I love to incorporate soups all year round and especially this time of year I regularly cook my granny’s immune-boosting soup! It’s great for evening meals in particular, as the body particularly wants warm foods in the evening, supporting your digestive system.
Have you heard the saying ‘nothing after raw after 4’? This is because after a long day of digesting, by the time it gets to the evening your digestive system needs a little help. Having warm meals supports your digestion, thus boosting the absorption of vitamins, phytos (carotenoids, flavonoids, and isoflavones) and nutrients and therefore supporting your immune system.
It’s ok to have salads at night but I don’t suggest ending the day with a big salad but more of a side salad with a warm meal.
Avoid Starvation Mode and have with Immune-Boosting Soup for Dinner
If you choose to incorprotate soup as part of a detox or cleanse you need to be mindful of your blood sugar levels. Your blood sugar levels need to be ‘parented’ (like a small child) with a regular routine, so the body knows it can trust you and burn fat, absorb nutrients and feel safe that starvation mode is not about to come out of the left field.
If you allow yourself to slip into starvation mode this encourages the body to hold onto excessive waste and toxins for the body defaults into emergency/survival mode. I see so many clients each week who even have low vitamin & mineral levels simply because they watch, think or are exposed to stressful situations around mealtime so all the blood shunts to the arms and legs and away from digesting their food.
Create Peaceful Mealtimes and Snack In Between
It is best to eat every four hours, drink 2L of water (mainly away from meals) and create peaceful mealtimes. Choose to listen to music, watch a comedy, chat with someone positive and uplifting and don’t watch the news, as stressful environments lead to poor absorption, which leads to deficiencies and therefore a weakened immune system.
I make and drink our Rejuv Wellness Water all day, and as an afternoon snack, I have one of our Rejuv Muffins with a cup of tea. This way I enter into dinner time feeling balanced mind and body so as not to feel the desire to overeat.
Particularly if I prepared my granny’s immune-boosting soup or started slow cooker that morning then dinner has cooked itself and it is so warming and delicious. It’s ok to have salads at night but I don’t suggest ending the day with a big salad but more of a side salad with a warm meal.
Why Chicken Soup is Good for the Body (and Soul)
All soup is beneficial but a bone broth or chicken soup is particularly healing for chicken is high in the amino acid called cysteine that is released when the soup is made. This amino acid thins mucus in the lungs, aiding in the healing process, clearing airways, hydrate and easing nasal congestion. So it’s great to heal and protect you from any virus. Then add in all the veggies packed with vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients and you have yourself a healing super meal right there!
With the holidays coming I always sew into my immune system this time of the year and eat more soups and drink more warm liquids.
Foundational Immune Boosting Supplements
I also make sure my foundational supplements are in place from our Immune Boost Pack. Health is the new wealth after all and it is more than ever for us to be vigilant at supporting our immune system.
I also load on these formulas in my Immune Boost pack with 2 before each meal 3 x a day, for 3-5 days and viruses tend to lose their grip. My patients and my kids report feeling better over a short period of time and not slipping into a suppressed immune state, that can take months to recover from.
My Granny’s Immune-Boosting Soup
Here is the recipe for my favourite soup. To make it vegetarian, add lentils instead of the organic chicken. I’ve been using this recipe for years and it was handed down to me by my granny who recently turned 95 so it obviously works.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 onions
- 6 cloves garlic or
- 1 thumb ginger
- 3 stalks of celery or
- 3 carrots
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 courgettes (zucchini)
- 1 cup of peas
- Whole organic chicken
- 2 cups of lentils
- herbs and seasonings
Making My Granny’s Soup
This flavourful soup starts with sautéing onion, garlic and ginger with avocado or light olive oil (for cooking) oil until tender, fragrant and golden. I then mix up 3 spoons of vegan bullion stock into boiling water and fill up a stainless steel soup pot, or my ceramic slow-cooker, with boiling water.
Next, I add my lentils or organic whole chicken. I leave this to simmer for 1 hour and then add in all my veggies. I add my veggies at the start if I’m pushed for time.
Simmer the ingredients for at least 4 hours. If it’s the chicken version, I tear off all the chicken and remove the bones. I puree the soup with my hand blender if you have fussy eaters. If not, serve as is and garnish with pumpkin seeds, garlic, ginger, sauerkraut and cayenne pepper – delicious!
The Millie Mackintosh Edition of this Chicken Soup
One of my clients, Millie Mackintosh did her version of this soup by adding 1 head of Pak Choi and 3 leeks (see her Instagram Reel below). If you follow her recipe, add the leek and Pak Choi as you add the carrots and celery.
Nutrition & The Seven Pillars of Wellness
Everything we do at Rejuv Wellness evolves around your Seven Pillars of Wellness. The 7 Pillars are crucial for you to have a healthy immune system. We recommend a regular review to remove your toxic load, rebuild your health and restore you to your best health and wellness. The Seven Pillars of Wellness are; sleep, movement, environment, nutrition, mindfulness, body balance & supplementation.
Review Your Wellness Pillars In 5 Minutes
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