Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

3

I avoid soy however this is fermented soy. It seems to have some amazing properties. Does fermenting make it safe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto

edited Dec 19 2011 at 6:57

asked Dec 19 2011 at 6:48

Eric
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Travis Culp · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-19 18:52:10Z UTC

I used to eat it a couple times a day and actually enjoy it. I used to order it in sushi restaurants sometimes and the chefs will ask me if I'm part Japanese/crazy. A few of them said they think it's disgusting. The fermentation process will remove a lot of the bad stuff, but the goitrogens remain, though that would only really impact the iodine absorption from the meal it's a part of (i.e. sushi, which is why I don't order it anymore). I'm kind of skeptical about such huge daily loads of MK-7, PQQ and who knows what other compounds are present after the fermentation process. Once in a while's probably better than not, but a 100g a day might be inadvisable. Difficult to say.

a tricksty trickster · Answer 2 · 2011-12-19 07:38:48Z UTC

Yes, I would eat it for the Vitamin K2. But I'd also it because I like asian bean desserts, and all that stuff westerner's hate, so I know I'd love Natto too ;-D
I also eat tamari, which is fermented soy. Ofcourse, it would be better if it's REAL tamari done the old fashioned way, but I don't eat it that often anyway.

I'd probably eat it sparingly.
But anyway, if I were in Japan, I'd rather eat all the raw fish I could get my hands on.

Jan · Answer 3 · 2011-12-19 07:39:06Z UTC

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Sure. i never even seen a box of natto in my area. I even thought of making my own, if i could source the starter culture.

answered Dec 19 2011 at 7:39

Jan
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Nate · Answer 4 · 2011-12-19 07:58:13Z UTC

It is disgusting. I lived in Japan for 3 years, love 99% of Japanese foods, but could not stand the taste (or smell) of Natto. It smells like a 3 week old pile of rotting garbage on a sweltering summer afternoon in Naples, and tastes like a worm-filled bass raised in an Ozark septic tank that has been left to sit for far too long in a kimchi pot tucked under one of Rosie O'Donnell's fat rolls. But, to each their own! :)

rafi · Answer 5 · 2011-12-19 07:58:30Z UTC

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I tried it from a local japanese grocery. The taste is ok with mustard but the texture is pretty disgusting. It's like someone spooged all over it.. weird sticky strands, etc. I can't make that a recurring event in the break-room at work. People would get the wrong idea.

I should mention that I have no sense of smell (anosmia) so I can't speak to that complaint.

answered Dec 19 2011 at 7:58

rafi
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	I also have anosmia so the smell doesn't deter me, but the texture sounds absolutely gross. – henny Dec 19 2011 at 15:21
	interesting! has it been lifelong? i've never had a sense of smell - neither did my father or his father. my son and daughter both do though. – rafi Dec 19 2011 at 18:07
	No- I got it after a head injury. I guess I was lucky to lose my sense of smell- the other option was motor control. – henny Dec 19 2011 at 18:49

Sara S. · Answer 6 · 2011-12-19 14:52:00Z UTC

Maybe I am the only one, but I love the taste of natto. And eating it made me feel good, like an endorphin release. I haven't eaten it since going paleo, but if I found myself at a sushi place that served it, I would probably try it again to see how I feel eating it.

Hanne · Answer 7 · 2011-12-19 14:53:37Z UTC

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NO WAY! it's SOY and GLUTEN!! I don't care if it's fermented or God sent, I avoid soy and gluten at all cost. I think it's one of the biggest evils in our food source.

answered Dec 19 2011 at 14:53

Hanne
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	There is no gluten in natto. – Jan Dec 19 2011 at 15:11
	Eat carbs. Avoid cars. – thhq Dec 19 2011 at 15:43
	huh? Did I miss something? cars vs carbs? Are you joking about avoiding carbs and eating cars? – Lady_Arwen Dec 19 2011 at 18:07
	I'm pulling the leg of someone who's over the top with their avoidance behavior.... – thhq Dec 19 2011 at 18:21
	As a walker, I consider car avoidance to be basic for survival on my morning hunt-and-gather trips. I wish I had eyes in the back of my head sometimes. – thhq Dec 19 2011 at 18:27

thhq · Answer 8 · 2011-12-19 15:41:45Z UTC

My first encounter with natto was with Japanese salesman who were playing the "Will Mikey eat it?" game with the Americans. Each of us ate our bowl, with the raw egg on top. Tastewise it's very bland, but the smell and stringy snottiness are a little different. I eat it when I find it, usually on sushi, but I don't find it very often.

This is the first time I've heard about it being an amazing food. I'll give it a little more respect than miso or tofu.

Nattō - Would you eat it?

8 Answers