Autumn Soup’s ON!
How to Boost the Benefits of your Soup
The air is cooling off and the body is craving warmth. Warming foods are often those most available in the Fall and Winter months: squashes, potatoes, yams, root vegetables and many spices. There’s a reason our bodies crave these foods: they are usually denser, richer in fats and calories, and tend to break down slowly in the digestive tract, releasing a steady flow of energy and raising internal body temperatures.
Use good quality oil: For most oils, their beneficial compounds are destroyed once they are heated; this turns them rancid and encourages formation of free radicals. The best oils to use for cooking are coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or organic butter.
Use beneficial herbs and spices: Boosting soups with immune enhancing herbs and spices not only ups the health benefits, but adds delicious flavor and warmth. Best fall herbs and spices: garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, curry, cinnamon, cloves, ginseng and fennel.
Use homemade veggie stock or bone broth: Homemade is always best: you know where your ingredients came from, when it was made, how it was stored, and made by YOU = made with LOVE.
Use organic ingredients: Reducing the amounts of pesticides and herbicides in your diet and in your life, is always beneficial. Choose organic and locally grown as much as possible.
Add greens: An easy way to boost nutrient and antioxidant content: most are rich in vitamins A, C, K, and calcium. Once your soup is done, turn off the stove and add a few handfuls of your favorite greens. They will wilt in no time and can be added to any soup.
Store properly and try to avoid re-heating: To avoid any leaching of chemicals into your yummy creations, always store soups in glass containers or mason jars. If freezing, make sure to leave at least 1 inch at the top of your jar to avoid cracking. When re-heating your soups, do this at a medium temperature in order to preserve as many nutrients as possible. Boil for only a few minutes; the longer a soup is on boil, the more nutrients are destroyed. OR…try your soup cold, you may be surprised!