In recognition of Healthy Weight Week, Ami Chokshi, the Center’s Fertility & IVF Health Coach offers some tips and recipes. As a former fertility patient, Ami uses her experience and education to help women and couples to optimize their health and fertility. She does it through nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle shifts that maximize their chances of conception.
“Smoothies are a wonderful way to get a bunch of nutrients in one meal, but when winter arrives, keeping your core warm with warming foods and spices is a better option to support your fertility health and nourish your soul!
That’s why during the winter, I like to replace my cold smoothie with a warm blended soup. And, this dairy-free recipe is one of my favorites for many reasons. First, it’s quick and easy to make. And, you can replace the main ingredient with any vegetable on hand, like broccoli, squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, or asparagus.
Also, soups are a terrific way to get more veggies in. To optimize our nutrition, we should be eating a minimum of five servings a day. It’s even more important if you are trying to get pregnant. This can be challenging otherwise, but blending them can make this important fertility booster easier.
I know many who dislike veggies but love this recipe! Learning new ways to prepare vegetables and cooking them with different spices can make a huge difference in taste, especially if you’ve grown up on boiled, bland veggies. Spices, like the curry powder in this soup, enhance the flavors, build circulation, warm your core, and fuel your body’s detoxification systems.
Adding chicken bone broth instead of water or vegetable broth makes this soup a complete meal, having protein, fat, and carbohydrates. So, it can be a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Yes, I said breakfast. We are programmed to think that breakfast foods have to be traditional foods like eggs and cereal, but that’s not so. Rethink what you eat, and the doors will open to new ideas.
Bone broth is not only a fertility superfood. It also offers superior gut healing properties as well as much needed minerals. The collagen in the broth nourishes your intestinal lining and reduces inflammation.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to know how you made it your own.
Winter Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
1 Small Onion, diced
1 T of Coconut Oil
2 lbs of Carrots, chopped
1 T of fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
4 C of Chicken Bone Broth
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 t Curry Powder (or Turmeric)
1 t Sea Salt
Directions
- Saute onion in coconut oil until soft, about 5-8 minutes
- Add Carrots, Ginger, Chicken Bone Broth, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, and Curry Powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until carrots are soft.
- Use a hand-held blender or a high-speed blender to blend the soup until smooth or desired consistency.
- Divide into bowls and adjust salt if necessary.
- Top with cilantro and/or hemp seeds.
- Save remaining soup in mason jars for another day’s meal.
- Enjoy!
Recipe published in the Dec. issue of Positive Fertility Magazine.
