January is National Soup Month, and there really couldn’t be a better time of year to celebrate this wonderful food. It’s the perfect balm for all of the negatives that January can bring.
A typical January is cold and a little dreary, and it can feel like spring may never come. January can also be a month of poor mental and physical health: The light is low, most people spend a lot of time indoors, and worries about post-Christmas credit card bills can be high. New Year’s resolutions, especially those about exercise and healthy eating, may be at their breaking point. And January 2021 in particular brings its own additional layers of stress and worry, with stay-at-home orders, kids learning at home, and so much more.
Can soup save us from all of this? Well, no, it can’t. But it can help!
Here are some of the reasons why my family has been having soup almost daily this month!
- It’s quick and easy to make. If you’re pressed for time and concerned about making healthy meals, soup is the answer. Just about any combination of vegetables, meat or legumes, and seasonings can make a delicious soup. If you have a pressure cooking appliance like an Instant Pot or Ninja Foodie (our personal favourite!), cooking time can be even shorter. A quality blender like a Vitamix (we love ours!) makes the smoothest pureed soups you can imagine. And you can make large batches and store some in the freezer for busy days.
- Eating soup is an easy way to increase your intake of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Choosing healthy foods (including healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins) supports satiety, mood regulation, and healthy sleep patterns. Choosing healthy foods more often can also break the negative cycle caused by stress eating.
- Soups are hydrating. When you’re finding it challenging to get all of those daily glasses of water in, soup can be a way to give yourself some extra hydration.
- Soup just feels right in the winter. Warm, flavourful, soothing foods like soup are comforting when it’s cold outside. It’s the perfect food when you’re feeling under the weather. And soup is easy to eat and digest, and often very kid-friendly.
- Soup is budget-friendly. It can be filling and nutritious, especially when made with inexpensive nutritional powerhouses like beans and lentils, and it’s a great way to use up leftover meats and vegetables.
- Using bone broth can make soup even healthier. Using bone broth as a base will increase a soup’s vitamin, mineral, and amino acid content as well as its anti-inflammatory effects.
- Soups work beautifully with essential oils! Adding oils to your soup recipe can add tons of amazing flavour while helping to support your body systems. Essential oils can be an excellent source of antioxidants and provide a boost to healthy cell function, gastrointestinal health, and healthy immune function, as well as cleansing benefits. Try adding any of these oils, depending on the flavour profile of your soup:
- Turmeric
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Oregano
- Black Pepper
- Pink Pepper
- Lemon
- Thyme
- Ginger
- Coriander
- Fennel
- Lime
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Lemongrass
Here are some healthy and delicious soup recipes featuring doTERRA essential oils!
Coconut Lemongrass Red Lentil Soup:
https://wave0.doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipes-coconut-lemon-grass-red-lentil-soup
Italian Oregano Chicken Soup:
https://wave0.doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipe-italian-chicken-soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup:
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipes-roasted-butternut-squash-soup
Costa Rican Black Bean Soup:
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipes-costa-rican-black-bean-soup
