How to Cook Healing Soups: Introduction to a Poor Man's Diet Written by John Joseph Immel, Asheville, NC

About Making Soups

• Soups are the opposite of sandwiches. They are warm, hydrating, well cooked, and generally easy to digest.
• Soups should be served tepid around 101.5 degrees, the temperature of the stomach.
• Soups are very easy to cook. Although soups can simmer on the stove top for hours, the time investment in a soup is often the time to chop a carrot. Chopping a carrot takes even less time than buying processed food at a restaurant or grocery store.
• Soups are part of a 'poor man's diet.' Simple meals are good for health. Soups are the fallback food. Soups are restorative for stress, sickness, etc.
• If your digestion is compromised, avoid cream soups, soups with wheat based noodles in them, tomato based soups, and soups with chili peppers.
• Start your soup while cooking breakast in the morning. In my kitchen, by 8:30am all three meals are cooked and I'm free for the rest of the day.
• Generally, I cook a pot of rice alongside the soup. Click here to learn how to cook rice

Mistakes when making soup

• Not enough salt, oil, or cooking time
• Too many ingredients in the pot

Cooking (for 6 servings)

• 2tbsp oil, 1/2
• 3/4tsp salt in a large pot
• Choose 1-3 vegetables 1-2c of vegetable each.
• Add optional ingredients below.
• Add water to 2x height of vegetables
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover. Simmer until veggies are soft.

Optional Ingredients

• 1 protein: beans, fish, chicken or red meat
• Sweetener: raisins, dates
• Black or cayenne pepper
• Lemon or vinegar to make it sour
• 1-3 spices (such as cumin, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, etc)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Garnish with nuts or fresh herbs to taste.

Why Grandma Gives You Chicken Soup