Broccoli Basil Cream Soup

By Shelley Alexander

Broccoli Basil Cream Soup is a creamy soup that uses walnuts in place of cream to create a delectable soup designed to cleanse, nourish, and rebuild your body. This easy recipe comes together quickly and combines a variety of healing foods that are fantastic for detoxing. Broccoli, zucchini, white onion, garlic, lemon, walnuts, basil, and vegetable broth come together for a rich and luscious soup that is deeply comforting and cleansing.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a superstar cruciferous vegetable that is packed with nutrients that enhance detoxification and healing. Broccoli has specific phytochemicals which support every phase of the detox process. Broccoli is rich in antioxidants including lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene that protect us from free radicals, toxins, and degenerative diseases like cancer. Broccoli also contains important flavonoids like kaempferol which fight chronic inflammation. Other important nutrients in broccoli include vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids (ALA), sulforaphane, and fibre which all work together to detox, cleanse, and rebuild our body and keep it strong and healthy. If you really want to up the detox power of this soup, top with nutrient-dense broccoli sprouts which are even richer in sulforaphane than broccoli florets.

Garlic

Garlic is an amazing vegetable that is a member of the Allium family that includes onions, shallots, and leeks. Garlic is a must have in many of my recipes because I love its pungent flavour and fabulous health benefits. Crushing, mincing, or grating garlic before eating it activates many of its key phytochemicals. Garlic’s high amount of sulfur and the compound allicin are two of the reasons why garlic has so many important health benefits. Garlic is a natural antibiotic, with anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties that make it a strong immune system booster.

Zucchini

Zucchini is a squash with a mild flavour that blends well with other vegetables. Zucchini contains good amounts of carotenoids including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin which offers excellent protection against oxidative stress caused by environmental toxins. Zucchini also contains high amounts of vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and fibre. To get the full benefits of the antioxidants contained in zucchini squash, buy organic so you can eat the skin, seeds, and flesh.

Basil

Basil is one of my absolute favourite herbs to use in recipes! It has a wonderful herbaceous flavour that adds delicious flavour to any recipe you add it to. Basil has many health benefits including being a fantastic anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial food due to the presence of flavonoids especially estragole and eugenol.
Basil contains high amounts of beta-carotene, pro-vitamin A, iron, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, and magnesium which are key nutrients for maintaining vibrant health.

What’s your favourite soup blend? Please contribute to the conversation by leaving a comment below.
If you enjoyed this post, please check out my new cookbook that’s packed with 154 tasty healing foods recipes and over 50 pages of holistic lifestyle tips for more energy and better immunity! Deliciously Holistic is for sale on Amazon right now!
By Shelley Alexander
 

 

Broccoli Basil Cream Soup

Vegan, Paleo, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free

Makes 2-4 servings
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
½ cup diced white onion
1 cup diced organic zucchini squash (leave skin on)
Unrefined sea salt-to taste
4 cups steamed organic broccoli florets
4 cups organic vegetable broth or stock
2 cloves grated garlic
Fresh ground black pepper-to taste
⅓ cup raw walnuts (soak for 3 hours in filtered water, rinsed well, and drained)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6-8 fresh basil leaves
½ cup broccoli sprouts-optional but are potent detoxifiers


1. Place olive oil or coconut oil in a medium-size pot with a lid and heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add diced onions and cubed zucchini and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Cook zucchini and onions until tender, around 7-8 minutes.

2. Placed cooked vegetables into a high speed blender with steamed broccoli, ½ cup vegetable broth, grated garlic, black pepper to taste, and drained walnuts. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.

3. Pour vegetable-walnut mixture into the pot you cooked the zucchini in and add remaining vegetable broth and sea salt to taste. Stir to blend together and cover pot with lid.

4. Cook Broccoli Basil Cream Soup over low heat until hot but not boiling. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed and pour into serving bowl. Sprinkle hot soup with fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, and broccoli sprouts if you decide to use them.

5. Place leftover soup into a heatproof container with a lid and cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator. Reheat remaining soup over low heat for dinner meal.
http://aharmonyhealing.com/broccoli-basil-cream-soup/

Yet Another Reason to Cook That Broccoli

If I stop by the raw juice bar at my local healthfood store late in the day, I always request a thorough clean-out of the commercial sized juicer before my favorite organic raw juice blend of carrots, celery, beets, cucumber and half an apple is prepared.

This is because the juicing that has been occurring all day long prior to my arrival is typically very heavy on the cruciferous vegetables – primarily raw broccoli and kale. In fact, so many people come in ordering green drinks containing raw broccoli that there is a huge bin of bare broccoli stalks sitting on the back counter.

The juicer clean-out assures that no leftover raw broccoli juice or pulp gets in my juice. If it does, I get a terrible stomach ache and usually a temporary bout of nausea.
The truth is, raw cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale are not at all easy to digest for a lot of people even those with strong digestion. The reason is the high fiber content of this particular class of vegetables.  This fiber, called cellulose, makes these vegetables hard to handle in raw form.
When a food is difficult to digest, this also makes it problematic for the body to fully extract the nutrition. This is why nutritional pioneer Dr. Weston A. Price always suggested lightly cooking vegetables in butter before consuming them and recommended the practice in a letter to his beloved nieces and nephews early in the last century.

The cooking serves to soften and break down the plant fiber, and the healthy fats in the butter improve nutrient absorption. Research out of Iowa State and Purdue University has confirmed the wisdom of Dr. Price’s recommendation, as the nutrition from vegetables has indeed been found to be more readily absorbed in the presence of fat.  So much for the supposed wisdom of low-fat salad dressing!
Now, research is confirming the traditional wisdom of cooking your crucifers too.
While it is well known that eating cruciferous vegetables reduces the risk of cancers of the digestive tract, this protective effect was thought to be best obtained when these vegetables were consumed raw.

Sulphur-rich phytochemicals found in cruciferous veggies called glucosinolates have a strong anti-tumor effect, but are only effective when they are converted to isothiocyanates (ITC).  It was previously thought that cruciferous veggies had to be eaten raw for this to take place.  This is because the glucosinolate-ITC conversion process requires the presence of the enzyme myrosinase which is destroyed during cooking.
Broccoli Benefits Not Diminished by Cooking
Now, an interesting study by The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has demonstrated that beneficial gut bacteria can do the work for us. Although the enzyme myrosinase is destroyed by heat, consumption of cooked cruciferous vegetables actually stimulates the appropriate beneficial microbes that are able to convert glucosinolates into ITC .
Once again, beneficial gut bacteria are found not only to protect our health and boost our immune system, but also to nourish us at a most basic level
Another benefit of cooking cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is that it reduces the goitrogenic chemicals in these plants that block the production of thyroid hormone.  In the article The Dark Side of Crucifers: Goitrogens, Chris Masterjohn PhD has this to say:
Most forms of cooking reduce but do not eliminate the goitrogenic effect. Microwaving cabbage reduces the goitrogen bioavailability to one-half; steaming broccoli reduces it to one-third; and boiling watercress reduces it to one-tenth. Boiling not only leaches goitrogens into the cooking water, but also brings the vegetable to a higher temperature, causing a greater thermal destruction of the goitrogens within it. Boiling cabbage for just five minutes results in a 35 percent loss of goitrogen activity; thereafter, each additional five minutes results in another five to ten percent loss. By thirty minutes of boiling, 87 percent of the goitrogens are eliminated.
Hence, anyone with a known or suspected thyroid issue should seriously consider cooking that broccoli and other cruciferous veggies or avoiding them temporarily until thyroid problems improve.

But What About Salads?
While an occasional arugula salad, a handful of broccoli florets or cup of coleslaw is not going to do any harm to most folks, it would be wise to exercise caution and not make a habit of consuming large amounts of raw cruciferous vegetables especially in the presence of thyroid issues.

Another consideration is for those suffering from acid reflux. A very small amount of raw cabbage a few minutes before a meal can be extremely helpful in reducing reflux issues as suggested by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD. Cabbage stimulates hydrochloric acid (HCL) production to permit digestion to proceed normally without the creation of a secondary wave of acid from the putrefying contents of the stomach erupting back into the throat. My husband actually uses this home remedy with amazing success particularly when we are traveling and the quality of the food is not as good as what we eat at home.

Fermenting Cruciferous Veggies
Of course, if you wish to preserve all the enzymes and still break down the cellulose in cruciferous vegetables without cooking, you can try your hand at fermenting them.  Traditionally made sauerkraut, for example, not only breaks down and softens the cellulose but also adds additional enzymes and probiotics to the mix.
Note, however, that fermentation does not reduce goitrogens in crucifers.  Since fermented crucifers such as sauerkraut are typically eaten as a condiment and, hence, in small amounts, consumption is usually fine if the diet is rich in iodine and there is no thyroid condition present.
Once again, science is bearing out the wisdom of traditional food preparation practices!

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/

The Odd Way Broccoli Sprouts Help Your Body Fight Pollution

By Carey Rossi

The claim: Time to get your sprouts on. Broccoli sprouts may hold the key to diminishing the effects that air pollution has on our bodies, suggests a small clinical trial published in Cancer Prevention Research. 

The research: Nearly 300 Chinese men and women residing in one of China’s most polluted regions were asked to drink half a cup of a mixture of sterilized water, pineapple, and lime juice either with or without broccoli sprout powder every day for 12 weeks. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health collected urine and blood samples to measure levels of the pollutants.

Beginning on the first day and continuing through the study period, researchers noticed that participants consuming the beverage with the broccoli sprout powder experienced an uptick in pollutant excretion rates—increases of 61% and 23% of the human carcinogen benzene and of the lung irritant acrolein respectively. 

What it means: When broccoli sprouts are chewed or swallowed, a compound called glucoraphanin produces sulforaphane, which enhances the body’s capacity to remove these types of pollutants. It's the protective actions of sulforaphane that activates a signaling molecule, NRF2, which increases cells’ ability to adapt to and to survive a range of environmental toxins.

The bottom line: While it's not yet known how many broccoli sprouts you need to eat to get the biggest benefit (plans for more clinical trials are underway to answer that), there's no reason why you shouldn't be eating them now. “You can add broccoli sprouts to anything that you would add leafy greens to, such as sandwiches, burgers, salads, tacos, and juices, or smoothies,” says Beth Saltz, MPH, RD, owner of nutritionskitchen.com. 

http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/broccoli-sprouts-fight-pollution?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_201411&cid=partner_zergnet

Want To Detox? Eat This Superfood

In a world where toxins seem to be everywhere, a food that sucks those bad chemicals right out of your body seems like a science fiction dream-come-true. Well, broccoli sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables like kale, may just be the amazing detox food we’ve all been waiting for!

According to NPR, a new study published online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research suggests that consuming broccoli sprouts helps people get rid of common pollutants benzene and acrolein (which you’re exposed to when at a gas station, around smokers or in a heavily polluted area).

For the study, 300 Chinese adults drank a beverage made with broccoli sprouts every day for three months. Drinking the beverage, the researchers found, led to high rates of the pollutants in participants’ urine, leading scientists to believe that the broccoli sprouts sped up excretion of those terrible toxins. In fact, it was found that drinking broccoli sprouts upped excretion of benzene by a whopping 63%.

NPR is reporting that scientists speculate that a compound found in cruciferous vegetables (hello, kale!) may be playing a big role in getting rid of the toxins. Apparently, this compound causes enzymes to increase their activity, so they remove a greater amount of toxins from the body.

For now, load up on those broccoli sprouts if you’ve been hanging around the gas station! And stay tuned for more research on how cruciferous veggies can help you detox!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14238/want-to-detox-eat-this-superfood.html

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

 Rachel Zimmerman

The headline in The New York Times made my heart sink: “Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead.”

Confession: I’m one of those Vitamix-loving, green-smoothie worshipping, kale bandwagoners. I brim with holier-than-thou pride when my kids eat raw kale (no dressing, even!) and thick kale-laden shakes while other children snack on sugary GoGURT squeezes and suck on juice boxes.

I am not alone. Presidents and stars are kale-lovers too.

Kale, in case you haven’t noticed, is health-conscious America’s “it” vegetable. Raw, blended, sauteed or in chip or “crunch” form, it appears to be the manna of celebrities: Gwyneth and Jennifer devour it while Kevin Bacon recently declared [it's] “the age of kale.” In an astutely reported feature called “Stars Who Love Kale,” US Weekly quotes Bette Midler saying: “Kale is burning up the veggisphere.”

Even the Obamas dined on kale salad at their Thanksgiving feast, notes The Washington Post.

But apparently there’s trouble in cruciferous paradise.

Writing for The Times, Jennifer Berman reports on the dark side of kale, and how the health-infused, veggie Eden she’d carefully built over years began to crumble:

Imagine my shock, then, at my last physical, when my doctor told me I had hypothyroidism, common in women over 40. When I got home I looked up the condition on the Internet and found a list of foods to avoid. Kale, which I juiced every morning, tops the list, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens — the cruciferous vegetables I consumed in large quantities because they are thought to prevent cancer, which runs in my family. And flax — as in the seeds — high in omega 3’s, that I sprinkled on cereal and blended in strawberry almond milk smoothies. Also forbidden: almonds and strawberries, not to mention soy, peaches, peanuts, corn, radishes, rutabaga and spinach.

My first reaction: Berman must be misguided, mistaken. Can kale possibly be bad?

Well, yes, possibly. Here’s the science-y lowdown on the kale-thyroid connection from the Oregon State University Micronutrient Information site:

Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables…have been found to cause hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) in animals (68). There has been one case report of an 88-year-old woman developing severe hypothyroidism and coma following consumption of an estimated 1.0 to 1.5 kg/day of raw bok choy for several months. Two mechanisms have been identified to explain this effect. The hydrolysis of some glucosinolates found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g., progoitrin) may yield a compound known as goitrin, which has been found to interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. The hydrolysis of another class of glucosinolates, known as indole glucosinolates, results in the release of thiocyanate ions, which can compete with iodine for uptake by the thyroid gland. Increased exposure to thiocyanate ions from cruciferous vegetable consumption or, more commonly, from cigarette smoking, does not appear to increase the risk of hypothyroidism unless accompanied by iodine deficiency. One study in humans found that the consumption of 150 g/day (5 oz/day) of cooked Brussels sprouts for four weeks had no adverse effects on thyroid function.

(For an updated reality check on kale consumption and the thyroid, see our Q and A with endocrinologist and thyroid expert Dr. Jeffrey Garber here. Bottom line: in the U.S, where we don’t have a big problem with iodine deficiency, it’s probably OK.)

Teresa Fung, Sc.D., M.S.. an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a professor at Simmons College in Boston, confirms the kale-thyroid link. But, she says, “normal, reasonable amounts of eating should not be a problem. A regular person [with no thyroid issues] who eats several servings of cruciferous vegetables a week should not have problems.”

Fung adds: “It’s the dose that makes a poison. If people have hypothyroidism or they’re taking thyroid medication, then they should check with their doctor. But even in this case, reasonable amounts shouldn’t be a problem. Now, if people have a tall glass of kale juice every single day, then it gets into the unknown territory.”

So, what are still-anxious kale-lovers to do? I asked Somerville, Mass. health coach and psychology of eating coach Nina Manolson to offer some guidance. (She’s not a doctor, but she knows a lot about food, so keep that in mind and always check with a professional if you make major changes in your diet.)

Nina reiterated that kale is a goitrogenic food, meaning that it can contribute to an enlarged thyroid — a goiter. A goiter indicates that the thyroid gland is not functioning optimally. But, she says, there are ways to have our kale and eat it too. Here, lightly edited, are her suggestions:

1. Cook Your Kale

The goitrogenic properties of kale become dramatically lessened when kale — or any other cruciferous vegetable — is cooked. (Other veggies in this category include: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy and Chinese cabbage. Arugula, horseradish, radish, wasabi and watercress are also cruciferous vegetables.)

2. Eat Seaweed

Kale on its own does not increase the risk of thyroid problems. It’s a combination of factors; including potential iodine deficiency. (One of the most common causes of goiters is iodine deficiency.) Adding seaweed or another iodine rich food to your diet may, in some cases, help you get adequate iodine.

3. Throw A Brazil Nut Into Your Smoothie

Selenium can support normal iodine levels which in turn may support a healthy thyroid. A Brazil nut or two in your daily smoothie or as a topping to any dish might help keep selenium levels strong.

4. Switch Up Your Greens

Vary your greens. If you’re going to eat kale one day choose a non-cruciferous, non-goitrogenic veggie dish the next, like a simple cucumber and tomato salad, or beets. There are many highly nutritious vegetables that aren’t goitrogenic, including celery, parsley, zucchini, carrots and more. Our bodies need many nutrients and by eating a variety of vegetables you’ll ensure that you don’t overload on one and skip another.

Nina adds:

If you don’t have a thyroid issue, kale can and should be a delicious and healthy part of your diet because it is, indeed, a nutritional superstar with excellent credentials:

•It supports strong bones because of its high calcium content.

•It’s a potential immune booster, rich in Vitamin C.

•It may protect us against cancer because it’s packed with antioxidants and as mentioned, it’s a cruciferous vegetable.

•It’s high in iron which can support blood and energy levels.

•And of course, it’s packed with fiber so it’s great for digestion.

All of this leaves me wishing that eating were just, well, simpler. With no arsenic in the rice and no flip-flopping guidance on milk, soy, whatever, from the experts.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it