Miso soup in a macrobiotic Diet
including dietary guidelines for the tropics

Miso soup

Soup, in the context of a macrobiotic diet, usually refers to miso soup.

But it does not have to be. It could just as well be a soup flavored with shoyu or tamari / soy sauce, or some other seasoning such as umeboshi, a pickled sour plum. Or, it could be flavored with just plain sea salt.

It can even be a western-style “cream” soup, but prepared without milk or cream. For those in the tropics, a spicy Thai-style tom yam soup, or a soup prepared with coconut milk, is also in line with macrobiotic dietary recommendations.

Most of the time it would be a vegetable soup but an occasional fish or seafood soup is fine too. In fact, there is an excellent macrobiotic recipe for carp soup that is both delicious and nourishing. Called koi koku, this is highly recommended for people who are weak from illness as well as for women who have just given birth.

More about all these in another article later...

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Back to miso soup... For the uninitiated, miso is a fermented bean paste made from soy beans and salt. It is the Japanese version of what the Chinese call tau cheo, which can be just as good provided it is made the healthy way, using natural ingredients and following traditional production methods.

Miso soup is emphasised in the macrobiotic diet because it has many beneficial properties, including anti-cancer properties. A well-prepared miso soup will also enrich the intestinal flora of healthy bacteria and hence support immunity.

Thus, it is a good idea to drink miso soup on a regular basis, if not daily then at least several times a week.

Some macrobiotic people (as well as Japanese) start the day with a breakfast of miso soup, grains (usually cooked soft, as a porridge) and vegetables / pickles.

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Soup in the macrobiotic diet

The standard macrobiotic recommendation is for soup to make up about 5 percent of the total diet.

But there is no need to calculate exact percentages. In practical terms, this means having a small bowl of soup to go with your meals, two or three times a day. It is certainly better than taking your meal with a large glass of water.

Soups may be prepared with a few different vegetables, as well as with grains, beans or fish and seafood.

There is no real need to use any special soup stock, although it helps. As long as your soup contains enough ingredients and is not too watery, it will taste good.

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To make miso soup...

Start by preparing any soup that you know, or don't know. Just boil water, throw in two or three or four different types of vegetables... carrot, daikon, onion, pumpkin, cabbage, leek, green vegetables, mushrooms... whatever.

When the soup is almost ready, remove a small portion, dissolve miso into it and pour back into the pot. Use about 1 tsp miso per bowl. The taste should be light salty, not strong salty.

That's it. You have your miso soup!

Important: After adding miso, simmer gently for about 3 minutes, but DO NOT BOIL.

Gentle simmering stops the fermentation process, so that the miso will not continue to ferment – and produce gas – in your stomach and intestines.

However, the simmering heat is not strong enough to kill the friendly bacteria present in the miso. Thus, miso soup prepared in this manner will nourish you with beneficial friendly bacteria, which helps disgestion and enhances immunity.

SEAWEEDS, which are a rich source of minerals, including calcium.

Usually, wakame seaweed goes well with soup. This is the type of seaweed that you will find floating on top a bowl of miso soup if you eat in a Japanese restaurant.

Kombu or kelp is used in Japanese cuisine to make soup stock.

Do not use a lot. About 1-square inch or less of kombu or wakame seaweed per person per meal is about enough.



• GARNISHING such as finelly chopped spring onion, parsley, coriander and other herbs. These tend to “liven up” the soup as well as liven you up.
  
  From the macrobiotic perspective of yin and yang or expanding / contracting energy, green leaves have upward, outward energy and this helps to balance the more contracting energy of miso.

Light or white miso, made by 3 to 6 months of fermentation, may be enjoyed in hot climates such as the tropics, or during summer.