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Category: > Recipes > Food is Medicine: Fight Colds, The Flu, and Sinus Infections with this Ginger-Garlic Soup

Food is Medicine: Fight Colds, The Flu, and Sinus Infections with this Ginger-Garlic Soup

Dec 9, 2017 Carly Fraser Post contains aAffiliate links Save For Later Print

Last Updated: Feb 17, 2019

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Food is more than just fuel to run the body – it is medicine when chosen wisely. Not only do we need to pay attention to macronutrients like carbohydrates, fats and proteins, but we need to focus on micronutrients like vitamins, minerals trace elements and essential fatty acids.

For example, we need zinc to regulate our white blood cells, and magnesium to assist in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Essential fatty acids are the building blocks for hormones as well as for molecules that help regulate pain and inflammation. It’s clear that getting enough vitamins and minerals in our body will have a major impact on our daily health.

If we’re constantly consuming foods that only have macronutrients, but very little micronutrients, we’ll feel less than optimal. This is especially true for when the winter months roll around, and fresh food becomes hard to come by (unless it is imported thousands of miles away). There’s a reason why most people get sicker in winter, and most of it has to do with poor food choices, lack of sunlight and fresh air.

Medicine In A Cup

Consuming warming, nutrient-dense foods in the winter is one of the best defences against surprise illness. Ginger, cumin, and cinnamon, according to Chinese medicine, are key spices to eat regularly from late fall to early spring.

A cold environment also makes the upper respiratory tract more hospitable to the common cold (1). When exposed to cold weather, our bodies produce fewer antiviral immune signals, which means a more compromised immune system. When we don’t take enough time to replenish ourselves after an initial cold, we become vulnerable to future infection. This is why so many people can get stuck in a never ending cycle of sickness when they don’t eat well, sleep enough or exercise regularly.

One of my favourite remedies against illness are fresh green juices, soups loaded with antiviral ingredients, and fresh, ripe fruit.

This ginger garlic soup contains ingredients that’ll fight off infection and keep your immune system strong throughout the winter months.

Garlic has amazing anti-viral and anti-inflammatory benefits, and has the ability to prevent the common cold if taken for at least three months at a time. It has also been shown to shorten the duration of a cold (2).

Ginger is another great soup addition as it reduces inflammation and swelling, which is great for anyone suffering from a cold or flu. It helps improve digestion and nausea, and can soothe any sore throat. Ginger acts as an antiviral for the treatment of cold and flu, thanks to its warming effect on the body (3).

Astragalus root is another important ingredient that has been used for centuries to strengthen every avenue of the body. It boosts the immune response, lowers blood pressure, regulates blood sugar, and improves liver function. It is also particularly known to help against the common cold, allergic rhinitis, and hayfever (4).

Onions are also added to this ginger garlic soup, and for good reason too. They’re potent antivirals, and contain quercetin, a heart-healthy flavonoid that boosts the immune response and relieves allergy symptoms (5).

Ingredients: (serves 2)

– 6 cups vegetable broth (homemade is best, but you can use organic low-sodium cubes if you please)
– 3 tablespoons grated ginger root
– 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
– 4 green onions, finely sliced
– 1 medium onion, finely diced
– 1 teaspoon dried astragalus root

Method:

1. In a large pot, add the garlic, ginger, onions and a little bit of coconut or olive oil if you please. For extra flavour, you can add in some chopped mushrooms.
2. Cook on medium heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft.
3. Add in the stock, and astragalus, and bring up the heat until the soup comes to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Add in the green onions, and cook for another 5 minutes. After this point, you can discard the astragalus.
4. Enjoy the soup hot, and store the remainder in the fridge for a few days. You can add some fresh sprouts on top if you please.

This post contains affiliate links

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Filed Under: Recipes, Soups & Salads Tagged With: astragalus, food is medicine, ginger garlic soup, immune system, medicine in a cup, winter warming foods

Carly Fraser

About the Author

Carly Fraser has her BSc (Hons.) Degree in Neuroscience, and is the owner and founder at Live Love Fruit. She currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a determined life mission to help inspire and motivate individuals to critically think about what they put in their bodies and to find balance through nutrition and lifestyle. She has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals to re-connect with their bodies and learn self-love through proper eating habits and natural living. She loves to do yoga, dance, and immerse herself in nature.

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Comments

  1. Barbara says

    Dec 9, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    First this sounds great and I'm about to try it tonight-
    Second I don't even know what astragalus looks like -let alone where to buy it – how about a picture?

    Reply
    • Carly Fraser says

      Dec 10, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      Thanks for the comment Barbara – you can find Astralagus anywhere online – it is also very likely available at any local health food store. Maybe call around to see who has it.

      Reply
  2. Papi says

    Feb 16, 2019 at 10:40 pm

    What do you mean by 4 pieces of astragalus? How much would that be in grams, or oz? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Carly Fraser says

      Feb 17, 2019 at 12:42 pm

      Sorry about that! Changed it to 1 teaspoon dried astragalus root.

      Reply
      • Papi says

        Feb 20, 2019 at 10:39 pm

        Hi Carly! Thank you for the clarification. The soup was amazing, even for my 11 year old daughter :-)! I doubled the amount, added lots of mushrooms and cilantro. I left the astragalus pieces in and you could not tell them apart from the garlic and ginger! Thank you for this recipe!

        Reply
        • Carly Fraser says

          Feb 21, 2019 at 11:18 am

          Wonderful! I’m glad your daughter loved it too! May you and your family have strong, healthy immune systems for the remainder of this winter!

          Reply

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