Anti-Inflammatory Soup That Seemed to Help Me :). And Some Raw Food Science :)

[L.]

I wanted to share this recipe because I woke up yesterday feeling rottenly sore, and pretty sad about it, and found that eating dates seemed to only make the pain worse, because I kept feeling worse and worse up right until after I ate this soup :). It was extremely surprising and such an encouragement, and a lesson on which foods help me and hurt me. I do think its all about balance in raw foods and thusfar, I seem to be learning that even if a food hurts you, you can eradicate those effects by eating many of the anti-inflammatory foods. Here are the ingredients :)

From bottom to top of the vitamix :)
1 Roma tomato
5 stalks of celery
2 cloves of garlic
1 deseeded date (DESEED that date!! I forgot to at first, but luckily I found it and it was only split in two!). I used a small halawi date, but you can use any kind :)
A slice of ginger (mine was very small, maybe less than an inch in circumference and 1 millimeter thick. You can add more.)
A small handful of swiss chard
Juice of half an orange (I just squeezed it in with my hand)
Juice of half a lemon or lime (I think I used a little of both)
1/2 tsp of turmeric
Dash of cayenne (the ground spice is what I used)
Dashes of black pepper
Salt (I used ancient sea salt I bought at the whole foods bulk section for 99 cents a lb)
And after everything is smooth: 1/2 an avocado, blended in till smooth again.

I blended all of this first till it was smooth and then added 1/2 an avocado in and salted and peppered more to taste :). I literally felt a relief in arthritis pain pretty quickly after consuming this, and I have a hunch it was the soup because it had been feeling worse and worse all day and all I had been eating was dates :)

It tastes like a hearty version of a springy soup. Spring is just around the corner! So if anything, I am arriving to the party early :p


In my microbiology class at college here, our tests concluded that garlic does kill bacteria. Not all of it, but some. It's funny to be doing tests on spinach for bacteria and handling legit test tubes of E. coli and salmonella and then to go home and make myself a spinach soup with week old spinach (I actually did that!! I don't recommend it--I am not positive but I think old spinach might cause gas). We also tested for enzymes and found that cooking food does kill all of the enzymes (hydrogen peroxide reacts by bubbling to enzymes). I was like, oh my god, raw foodies, don't hate on science!! There is a lot of stuff we are learning that totally backs raw foodism! Definitely not all of it, but lots of it. Frozen food bubbles less, but still has some enzymes, raw food bubbles almost instantly and cooked food...nothing. Enzymes are what make reactions happen faster in the cells. I don't know much more than that at this point :p. But of course, enzymes are rather useless if we can't digest our food so I totally support lightly steaming, blending, juicing, whatever you've got to do to nourish yourself. I am finding that the longer I eat this way, the better my digestion I seems to get, but I could never have dreamed if getting to this point without starting out with my vitamix. It's been a lifesaver.

Anyone have any raw sweet ingredient recommendations?? I have an old Christmas check from gramma that I want to spend on some lovely raw treat ingredients. I am looking at maca, but I really have no idea what it tastes like, so I am hesitant, and also carob, and Ceylon cinnamon. Is there a type of dried fruit I should know about that is to die for? A variety of date (which I will still continue eating--I just want to balance them with lots of anti-inflammatories) that is to die for? Take care <3

So excited! I have been doing this for almost 1 month now...and if it works, for life!! :)

Anyone who has had arthritis recommend any herbs?? I have heard a teeny bit about nettles and of course ginger and turmeric, but not much else :)

[Maureen Griffin]

Maca has a slightly unusual taste -a bit musky- grows on you. Organic cinnamon is a great  all rounder. dried white mulberries are like caramel -I put them in chia pud w almond milk) sometimes. Good cacao of course. I have used mesquite and lacuma -quite nice  but not too sure how important or useful. Good quality almonds and brazil nuts are impt and maybe coconut oil?

Cheers Lyza -thanks for recipe.

[L.]

Of course!! :)

[Karen Cacciola]

Soup sound great....I  could use a dose today........thanks for sharing.  (*_*)