I introduced R’s Koso (10% Off Code: YASUKO10) last week which is my new favorite for my gut health and weight control by doing occasional fasting. When you do fasting, the recovery food is super important because if you don’t do it right, you can have a rebound right away which I have done in the past.
This week I will show you my favorite Japanese recovery food after fasting called umenagashi that flushes out your intestine. It’s also good for constipation. I will also talk about natto because I had a request for it recently and it is also one of the recovery foods.
The first one is Umenagashi. Ume is a plum and nagashi means flush. For this ume refers to pickled plum called umeboshi which is very sour. It is so sour that if you ask Japanese to imagine eating umeboshi, they will start salivating like a Pavlov’s dog.
To make this dish I soak a seaweed over night to make a broth and cook cut up daikon radish until they are soft. I usually cook them for over an hour in a pot or Instant Pot was much quicker.
Then you put the soup and daikon radish with crushed umeboshi and drink the soup slowly as you eat the daikon and umeboshi slowly.
After about an hour to two hours, you will have a major flush that is rather an explosive one in the bathroom. I usually have this effect once but you can have it multiple times over the next several hours. For this reason, you should plan ahead and don’t do this when you know you have to go out. Or don’t go out if you are on this because it is likely that you will have a sudden urge.
It’s the best if you do this after fasting for a deep cleanse of your intestine. The fasting can be as short as one day or two days. But you can also consume this to combat constipation too. Daikon radish contains lots of insoluble dietary fibers which help to clean the intestine and increase good bacteria. Umeboshi or pickled plum contains citric acid that activates the movement of your intestine as well as increasing the good bacteria. Overdoing this would damage the intestinal wall so I wouldn’t do this like every day, maybe every other week or once a month. But everyone’s body is different so you may want to consult a specialist or do it at your own discretion.
The next one is natto because there was a request to cover it recently from a viewer and it is one of the recovery foods. Natto is a fermented soybean and it comes in a package like this. It often comes with a hot mustard and a sauce based on a soy sauce. It is sticky and slimy and it has a distinct pungent smell from fermentation. It’s one of those foods that smell awful but taste good and good for your health. At least I think it tastes good but there are many Japanese that can’t take it so it is definitely an acquired taste. Natto is rich in nutrients for a healthier heart, immune system and stronger bones besides being a source of protein and probiotics, the healthy gut bacteria.
I’ll show you how I like to eat it. I put both and add chopped green onions, and some bonito flakes, and takana pickled greens and mix until it’s fluffy and pour it over a bowl of rice.
Natto is something I eat on a regular basis. But when you eat natto, you will have slimy strings coming out of your mouth and you will be busy twirling your chopsticks to cut it. Let me know if you’ve ever tried natto and if you like it or dislike it. I’ll be very impressed if you can actually eat it if you didn’t grow up eating natto.
Massage Monday #542 Recovery Food after Fasting: Umenagashi & Natto http://bit.ly/mm-542