Comfort foods

Comfort foods? Gotta Love them!

Chicken soup is an old staple that’s been around forever. The reason it has been around for so long is that it’s really good for you, and the benefits are not simply a placebo effect.

Consider the ingredients; water, chicken and vegetables. These are pretty fundamental and offer good amounts of nutritional value. Plus, if you amp it up a bit you can really reap some cool benefits.

For example, I found this recipe for chicken soup with yellow lentils on Dr. Joseph Mercola's website. He is an osteopathic physician and a natural health expert.

Ingredients

• 1 whole organic pasture-raised chicken, cut up (marinate overnight in lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jar crushed tomatoes (or substitute fresh)
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup yellow lentils, soaked overnight
• 4 cups chicken stock or bone broth
• ½ head medium cabbage, chopped OR ½ pound spinach
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Method

• Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil.
• Place chicken in pot and brown each side for 5 minutes.
• Remove and set aside.
• Place onions in the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.
• Add both vinegars, lentils, stock, and chicken.
• Simmer for 1 hour on low heat.
• Remove chicken and take off skin and bones.
• Return the chicken to the pot.
• Add the cabbage and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the garlic and spinach (if using).
• Cook for another 10 minutes.
• Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Nutritional benefits of chicken soup

Chicken is a good source of protein and B vitamins. Chicken also has necessary minerals like Zinc. Zinc has been proven to slow down viral replication, thereby shortening the duration of a cold.

Cabbage, garlic and onions contain a plethora of anti-inflammatory nutrients. Garlic is like mother nature’s antibiotic, antiviral and anti-fungal agent. Onions contain enzymes that help reduce fever by reducing inflammation in the body. Lentils give you additional protein, vitamins and minerals. Olive oil contains the omega oils we need. Tomatoes have plenty of nutrients that help fight inflammation due to viruses.

And finally, it just tastes good!

peace and love
Chuck.