By Katja Heino 41 Comments
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Detox Cabbage Soup

Name: Detox Cabbage Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee (or any healthy fat of choice); 1/2 of a small cabbage, sliced thinly (about 4 cups packed); 3 stalks of celery, chopped; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1/2-1 tsp grated fresh ginger; 2 and 1/2 cups of good quality broth (bone broth or veggie broth); 1 cup chopped or shredded leftover chicken (or any meat that you like); fresh cilantro for garnish

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No, I’m not going to suggest that you eat nothing but cabbage soup for the next week. I’m just sharing one way that I have been loving up my liver while I heal.

In my opinion, cabbage is a very underrated vegetable. Most people don’t know what a powerhouse of a food it really is. I’ve been eating it on the regular this winter to help with my healing process.

Did you catch my latest update on things I’ve learned from having a chronic illness? If you did, you know that I’m working on getting my liver back in shape so it can do it’s job of helping my body detoxify all of the crap that’s in our environment these days. And this soup is LOADED with all the liver healing foods.

I’m not big on doing hardcore cleansing. I find it best to be supporting the body’s natural detoxifications methods on a daily basis. I like to think of it as self-care for the liver, kidneys, and digestive tract. The body has intuitive wisdom on how to bring itself back to health. But because our environment is more polluted then ever, we just have to help it along a bit.

What makes is Detox Cabbage Soup so awesome:

Cabbage: is a sulfur-rich, cruciferous veggie that increases the production of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, and stimulates the production of glutathione for liver cleansing, meaning that it helps your liver break down toxins so they can be more easily expelled It also has diuretic properties help rid your body of excess liquid, carrying toxins along with it.

Celery: has been shown in research to improve liver function, which can increase your body’s own detox capacities long term. It also helps rebuild HCL (hydrochloric acid) in your gut, which is crucial for fully digesting your food and absorbing important nutrients. It is a mild diuretic for kidneys to help excrete toxins. It helps reduce inflammation in the body. It also has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Garlic: is sulfur-rich like cabbage, making it awesome for supporting detox in the liver. It also has immune-boosting and antibacterial properties.

Ginger: stimulates digestive acids and secretions, helping the digestive tract do it’s job. It improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. Proper digestion and regularity is crucial for detoxification.

Cilantro: contains an abundance os anti-oxidants, protecting the body against damage caused by free radicals. It supports efficient digestion, by helping to produce digestive enzymes that aid in the breakdown of foods. It has also been shown to bind to heavy metals, loosening them from tissue, and facilitating their elimination from the body.

This soup is super simple to to throw together. Just a few simple ingredients: cabbage, celery, chicken, broth, garlic, ginger, and salt. I add a bit of fresh cilantro for garnish. It’s ready in about 20 minutes. It makes 2-3 servings.

I’ve also made this soup with ground beef and ground turkey. Whatever you have on hand works great. Add a 6 minute egg. It’s delish. You can leave out the meat if you want. I just prefer to eat nutrient-dense foods, especially since I’m in heal mode over here.

And you don’t have to be struggling with chronic illness to reap the benefits of this soup. No matter who you are, your liver and your body need a bit of help detoxifying and working properly. I like to use food as my medicine whenever I can.

Big love! Here’s to happy livers.

Katja

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