Miso: The Spring Superfood

I’ve been cooking with miso fairly compulsively lately, and not just because it’s delicious. It’s also an extremely useful food. Here is a brief list of some of the benefits of fermented miso*:

• May reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Lowers LDL cholesterol
• It's probiotic-- meaning it helps to improve intestinal health
• Helps reduce menstrual crams (I KNOW!)
• Is high in anti-oxidants, and is often called the "anti-aging" food

What’s not to love?? In addition to all of its benefits, it’s also a really easy food to keep around. I just keep it in a ziplock container in my freezer and toss it into salad dressings, marinades, or soups when the mood strikes me. YUM.

 

Miso Marinade:

¼ cup white miso

½ cup water

1 inch ginger root, minced (I just use my microplane)

3 garlic cloves, minced (again, microplane to the rescue)

Chopped shallots if you’ve got them

I’ve used this on chicken, shrimp, calamari, and scallops—but I’m guessing it would also be awesome on tofu or pork. You can sauté , bake, or even grill. It’s AMAZING.

*While naturally fermented soy is extremely beneficial, unfermented soy, or chemically-fermented soy is another story. Make sure to read the label!

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15 yoga classes in 15 days for $15, or 30 yoga classes in 30 days for $30! Tejas, Jim Bennitt and James Tennant's south loop studio is an amazing place to practice, and for this price you could go only twice and still save money. If you work in the loop, it's probably an easy hop, skip and jump from your office.

Restorative (Gasp!) Yoga

Listen, I get it. You feel like if you’re going to commit to 90 minutes of yoga, you should sweat and burn calories and stand on your head. And most of the time, I feel that way myself.  But sometimes you really, really owe it to yourself to practice something gentle, soothing, and healing. And that, my friends, is where restorative yoga comes in.

Restorative yoga is a type of therapeutic yoga that utilizes props, gravity, and stillness to help yogis surrender into protected and integrated postures. That is a really complicated way of saying that it is a really relaxing, safe, and yummy type of yoga.

If you’ve never taken a restorative class, I highly encourage it. And if you suffer from weird, puritanical American workout guilt, just run around the block before you go in or something—whatever it takes.

If, however, you don’t have access to restorative classes, or you don’t have time, here are a few poses that are really simple to do at home that you will absolutely love. (trust)

Viparita Kirani

We do this one in my class a lot—for good reason. It’s technically an inversion, so you get all the great benefits from doing handstands or headstands, but it’s much more relaxing. And, really, you don’t have to wear a green full body leotard. Just scoot your bum as close as you can to the wall and swing your legs straight up. If you have a bolster or cushion around, slide it under your butt and relax...

 

Supta Baddha Konasana

This is a variation on bound angle pose that uses a strap and (optional) cushions for your back. In seated baddha konasana, loop a strap around your lower back, over your knees, and under your feet. Then lay back and enjoy.

 

Supported Savasana

This posture is great in general, but especially if you’ve ever felt any low back discomfort during savasana. You can use a cushion, a rolled up mat, or even a rolled up blanket to elevate the knees. Mmm….