As the season’s shift and the weather cools, it’s a wise idea to incorporate more warming and nourishing foods into your diet.
Winter squash is definitely one of those prized ingredients that I love during the fall and winter months. It is not only warming, sweet and delicious, it contains quite a few carotenoids that support good health: alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin.[1]
According to studies, dietary carotenoids provide health benefits by decreasing the risk of disease, particularly certain cancers and eye disease. “The carotenoids that have been most studied in this regard are beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. In part, the beneficial effects of carotenoids are thought to be due to their role as antioxidants. Beta-Carotene may have added benefits due its ability to be converted to vitamin A. Furthermore, lutein and zeaxanthin may be protective in eye disease because they absorb damaging blue light that enters the eye.”[2]
But, besides the scientific mumbo jumbo, squash has a sweet flavor that helps support the stomach/spleen/pancreas. This is the system in the body that thrives on the naturally sweet flavor of good starches and carbohydrates.
I’ve also included some savory and warming spices into this recipe. Both cinnamon and nutmeg bring heat into the digestive system, helping you digest your food better.
Try it yourself and see how you feel. I bet on a cold blustery day, your body will thank you for this delicious meal.
- 2-3 tbsp. grass-fed butter
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 4-5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1 large butternut squash)
- 1 & 1/2 tsp. Real sea salt
- 2-3 inches, ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp. organic ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 cups duck stock, water, veggie stock or milk
In a soup pot on medium high heat, saute onion and squash in butter for 3-4 minutes. Add sea salt, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree. Add soup back to the pot and season with more salt if needed. Enjoy!
[1] http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12134711
Andrea Beaman is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef, Speaker, Herbalist and best-selling author. Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Health and Fitness Experts, she is also a recipient of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Award for Excellence in Health-Supportive Education and a Health Leadership award from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Since 1999, Andrea has been teaching people how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers using food, herbal remedies and alternative medicine.
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