Men\'s Health Singapore - June 2017

N

Name a food you hate. Brussels
sprouts? Mustard greens?
Pickled herring, kimchi, fish
sauce, blue cheese? For me, it’s
natto, a Japanese fermented
soya bean dish with all the charm
of snot-covered peas.
Words like “sweaty feet,”
“vomit,” and “unwashed

TEXT

TREVOR CORSON

PHOTOS

TUUKKA KOSKI

STYLING

ANNA PIRKOLA

SOME OF THE FOULEST EDIBLES ARE THE BEST

FOR YOU. LEARN TO LOVE THEM.

The Hidden

Power Of

Funky Foods

genitals” have been employed

to describe it. But evidence

is mounting that natto, like

many foods with intense

flavours, bubbles over with

nutritional magic.

In 2015, an intrepid biologist

named Toshirou Nagai published

a review of natto’s health

benefits, including immune

system resilience. Other research

has shown that it may strengthen

your bones and reduce your risk

of stroke.

Meanwhile, Brussels sprouts

and mustard greens are

packed with disease-fighting

compounds. Pickled herring

harbours heart-healthy omega-

3 fatty acids. Kimchi, like many

other fermented foods,

promotes beneficial gut bacteria.

So the obvious: Why are

some healthy foods so repulsive?

And is it possible to learn to

like them? Can we learn to really

love natto?

NUTRITION

44 JUNE 2017 MENSHEALTH.COM.SG