Last month I traveled a lot, and often there were times when I didn’t manage to keep my diet on the usual path. The meal hours were changed, the quality of ingredients differed, and sometimes I indulged in some refined sugar treats – all these confused my body and it reacted with an acidic environment. After I came home and switched back to my normal routine and whole ingredients based diet, everything started to go back to normal. I drink a lot of lemon water, eat a lot of fresh vegetables, and I make this alkalizing green soup as often as I can to nurture my digestive system and help it to recalibrate.
Maintaining an alkaline balance is essential for our health, because acidity reduces our body cells’ ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, resulting in low energy production within the cells, along with a decrease in the ability to eliminate toxins, heavy metals, excess hormones, and sodium. Our cells will not have the necessary nutrients and energy to restore and repair the damage, and will slowly fall into fermentation and eventually into chronic diseases, like cancer. As our bodies need 20 parts of alkalinity to neutralize 1 part of acidity, it’s better to prevent it and to include highly alkaline foods into our daily diet. Avoiding stress, negative emotions, and toxic overload is also a way to reduce the risk of decreasing the alkalinity of your system.
Most vegetables are highly alkaline, but it very much depends on the soil where they’ve grown. This is why I always recommend choosing organic as often as possible, especially when you are trying to cure a disease by switching to a plant-rich diet. Consuming them fresh ensures that your body gets the maximum benefit from their alkalizing properties. Lightly cooking them preserves most of their nutritional value, and this soup is a great choice for healing your digestive system with the combined powers of different alkaline foods.
Here are some examples of alkalizing ingredients I always keep fresh in my fridge, ready to throw them into a big salad or turn them into a healing soup:
- Green leafy vegetables: kale, spinach, parsley, chard, lettuce, beet greens.
- Green and white vegetables: zucchini, asparagus, celery stalk, onion, fennel, turnip, parsnip, broccoli, peas.
- Red and orange vegetables: beet, carrot, sweet potato, tomatoes.
- Other alkaline foods like avocado, blueberries, mango, or tomatoes.
- Lentils.
- Lemons, lots of lemons!
Looking for more soup inspiration? Pick one that suits you: Detox Soup for Weight Loss Vegetable Soup for a Gentle Detox, or the 3 Warming Soups for Liver Cleanse and Detox.
If you make any of these recipes don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @theawesomegreen so I can see them and share with the community!
Alkaline Green Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked green lentils
- 1 parsnip peeled and finely diced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 green bell pepper cut into small cubes
- 4 asparagus spears
- 1 small zucchini cut into slices
- 1 small fennel bulb finely diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 1 small bunch celery greens or other greens available - kale, spinach beet greens, roughly chopped
- 1 lime juice only
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable both
- 1 tsp chia seeds to garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan water fry the onions and garlic for two minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the celery stalks, fennel, zucchini, bell pepper and parsnip, together with the vegetable broth.
- Bring to boil, then simmer on low heat for seven minutes.
- Add the lentils, asparagus, celery greens and lime juice, and turn the heat off.
- Serve warm, garnished with chia seeds.
Notes
christine says
wow – green, gorgeous and yummy – lovely recipe:)
Ana says
Thank you, Christine, green is always the best 🙂
Sarah | Well and Full says
What a beautiful and healing soup! The cracker you used to garnish the soup looks really yummy, what kind is it? Homemade? 🙂
Ana says
Hey Sarah, it’s actually a rye Wasa cracker 🙂
Laura&Nora @Our Food Stories says
what a lovely recipe, looks so delicious <3
Ana says
Thank you so much, Laura&Nora, it really was delicious! 🙂
Sophie | The Green Life says
Wow! There’s so much nutrient-packed goodness in this bowl!! Love it! And it looks very beautiful too. <3
Ana says
Thank you Sophie, it is actually a bowl of green awesomeness for the digestive system! <3
Emily says
I agree that it’s always so good to come home after traveling where it’s so much easier to nourish and be healthy. Your soup is packed with so many good things and I love all of those shades of green! So pretty too!
Ana says
That’s right Emily, this is why I always alternate traveling with longer periods of staying at home to regain balance and be fully prepared to embrace the next experiences and tastes to their best. Thank you for your nice words 🙂
Kayla Johnson says
Made this tonight for dinner… It was delicious! Would definitely make it again, thanks for the recipe! x
Ana says
Awww, Kayla I’m so glad you loved the soup! I hope you’ll give it another try soon – for sure I’ll be making these a lot these days, the fall vegetable season is in bloom here! 🙂
Samantha Willey says
This looks amazing. Love your photos!
Ana says
Thank you, Samantha 🙂 Your photos are also great!
Tom says
Lemons are acidic, not alkaline. Google “citric acid”.
Ana says
It’s true that lemons contain citric acid, but their nutritional profile includes antioxidants and minerals which contribute to turning the body back to an alkaline status. Lemons are not alkaline, but have alkalizing effects.