a strict keto dietary regimen, the challenge lies in ensuring every gram of carbohydrate intake is carefully accounted for, and this often requires meticulous carb-counting. If you're willing to do the math, integrating small volumes of miso into your keto plan might still be an option. Consider leveraging dietary tracking tools and apps to better monitor and regulate your carbohydrate intake that can help you plan your diet accordingly. In addition, opting for lighter colored varieties of miso, such as white miso (known as 'shiro miso'), might be an approach to eke out a little room for miso within your regimen. Keep in mind, however, that these suggestions won’t erase the high net carb reality of miso.
Keto-Friendly Alternatives to Miso
While the comforting umami punch of miso is hard to match, a keto lifestyle might require looking elsewhere for flavor infusions.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
- Beef, Vegetable, or Chicken Broth: These rich, typically low-carb broths come with a depth of flavor, making them an excellent base for soups and stews as miso often is. Bone broths, in particular, also bring a wealth of nutritional benefits and are a strong keto favorite.
- Coconut Aminos: Derived from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt, it's a soy-free alternative to soy sauce with a slightly sweet, mildly salty flavor profile.
- Nutritional Yeast: Often used in vegan cooking for its cheesy and nutty flavor, it could substitute miso in a variety of dishes.
- Tamari: A version of soy sauce that is usually gluten-free. While not as low in carbs as the other alternatives mentioned here, it brings a salty, umami flavor to dishes.
Miso Soup Recipes and Keto Adaptations
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup. It's been an important source of nutrition for Japanese people for centuries. Even today, miso soup continues to be a staple in Japanese home-style cuisine. Miso soup is prepared by boiling miso and dashi, then adding vegetables, tofu, seaweed, and other ingredients.
There's a variety of different ingredients you can use to make miso soup lower in carbs. You could start with the standard combination of wakame seaweed and tofu. Both nori seaweed (dried seaweed sheets for sushi) and aonori (dried seaweed flakes) are two more good options. Enoki, nameko, and shiitake mushrooms are all typical miso soup ingredients. Tonjiru is another classic version of miso soup, made with thin slices of pork and konnyaku (konjac).
Here are a few keto-friendly miso soup recipes:
- Mama Bear’s Cookbook recipe: A vegan-friendly miso soup to try on keto with a simple substitution. The Mama Bear recipe has 4 g of protein, 11 g of net carbs, and 4 g of fat per serving.
- Make Health Recipes: A tofu-friendly miso soup for vegans that is gluten-free and packs low carbs with high protein counts.
- Primal Edge Health: The ideal keto miso soup with a chicken recipe to cut carbs and eat more protein.
The Miso Soup Diet: A Word of Caution
If you search the internet in Japanese, you'll inevitably find information on "The Miso Soup Diet". According to registered dietician, Miwako Kojima, it's important to include three types of ingredients: protein, vegetables, and mushrooms or seaweed. While you may get some inspiration by learning more about the "Miso Soup Diet", it's important to consult your doctor.
Miso in Other Keto-Friendly Dishes
Miso can be used in other healthy dishes like salads and stir-fries to add flavor without additional carbs too!
Gluten-Free Miso Peanut Butter Cookies
Miso can even be added to desserts! This umami powered ingredient balances beautifully with all natural peanut butter’s earthy sweetness. Whether you're having some salty cravings, or looking for something sweet, these zero wheat peanut butter and miso cookies will be the cure. Miso is gluten free if it’s prepared safely! Make sure to use miso paste in a clean, gluten free environment. Make sure that the miso paste does not make contact with any utensil or cooking tool that has been in contact with gluten-containing grains. You can make gluten free miso paste with beans and fermented rice.