"Do you have any low-salt miso?" What a manager of an additive-free food store thought about miso and salt content.
"Do you have any low-salt miso?"
This is a question I am often asked at the miso counter.
"Because I want to cut down on salt."
"Because low-salt seems better for my health somehow."
There are quite a few people who look for low-salt miso for reasons like these.
Of course,it is important not to consume too much salt.
There is no doubt about that.
However, when it comes to miso,
"Miso = high salt content = bad for the body"
is an image that inevitably comes to mind first.
Actually, I used to think that way too.
Miso is a fermented food, so I want to have it every day.
But,
"Miso has a lot of salt, doesn't it..."
I had that nagging feeling.
What changed my way of thinking was a company study session.
One day, I had the opportunity to learn about miso and heard from a professional miso maker.
What I was taught there left a deep impression on me.
"It is wrong to simply think of the salt contained in miso the same way as table salt."
That was it.
"Oh, really?"
Honestly, that was how I felt.
From there, I looked into it myself.
Then,
"Miso is bad for you because it has a lot of salt"
I saw that it couldn't be explained by that alone.
This time, using the question I actually receive at the counter,
"Do you have any low-salt miso?"
as a starting point,
I will organize what I have learned about miso and salt content.
⸻
First of all, it is a fact that miso has a high salt content.
I will make this clear from the start.
Miso is a food that contains salt.
Therefore,
"You don't have to worry about salt if it's miso"
is not what I am saying.
In the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 Edition)," the target amount for salt equivalent for those 18 and older is,
👉 Men: less than 7.5g/day
👉 Women: less than 6.5g/day
It is set as follows.
Also, the salt equivalent aimed at preventing the aggravation of hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is set at less than 6.0g/day for both men and women.
The Japanese Society of Hypertension also recommends a salt reduction of less than 6g per day for people with hypertension.
So,
"Salt reduction is not necessary"
is not what I am saying.
This is important.
⸻
Then why can't we just say "Miso = salt = bad"?
This is the part that interested me the most this time.
Miso contains salt.
However, miso is not just eating "salt."
It is a food made by fermenting and aging soybeans, rice, barley, etc., as raw materials through the action of microorganisms.
In other words,
"A food that contains salt"
isn't it a bit reckless to evaluate all of miso based on that one aspect?
I started to think that way.
And when I actually looked into the research, there were even more interesting results.
⸻
"Drinking miso soup = blood pressure rises" was not the case.
There is a study published in 2017 targeting Japanese people.
It is a study that investigated the relationship between the frequency of drinking miso soup and blood pressure, etc., in 527 people aged 50 to 81.
When we divided them into 4 groups based on the frequency of drinking miso soup,
no clear negative association was confirmed between the frequency of drinking miso soup and blood pressure.
What I want to be careful about here is that
"it was proven that drinking miso soup lowers blood pressure"
is not what this study is about.
At most,
"a simple relationship where people who drink more miso soup have higher blood pressure" was not confirmed in this study.
That is what it is about.
This difference is important.
⸻
There was an even larger study.
In a study published in 2018,
25,738 Japanese people aged 20 and over
were targeted to investigate the relationship between soy sauce and miso intake and blood pressure.
As a result,
no clear association was confirmed between miso or soy sauce intake and blood pressure.
Also, when simply aggregated for women, there was a tendency for those with higher intake to have a higher rate of hypertension, but when factors such as age were adjusted, that association was not confirmed.
Of course, this is not proof that "miso lowers blood pressure" either.
Since this study is a cross-sectional study, it does not directly prove cause and effect.
But,
"Miso has salt"
=
"Eating miso raises blood pressure"
I felt that we need to be cautious about thinking simply like that.
⸻
"There is salt" - you cannot talk about food with just one piece of information.
Furthermore, in a review summarizing studies on miso soup,
the possibility that the effect on blood pressure, etc., is not necessarily the same as when consuming the same amount of salt as the salt contained in miso
is being examined.
Miso contains various components other than salt.
There are also components created by fermentation.
Therefore,
👉"Because it has X grams of salt, this food is bad for the body"
it is difficult to judge food by just one number.
This also connects to the previous talk about "additive-free is safe."
Food is,
you cannot judge it by just one word.
⸻
Just because of that, it doesn't mean "Miso is a health food, so you can eat as much as you want."
I definitely want to write this here.
After reading this article,
"Then I don't have to worry about salt in miso!"
Please do not think that.
That is not what I am saying.
Excessive salt intake is clearly recognized as being associated with hypertension, etc., and salt reduction is important.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also states that excessive salt intake affects hypertension.
Therefore,
those who need to reduce salt should properly reduce salt.
This is a major premise.
Especially for those who have been instructed by a doctor or registered dietitian to restrict salt, I think it is better not to change it on your own judgment.
On top of that,
"Because miso has salt, I will avoid miso itself"
I don't think it is necessary to go that far.
That is what I think.
⸻
I have come to think about it in terms of my "entire diet."
I myself used to worry about the salt content in miso.
Miso is a fermented food, and I want to consume it every day.
But I would think,
"It has a lot of salt..."
However, when I looked back at my own eating habits,
I started to think that there is no need to single out misoand worry about it.Since I only eat one meal a day, I consider the total amount of food I consume.
Of course,
"Because I only eat one meal a day, salt is not an issue"
is not what I mean.The required amount and health condition differ from person to person.
That is precisely why,
👉
instead of looking only at miso, look at your entire daily diet.I believe this way of thinking is important.For example,
I drink miso soup.
In exchange, I cut back on high-salt seasonings in other dishes.
On days when I have a lot of processed food or eat out, I make my other meals a bit lighter.
By doing that,
you balance your entire diet.
I think that is easier for some people to continue without strain.⸻
In the first place, should you choose miso based solely on "low salt = correct"?
This is something I feel precisely because I stand on the sales floor.
There are just so many types of miso.
Rice miso.
Barley miso.
Soybean miso.
Mixed miso.
Sweet.
Salty.
Red miso.
White miso.
Naturally brewed.
Quickly brewed.
There really are many kinds.
Therefore,
rather than looking at "whether it is low salt" first,
if it were me, I would first ask,
👉
"What will you use it for?"Is it for miso soup?
Is it for pork miso soup?
Is it for stir-fried miso dishes?
Is it a secret ingredient for cooking?
Do you use it every day?
Do you use it occasionally?
The way you choose changes depending on the purpose.
As I wrote in the previous article,
even if asked "Which one do you recommend?"
I cannot recommend the same miso to everyone.Food is,
is it suitable for that person's life?
I believe it only becomes a choice once you think that far.⸻
Low-salt miso is also one option.
Having written this much,
you might think, "So, is low-salt miso unnecessary?"
That is not the case.
Low-salt miso is, of course, one of the options.
Especially,
for those who need to reduce their salt intake, it is important to reduce salt from all food.However,
rather than choosing just because "low salt seems healthier somehow,"👉
How much salt do I consume in a day?👉
Besides miso, from what other foods do I get salt?👉
What will I use that miso for?Try thinking that far.
I think that is a more realistic way to choose food.
⸻
What triggered me to start thinking about miso.
Hearing stories from professionals at a study session.
That was a major trigger for me.
Until then,
"If it has a lot of salt, it's better to reduce it as much as possible."
I thought about it to that extent.
But I started to think,
"Is that really all there is to it?"
And I looked into the research myself.
Then,
it is a fact that miso contains salt.But,
"Miso = high salt = bad for the body"I also realized I couldn't simply conclude that.
I understood both of these things.
⸻
It is not a binary choice of "to reduce salt or not."
This is what I felt most after researching this time.
Salt is important.
Not consuming too much is also important.
But,
"It's good because it's low salt" or "It's bad because it has salt"
there is no need to think about food only in those two choices.
Miso has the appeal of being a fermented food.
It also has the role of making food delicious.
And above all,
it is a food that has been on our daily dining tables for a long time.
That is why, when I choose miso,instead of just looking at "whether it is low salt or not,"
👉 What will I use it for?
👉 How much will I use?
👉 How are the other meals?
👉 Is it suitable for me and my family?
I want to think that far.
In the end,
it is not just "what to eat," but "how to construct the entire meal."
I think that is what it is.⸻
And this is not just a story about miso.
It's safe because it's additive-free.
It's safe because it's domestic.
It's safe because it's organic.
It's safe because it's low salt.
It's safe because it's naturally brewed.
All of these,
are important as a single piece of information.
But,
that alone does not determine the quality of food.
This is the way of thinking about choosing food that I, who have worked at an additive-free food store, have gradually acquired.
That is why today, on the sales floor,
rather than "what to buy," I convey the way of thinking of "how to choose."
⸻
[Next time preview]
Having written this far, I have started to think for myself,
"So, what can store staff do from now on?"
If you ask AI, you can get product knowledge immediately.
You can also see reviews.
You can compare products.
Even so, when I stand on the sales floor every day,
"There are still things that only store staff can do." I feel that way.
To search together for what the customer is truly looking for.
Not to force "recommendations" on them, but to convey perspectives for choosing.
To check things I don't know with AI or manufacturers and deliver accurate information.
And,
not "If you buy this product, it's the right answer," but "To become able to choose what suits you yourself"
to provide that kind of help.
Next time, I will delve a little deeper,
"What kind of store staff are those who won't lose to AI?"
with the theme of
what store staff can do in the coming era.
And, what only store staff can do.
I will think about this as a manager of an additive-free food store.
From "someone who has knowledge"
to "someone who enables others to choose."
How will the value of store staff change from now on?
I will try to put it into words in my own way.
[Related Articles]
👉 The story of when I worked as a manager of an additive-free food store and it was honestly tough (paid)
Even though it was supposed to be "for health,"
it became painful.
I am writing about the quite realistic stories
I have seen on the sales floor👇
※ About this article
This article summarizes what I, working in the field of food sales, have thought about, referring to research and public documents on miso and salt.
This is not an article showing that eating miso lowers blood pressure or that salt reduction is unnecessary.
If you have been instructed by a doctor to restrict salt intake due to blood pressure or kidney disease, please prioritize the instructions of your primary care physician or registered dietitian over general information.
⸻
The evidence section this time is used as material to cast doubt on the simplification that "miso is bad because it has a lot of salt." Many of the studies are observational studies or reviews, and they do not prove a causal relationship that "you will be healthy if you drink 1-2 cups of miso soup every day." Not being ambiguous about that is the most important part of this article.
Main materials referenced
* Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 Edition)" — Target amount of salt equivalent for adults, as well as less than 6g for the prevention of hypertension and CKD aggravation.
* Japanese Society of Hypertension "Let's reduce salt!" — Thinking about salt reduction in hypertension prevention and treatment.
* Ito et al., Internal Medicine (2017) — Cross-sectional study on miso soup intake frequency and blood pressure, etc.
* Okada et al., Nutrients (2018) — Cross-sectional study on miso and soy sauce intake and blood pressure in 25,738 Japanese people.
* Ito, Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine (2020) — Review on miso soup intake and blood pressure, etc.