Do you find the winter months difficult? Up here in Canada, where the winters can be dark and cold for months on end, staying warm and feeling amazing can be challenging. We are naturally in a hibernation mode, so nothing feels quite as right as curling up on the couch with some comfort food and Netflix (or an epic novel). I have spent years doing this and the end result is not always so pretty.
But I have found a way to hibernate with grace and ease, and it always ends in feeling great and looking amazing. And it is so easy – only one simple step. Soup. My best winter beauty secret ever.
Why is soup so great?
- The Clear Skin Diet includes a lot of vegetables, and naturally that translates into a lot of salads in the warmer months. But salads are not always as palatable in the winter months, which is why soup is so great. Soup can be jam-packed with all the vegetables that you desire, they are easily digestable and taste great. An added bonus is that if you simmer the soup for a few hours, instead of rushing it through with a hard boil, the vitamins and minerals of the vegetables will be preserved. A crock pot is a great way to do this!
- Soup is naturally an immune-booster, especially if you use home-made or organic chicken broth. In addition, you can include garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms, astragalas, and practically any other immune-boosting vegetable, herb or spice to make your soup into a medicinal experience. Doing this all winter long will help protect you from the nasty winter viruses.
- Soup is liquid based, which means that it helps to flush the digestive system and body. Adding in detoxifying vegetables, such as leeks, onions, dandelion greens, swiss chard, kale, cruciferous vegetables, etc. will help your body flush toxins out of your body. This is especially great when you suffer from acne.
- Ancient healing cultures have always advocated eating with the seasons. This means that warmer foods are consumed in the cooler months and cooler foods are consumed in the warmer months. This helps promote health and balance in the body. Soup is the perfect warming food for the winter months.
- And, of course, convenience is a major selling point. If you are using a crock pot, simply dump your broth, veggies and herbs in the crock pot in the morning, set it on low and done. As a mom with two busy boys, I love shoving them a bowl of soup whenever they are hungry: after school, hockey or karate – the soup is always warm and ready in the crock-pot. And because there are an endless variety of soups that can be made, there is never a reason for them to be bored.
