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I am always on the hunt for alkaline-forming foods and together with sea vegtables, miso is on the top ten list forming a ph of 8.5.

In Japan, miso soup and white rice make up the central dishes of the traditional Japanese breakfast. The soup has been a favourite of commoners and royalty alike for many centuries and is well known for its healing properties. It is believed to stimulate digestion, strengthen the quality of blood and lymph fluid and energize the body which many beneficial microorganisms, antioxidants and probiotics.

Miso is a paste made from soybeans, sea salt, koji (a mold starter), and often mixed with rice, barley or other grains. The mixture is allowed to ferment for up to 3 years, which produces an enzyme-rich food. The binding agent zybicolin in miso is effective in detoxifying and eliminating elements that are taken into the body through industrial pollution, radioactivity and artificial chemicals in the food system.

It can be prepared in several ways, depending on the style of soup. Japanese recipes usually call for most vegetables and meats to be cooked in the simmering stock, particularly mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, tofu, and fish. The miso is suspended separately in some dashi stock removed from the simmering mix, to keep the miso paste from cooking, which alters the flavour, kills beneficial bacteria, and reduces the health benefits of biologically active miso paste. When the vegetables are cooked, the stock is removed from heat, the miso suspension is added and mixed into the soup, any uncooked ingredients are added, and the dish is served.

The color of miso can vary from light yellow, good to use in a sweet miso soup during warm weather, to a deep dark brown with earthy tones and hearty flavour, which can be cooked with cubed root vegetables, wakame sea vegetable and dark leafy greens during the colder months. When cooking with miso use just enough to enhance flavour and avoid overpowering the dish with a strong salty taste.