Along with garlic and the ingredients for my “special-tea,” I always have chicken broth handy in the kitchen. Chicken soup is one of the time tested natural cold remedies. It’s also an important part of natural flu care. Old wives’ tale or medicine? Click here to see.
You can get organic chicken broth at most grocery stores these days. Chicken broth contains all sorts of vitamins and minerals. Most importantly, it has protein. Protein is needed for our immune system to function well. Also, the heat of the soup helps warm our bodies.
You can also make your own broth after a chicken dinner with the leftover parts. That’s what I do most of the time.
We buy a free range, hormone/antibiotic free chicken from the regular old supermarket every couple of weeks. After we bake it or cook it in the Crock-Pot, we throw ALL remaining parts in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and then keep it on LOW for half a day.
After that we strain it and freeze it in containers. When we need broth, we have it at no extra cost!
What’s the twist?
We add miso!
Miso (pronounced mee-so) is “a delicious all purpose, high-protein seasoning which has played a major role in Japanese culture and cuisine for centuries. It is most often made from a combination of soybeans, cultured grain, and sea salt by a unique fermentation process, which was elevated to a state of fine craftsmanship in traditional Japan.
Miso offers a nutritious balance of natural carbohydrates, essential oils, minerals, vitamins, and protein of the highest quality, containing all of the essential amino acids.
Unpasteurized miso is a ‘living food’ containing natural digestive enzymes, Lactobacillus, and other microorganisms which aid in the digestion of all foods, and which have been shown to ward off and destroy harmful microorganisms, thereby creating a healthy digestive system.” (source: www.southrivermiso.com)
You can get miso at any natural foods grocer or Asian grocery. I’ve even seen it a few times at a regular supermarkets. I look for it in the refrigerated section of the store.
South River Miso is one of, if not the best quality miso you will find. It’s a little pricey, but soooo worth it.
How do I use miso?
All you have to do is take a tablespoon of miso and stir it into your heated soup. Make sure you don’t heat the miso up with the soup! This will kill the active, helpful bacteria in the miso. It’s a simple miso soup recipe. You can simmer some onion or garlic in it too!
Do you want to know another health secret of mine?
My wife and I often have a cup of chicken broth with miso stirred into it for breakfast a few mornings a week. It isn’t filling, but it’s extremely nutritious. To fill me up, I’ll eat a hard boiled free-range egg on a piece of toast. Hard boiling the egg gives me the protein I need without the unwanted cholesterol I get when I fry the same egg.
Chinese medicine tells us that it’s most important to have your biggest, most nutritious meal in the morning.
Preventative medicine with a good diet is always better than waiting until you’re sick to eat well.
What can I add to the soup to make it even MORE effective for my cold?
To give your chicken soup recipe an added immune system kick, simmer it with half a bulb of crushed garlic and half an onion (if you’re using a quart of broth). Also add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste (enough to bring out a light sweat). This will warm you up, stimulate your immune system, and fight viruses and bacteria all at the same time!
Do you want the recipe for the Super Immune Soup?
This recipe is great for colds and fevers. In fact, it’s a good soup just to eat regularly during falls change to winter. I often use this recipe, but I replace the water and vegetable stock with chicken broth. Don’t do that if you’re vegetarian. :) And then I add some miso. Click here for the recipe. It’s an awesome natural cold remedy.
