Souping is the new juicing.
That’s the piping-hot claim made in a new cookbook that swears you can lose five pounds in five days by sipping vegetable-based soups.
“Soup is food. It’s incredibly satiating, very nutrient- and vitamin-rich,” says Angela Blatteis, co-author of “The Soup Cleanse: A Revolutionary Detox of Nourishing Soups and Healing Broths from the Founders of Soupure.“
Blatteis is the co-founder (with Vivienne Vella) of Soupure, a Los Angeles-based soup company that will begin shipping nationwide in February.
“Juice was not designed to be a meal — you’re flooding your body with sugar,” Blatteis adds, fed up with fruit juice cleanses that she says left her starving and jittery.
She may be on to something.
“The allure of souping continues to grow,” says Dr. Nada Milosavljevic, director of the Integrative Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Not only do the herbs and spices have a host of health benefits, but the vegetable pulp contains fiber which can increase our sense of satiety.
“Further, the lower sugar content of vegetable- and nut-based soups is another advantage,” the doctor adds.
Pressing juice removes the fibers and pulps of fruits that are meant to be consumed, while soup generally packs more protein and fewer carbs than a green juice and is less likely to cause blood sugar levels to soar or plummet.
“The Soup Cleanse” diet packs about 1,200 calories a day, along with 60 different nutrients and a whopping 30 grams of fiber.
The cleanse is designed to combat inflammation, heart disease, weight gain, fatigue and joint pain while promoting better-looking skin, hair, and reduced stress and improved memory. Each recipe lacks gut-busting foods like gluten, dairy, corn, and processed soy and sugar.
The cleanses feature a combination of seven different soups, smoothies and drinks packed with veggies, spices and ginger that should be consumed within an hour of each other. If you’re still hungry, Blatteis says you can add a handful of whole foods like almonds, celery sticks, or cucumbers to snack on.
A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston have tried soup cleanses. And actor Michael Chiklis, an investor in Soupure, says he did a soup cleanse to lose weight for FX’s “American Horror Story: Freak Show.”
“You don’t feel deprived at all,” Chiklis, who says he lost 14 pounds in two weeks while souping, tells the Daily News.
“You’re just eating really clean, good food that’s delicious,” he adds.
To give the diet a shot, try this one-day soup cleanse.
Recipes reprinted with permission from “The Soup Cleanse: A Revolutionary Detox of Nourishing Soups and Healing Broths from the Founders of Soupure” by Angela Blatteis and Vivienne Vella.
1. Morning Starter:
Start your day with 16-ounces of room temperature water with lemon to flush out toxins.
2. Warm up:
Prepare your body for the day with hot broth such as miso, which is packed with enzymes and protein, or roasted vegetable, chicken or beef. If you don’t feel like making your own, Blatteis recommends picking one up at Brodo (200 First Ave.) in the East Village, a sipping broth takeout window that slings cups of Organic Chicken broth ($5.50 for 10 oz.) or Gingered Grass-Fed Beef broth ($6.50 for 10 oz.).
3. Breakfast or post-workout:
Sip a cold smoothie comprised of anti-inflationary ingredients such as nut milks, dried fruits like apricots and dates, chia seeds or dandelion tea. Here’s one example.
Whipped Coconut Milk:
Ingredients:
1 small (5.6-ounce) can coconut milk, chilled overnight
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
For best results, place the bowl of an upright mixer or medium mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. Skim the thick heavy cream off the top of the coconut milk and add to the chilled bowl. Add the vanilla and whip with a mixer or whisk until the milk thickens and forms semi-stiff peaks.
4. Hot Lunch:
Soups like cauliflower lemongrass are creamy in texture and help you feel fuller, longer. It’s packed with antioxidants and B vitamins that are anti-inflammatory.
Ingredients:
1 (11/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 to 2 Thai chilies, stems removed and halved
2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, bottom trimmed, and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups Chicken Broth, Roasted Vegetable Broth, or store-bought low-sodium
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn
11/2-pound head of cauliflower, stem removed and cut into quarter-sized florets
8 ounces (about 1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved, 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
3/4 teaspoon coconut sugar, plus more to taste
8 leaves Thai basil, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Place the ginger, garlic, shallot, Thai chilies, and lemongrass in a food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture has a coarse texture. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the mixture from the blender. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture releases some of its moisture and becomes aromatic. Do not brown. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Chilled snack:
Have a cup of cold soup for a quick boost. Try pineapple, papaya and fennel cold soup for a a dose of vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants.
Ingredients:
1 large fennel bulb, quartered
1 medium ripe pineapple (2 to 2 1/2 cups), skinned and sliced
1 unripe papaya (1/4 to 1/2 cup), seeded, skinned and sliced
1 cup organic and raw coconut water, not from concentrate
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
Pinch sea salt, to taste
Instructions:
Remove the fronds from the fennel bulb. Add all the ingredients to a blender, except the lime zest, 1 cup coconut water, and salt. Blend on high until smooth, one to two minutes. Add the lime zest, coconut water, and salt to taste and combine on low.
6. Hot Dinner:
The Miso, kombu and shiitake mushrooms used in this Pumpkin Miso Soup recipe help fight disease and infection. The kabocha pumpkin — an Asian variety of winter squash — is packed with fiber and the inflammation-fighting ginger helps your circulatory and respiratory systems.
Pumpkin Miso Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups peeled and sliced kabocha pumpkin (from 1 medium pumpkin)
1 (2-to-4-inch) piece of kombu
1/2 cup shiitake mushroom caps, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 teaspoons low-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 tablespoons miso paste, preferably white or yellow
Instructions:
Wrap the pumpkin in foil and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside. Make kombu broth by adding 31/2 cups water to a small saucepan and heating it over medium-low heat. When it comes to a gentle simmer, add the kombu. Allow the broth to simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove from heat and strain out the kombu into a measuring cup. If any water has evaporated, add more so there are 31/2 cups. Set aside. Add the shiitake mushrooms to a saucepan with the tamari and 1/4 cup water and cook over medium-low heat (do not boil) for 1 hour. Add more water if necessary to keep the mushrooms from burning. Set aside.
7. Nightcap:
Have a mug of Lemon Ginger Tea or any herbal tea.
