The
healing power of soup: something that both scientists and grandmothers
can agree on. From helping you lose weight to warming you up from the
inside out to boosting your immunity, soup is a winter staple that you
shouldn’t be without.
An
ancient Chinese proverb states that a good doctor uses food first, then
resorts to medicine. A healing soup can be your first step in
maintaining your health and preventing illness. When you slowly simmer
foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic
properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the food
and making it easier for your body to assimilate the nutrients.Here are
soup suggestions that will keep you in tip-top shape all winter long.
1. Immune-Boosting Soup
Your
immune system needs a lot of minerals to function properly and the
typical Western diet does not always hit the mark. Keep in mind that
boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook
soup over a low heat.
Simmer
these ingredients for 30 minutes to 1 hour: cabbage, carrots, fresh
ginger, onion, oregano, shiitake mushrooms (if dried, they must be
soaked first), the seaweed of your choice, and any type of squash in
chicken or vegetable stock. Cabbage can increase your body’s ability to
fight infection, ginger supports healthy digestion, and seaweed cleanses
the body. Shiitake mushrooms contain coumarin, polysaccharides and
sterols, as well as vitamins and minerals that increase your immune
function; the remaining ingredients promote general health and
wellbeing. Eat this soup every other day to build a strong and healthy
immune system.
2. Winter-Warmer Hearty Soup
You
always want to eat for the season, and warm soup provides what the body
craves in cold weather. When you simmer foods into a soup, you are
adding a lot of what Chinese nutrition would call “warming energy” into
the food. Warming foods to feature in your soups include: leeks, onions,
turnips, spinach, kale, broccoli, quinoa, yams, squash, garlic,
scallions, and parsley. As a spice, turmeric aids with circulation, a
great boost against the cold weather.
3. Detoxifying Broth
As
a liquid, soup is already helping you flush waste from your body. When
you choose detoxifying ingredients, such as the ones featured in the
recipe below, you are really treating your body to an internal cleanse.
This broth supports the liver in detoxification, increases circulation,
reduces inflammation, and replenishes your body with essential minerals.
Simmer
the following detoxifying foods for 1 to 2 hours over a low flame:
anise, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, cilantro, collards,
dandelion, fennel, garlic, fresh ginger, kale, leeks, shiitake
mushrooms, mustard greens, daikon radish, seaweed, turmeric, and
watercress. Strain to drink as a broth, or if you prefer, leave the cut
vegetables in tact and enjoy a bowl.
You
can be very creative when making soup, and the above recipes are just
guidelines. The sky is the limit, so feel free to play with the
ingredients and methods. Note: It is always best to serve soups fresh – for each day it spends in the fridge, the therapeutic value decreases.
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