By TS Douglas
No matter the season, it’s always best to pull from foods that are the most Fresh, Raw & Natural when preparing your meals. These “plant-specific” foods are the main sources of nutrients we need to maintain the health and wealth of what we are made of, cells (Douglas, 2021). So, as the temperature begins to fall with the leaves, we start to think more about our dietary plans for those winter meals that keep us warm, satisfied and healthy. The best recommended winter dishes we should lean towards the most during these cold months are… SOUPs. Soups can be extremely hearty when looking to fill up on plant-specific foods that warm your heart, body and soul. Soups are one of the most convenient foods you can have during any chilly day. Most of us get excited over the coming holiday dishes, but these Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts are the meals that tend to put on the pounds. They eventually leave us working hard to lose that happy-holiday weight with the turning of the New Year. Plant-specific soups are great because you can put almost any (and as many) kinds of edible, plant-specific foods in a pot of boiling water with some kind of beans, starchy vegetables, fresh herbs, spices and meat (preferably smoked)… mmm, yummy!
Because the word soup can be linked to the Latin term suppa which also comes from the word “sop” (Wikimedia, Inc., 2021), of course it goes very well with a nice piece of crusted-over bread to soak up the rich broth. Although the essence of soups is perceived as healthy, it only takes a few added ingredients to convert your hearty broth into an unhealthy porridge. Be careful of added dairy products, refined oils and fatty meats. At the same time, in order to increase the diversity of the nutrients, soups are best accompanied with a side of salad and cup of tea; brewed with fresh mint, ginger, turmeric, lemon and any other Fresh, Raw & Natural ingredient you enjoy. Whatever you decide to eat that warms you up this winter season, just be sure you’re pulling from mostly plant-specific foods to create your meals (F.R.N.’s Prospective 2022 MyPlate Design); this ensures you and your heart stays healthy.
Soups have been around since as early as 20,000 B.C. when water-proof containers, most likely made out of clay vessels (Wikimedia, Inc., 2021), were used for boiling large amounts of water filled with the available harvest. This pot of water-soluble, vegetable goodness has thus become a well-known staple that easily provides our bodies with necessary nutrients from plants. Soups are the most quick-and-easy complete meals you can make; you can literally throw it all in a pot, let it simmer for a good hour and enjoy. You can find amazing plant-specific recipes such as the Leeky Potato Soup (see below) in Real Women Cook cookbook (Moyo & Morgan, 2015, p. 30). These “Pot of Plenty” soup recipes are designed to be “tasty, filling and economical”; they also bring the family to the table. Check out Real Women Cook cookbook for more plant-specific recipes.