5 Benefits to Eating Soup Year-Round
Nothing says ahhh … more than enjoying a bowl of homemade soup stock (soup made with bones) any time of year … not just Wintertime. The deep golden broth, colorful vegetables and meat so tender you barely need to chew. Hungry yet?!
Our grandmothers knew long before science proved it that it’s great for overall health. Soup stock, aka bone broth, made with fresh organic ingredients is so nourishing. It’s teeming with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, collagen, amino acids, fiber and more. All the things our modern, stressed-out bodies need!
If you’re new to making this type of soup, it’s easy! Get your organic ingredients, plan some time to prepare, and set aside a few hours to let it simmer slowly. Slow cooking makes all the difference! That’s how you get the nutrients out of the bones.
The true test of good soup stock is after it’s cooled. Stick a spoon into soup that’s been refrigerated overnight and if it remains standing up, it’s a winner!
So if that doesn’t convince you, here are 5 key nutritional benefits of soup stock. It’s …
- Immune boosting – who doesn’t need a proverbial shot in the arm from time to time. Stress wears you down and soup builds you up. And it’s anti-inflammatory!
- Soothing to the GI tract – it builds and repairs tissue, helping you heal or prevent a “leaky gut,” helps with food sensitivities and builds your good gut bacteria.
- Detoxifying to the GI tract and liver – metabolic waste, chemicals, toxins and heavy metals are swept away or chelated out, leaving you with more energy and a clean inner ecology.
- Providing building blocks for bones, joints and skin – it contributes to bone strength, joint suppleness and smooth skin, especially as you age. Athletes find it supportive too.
- Part of life’s simple pleasures - it helps you slowdown in this fast-paced world.
Making soup stock isn’t just a Wintertime activity; it can and should be enjoyed year-round. Nothing says “I love you” more than homemade soup stock. Show you and your family some love by making some this weekend. Your body, mind and soul will thank you.
And as an added bonus of making a large pot, there’s enough leftovers for a couple of meals, which means a quick supper some night this week. Plus it gets more flavorful when it's re-heated!
My favorite recipe is below ... make some and leave me a comment at www.sophozwellness.com/blog with your (and your family's) experience of it.
Healing Chicken Soup
Ingredients
4-5 pound whole organic chicken (another option: 2 organic turkey legs)
10 cups water
2/3 cup wild rice
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
2 Tablespoons Celtic or Himalayan salt
1 large onion diced
2 Tablespoons Mrs. Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar
about 6 stalks of organic celery (leaves are good to use too) diced
about 4 medium carrots peeled and diced
a handful of fresh parsley minced or 2 Tablespoons dried
Directions:
- In a large stock pot, start heating 10 cups of water on medium high heat. Add rice, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, onion and salt to the pot.
- While waiting for the water to come to a full boil, prep the chicken. Start by removing the neck and giblets from the cavity and set aside for later optional use. Next, wash the whole chicken well with clear, cool, running water. Rinse wing and leg joint areas well as this is where debris hides. Pull any stray feathers, etc. from the skin. Be sure to rinse the chicken cavity well also and remove any stray tissue that pulls up easily.
- Add the whole, well-rinsed chicken to the pot breast side down. Rinse the neck, heart and liver (that's the large, soft, reddish-brown organ) and add to the pot (optional). Throw away the gizzard (that's the firmest large organ). Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the raw apple cider vinegar. Cover and continue simmering for 2 hours.
- At the 2-hour mark, turn the whole chicken over gently with a fork so the breast side is up. Add the celery, carrots and parsley. Cover and simmer for 2 more hours.
- At the 4-hour mark, carefully remove the whole chicken (it may have broken apart some), neck, heart and liver and let cool on a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin, bones, etc., and dice the chicken meat. Return the chicken meat to the pot. Next, mash the liver with a fork, dice the heart into small pieces, remove any meat from the neck and add to the pot. Stir to check for any bone fragments left behind and remove.
- When serving or eating, remove the peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf and any bony fragments. Serves: about 10.
Notes: Neck, heart and liver are optional. These organs are highly nutritious and I encourage you to try it. They are not perceptible by taste or sight when mixed in the soup. The cider vinegar extracts the calcium and minerals from the bones. The meat must be organic so you don't eat contaminates.