The Ikigai Diet

Both are powerful — but they're not the same. Discover which form of natto is right for YOUR health goal, and when to use each one. Most people think natto is natto. But whole natto beans and natto yogurt (nattogurt) deliver their natto benefits in very different ways — and choosing the wrong one for your goal could mean leaving results on the table. In this video, I break down exactly how they differ, and more importantly, how to match the right one to your body.

What you'll learn:
Why nattogurt is the "Liquid Warrior" for rapid muscle recovery and gentle digestion
Why whole natto beans are the "Fiber King" for autophagy, satiety, and maximum spermidine
Which one delivers nattokinase more efficiently — and why it matters for your cardiovascular health
The best time to eat each one for maximum natto health benefits

This isn't about which is better. Both belong in your Japanese longevity toolkit — the key is knowing WHEN to reach for each one.

Whole Natto or Natto Yogurt? Match the Right One to Your Body
https://youtu.be/yCIrvC7wii8

8 hours ago | [YT] | 2

The Ikigai Diet

Can you make natto yogurt using dairy milk? One of my viewers thought so — and they had a good reason. They'd heard that Dr. William Davis, author of Super Gut, had successfully fermented dairy milk using Bacillus subtilis. So naturally, they wondered: if it works for soy milk, why not dairy? I decided to test it. I fermented dairy milk with mugwort plants at 42°C for 24 hours — the exact same method I used to successfully make yogurt from soy milk. Same bacterium. Same temperature. Same duration.The result? I'm sharing it in this video. 👇And more importantly, I'm comparing my method side by side with Dr. Davis's approach — because the differences are revealing. They tell us something fundamental about Bacillus subtilis, about soybeans, and about why Japan has been fermenting with this bacterium for centuries.
Can Bacillus Subtilis Ferment Dairy Milk into Yogurt?
https://youtu.be/I0dz0st9QxE

4 days ago | [YT] | 7

The Ikigai Diet

Can you skip the natto beans entirely and still make probiotic yogurt from scratch? A viewer's question sent me straight to the kitchen. After sharing how I make natto yogurt using natto beans as a starter, one viewer wondered — since I usually make natto from wild plants, could I make natto yogurt the same way? It's a brilliant question, and in this video, I put it to the test. But before I reveal the result, I want to make sure everyone is on the same page — especially if you're new to this channel.

Here's what we cover:
🌿 Can you actually make natto from wild plants? The science behind why Bacillus subtilis lives on wild plants — and why that matters for probiotic yogurt
🌱 Which wild plants are best suited for natto making
⚖️ Wild plants vs. natto beans: A full comparison of three starters — store-bought natto beans, manufactured starter spores, and wild plants — including the advantages and disadvantages of each
🥣 The mugwort experiment: Can wild plants ferment soy milk into a thick, tangy probiotic yogurt without a single natto bean?

Why does this matter? Not everyone can get hold of natto or soybeans. But soy milk is sold almost everywhere — and if you have herbs growing in your garden, you now have everything you need to start your own probiotic yogurt practice at home. This is the Ikigai Diet philosophy: working with what nature provides, rooted in Japan's oldest fermentation traditions.

Can You Make Probiotic Yogurt from Wild Plants without the Natto Beans?
https://youtu.be/dchB2UV2TaE

1 week ago | [YT] | 7

The Ikigai Diet

A viewer asked a question I couldn't ignore — and it sent me straight to the kitchen to run a proper experiment. After sharing my natto yogurt results, one thoughtful viewer wondered: Is the coagulation really caused by live Bacillus subtilis? Or could it simply be preexisting protease enzymes on the surface of the natto starter doing all the work — no live bacteria required? It was exactly the kind of question that deserved a real answer. Not a guess. An experiment.The 60°C Test:


The logic was elegant in its simplicity:
Heat the soy milk to 60°C before adding the natto starter
At this temperature, natto bacteria become dormant — but protease enzymes remain fully active
If soy milk still coagulates → protease is responsible
If it doesn't → live natto bacteria are doing the work


So I ran the test.

Viewer Challenged My Natto Yogurt Science — Here's What the 60°C Test Revealed
https://youtu.be/0mqymbnX2Z8

1 week ago | [YT] | 5

The Ikigai Diet

What if the best probiotic yogurt you'll ever make uses just two ingredients — soy milk and a few natto beans? In this video, I'll show you how to make Natto Yogurt: a fermented soy drink powered by Bacillus subtilis, the bacteria behind natto's legendary protease — and why it delivers even more bioavailable protein than soy milk amazake. Most people discover natto for its nattokinase benefits. But here's what very few people talk about: natto bacteria produce a protease significantly stronger than koji. That means the soy protein in your soy milk gets broken down even further — into free amino acids your body can absorb almost immediately. This is why I upgraded my soy milk amazake ritual with natto yogurt. In Japan's longest-lived regions — Shiga, Nagano, and Okinawa — fermented foods aren't a trend. They're a daily habit passed down for centuries. Natto yogurt is my way of combining that wisdom with modern nutritional science to support gut health, protein absorption, and longevity.

🧬 What you'll learn in this video:

✅ Why natto bacteria produce a stronger protease than koji — and what that means for your muscles
✅ How natto yogurt compares to soy milk amazake for bioavailable protein
✅ The simple 2-ingredient recipe (no special equipment, ready in 24 hours)
✅ How to combine natto yogurt with other foods to optimize your protein bioavailability


Whether you're already making natto or just starting to explore fermented foods for longevity, natto yogurt is the next level upgrade.

Forget Soy Milk Amazake — Natto Yogurt Has Even More Bioavailable Protein
https://youtu.be/XNoOiMKT5Qw

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

The Ikigai Diet

After making brown rice Amazake and learning that protease in koji breaks down the protein in brown rice into amino acids, I came up with the idea of making Amazake with soy milk to increase the protein content. This is what happened.

Most People Waste 40% of Their Protein — Japan's Soy Milk Amazake Fixes This
https://youtu.be/wgHUWdA4djQ

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 6

The Ikigai Diet

Japan calls it the "Drinking IV" — an amazake drink so dense with life-sustaining nutrients it rivals a hospital drip for cellular nourishment. When you make it with brown rice, you add a powerful second layer: prebiotic fibers that feed your bifidobacteria, sharpen your brain, and keep your skin glowing well into your 60s and beyond.

In this video, I'll show you exactly how to make amazake at home — the same traditional Japanese fermented rice drink that the longest-lived people in Nagano and Kyotango have relied on for centuries.

In this video, you'll discover:
✅ What Amazake is and why it's a cornerstone of Japanese longevity
✅ Why it is called the "Drinking IV" — and the science behind it
✅ How it keeps us young in our 60s
✅ How to have Amazake for maximum benefit
✅ When to have Amazake during the day
✅ How to Make Brown Rice Amazake Step by Step

Whether you're new to the amazake drink or curious about how to make it at home, this video gives you everything you need to start today.

The 'Drinking IV' That Keeps Japan’s 60 Year Olds Young: Brown Rice Amazake
https://youtu.be/OKWPWA3pC-Q

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 15

The Ikigai Diet

Most koji pickling videos show you the Ziploc bag method. But there's a reason Japanese Shizenha people don't ferment in plastic — and it changes the results entirely.

In this video, I'll show you how to make koji fermented vegetables using a glass jar — a low-salt, high-enzyme method you'll rarely find.

While koji in miso and soy sauce is already powerful, koji fermented vegetables take it further. When vegetables ferment directly with koji rice, the enzymes are still at peak activity — giving your gut something miso simply can't match. And because koji pickling takes only a few days, you need far less salt than miso and soy sauce. This matters especially after 60.

In this video, you'll discover:
✅ Why Koji Fermented Vegetables Beat Miso for Gut Health After 60
✅ Where to Find Koji Rice
✅ A Glass Jar, Low-Salt Method (No Ziploc Needed)
✅ How to Make Koji Pickles Step by Step

This Japanese Koji Pickling Trick Beats Every Ziploc Recipe
https://youtu.be/V1KYp-nORDc

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

The Ikigai Diet

Most people chasing longevity focus on natto, yogurt, or kefir. But Japan's longest-lived people — in Nagano, Kyotango, and Okinawa — share one hidden ingredient they never skip. It's not a bacterium. It's not even classified as a probiotic. And yet, it's the invisible foundation of Japan's entire fermented food culture.
It's called koji.
Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is an ancient mold that has been quietly powering Japanese health for over 1,000 years. Unlike the bacteria in yogurt, kefir, or natto, koji works through an entirely different mechanism — it doesn't just add microbes, it transforms food at a molecular level, unlocking nutrients and producing bioactive compounds that no other fermented food can replicate.
Natto may be the king of fermented foods. But koji is the foundation. And without it, even natto can't reach its full potential.
The Koji Effect: Why Japan's Oldest People Never Skip This Food
https://youtu.be/gddlMTlpMZc

1 month ago | [YT] | 10

The Ikigai Diet

Most people think one probiotic food is enough. It's not — especially after 60.
Your gut microbiome changes dramatically as you age. The strains that kept you healthy in your 40s may no longer be sufficient. But there's one food combination that fills every gap.

Kefir is unlike any other fermented dairy. While regular yogurts typically contain one or two strains, kefir delivers a multi-strain probiotic profile that already creates remarkable microbial diversity on its own. So do you even need to rotate yogurts anymore?

Yes — but not for the reason you think. Because kefir, powerful as it is, is missing one critical strain that becomes increasingly vital after 60. That's where natto comes in. Together, they form what may be the most complete probiotic combination available through real food alone.

Why Kefir + Natto Beats All Other Probiotics After 60: The Multi Strain Secret
https://youtu.be/gOC-UyZu_lM

1 month ago | [YT] | 13