LA has a $1.33 beauty secret.

When we first heard of natto (pronounced like "lotto"), we thought: No, no. It's fermented soybeans. Kind of the wine of the soy world. Or...the Roquefort. "An acquired taste," fans say.

But a Japanese friend tipped us off that it's her beauty secret. And studies suggest it may help prevent aging through its richness in a recently-discovered vitamin called PQQ. Our friend eats it at breakfast, with rice.

Problem is, most natto is shipped from abroad, frozen, defrosted and then left on the shelf, dulling its potency. Plus almost every brand contains MSG. But we kept looking...and discovered that Nijiya (in West LA, Torrance and Little Tokyo) carries an MSG-free, Cali-produced, non-GMO brand--never frozen, and very potent (remember: Roquefort). It's called Tezukuri Natto, and it's made in the wine country. Best of all, it's less than a buck and a half a serving (you get three per pack).

Guess you could say we've bean convinced.

Nijiya, locations here.