The Prebiotic Soup You Need To Keep Your Microbiome Healthy & Happy
Prebiotics are just as important as probiotics when it comes to maintaining good gut health. They’re essentially the food for the good bacteria in your gut—and if you don’t feed your good bacteria, all of the supplements and fermented foods in the world won’t help them thrive. This soup, excerpted from Dale Pinnock’s Eat Your Way to a Healthy Gut: Tackle Digestive Complaints by Changing the Way You Eat, in 50 Recipes, is a prebiotic bomb, although it comes with a warning. “When you first try this soup you may think I have played an evil prank on you. Because initially it may feel like digestive warfare has unfolded and you will feel bloated and gassy afterward,” explains Dale. “But what you are experiencing is a massive feeding of the good bacteria which will cause the bacterial colony to grow and strengthen. The long-term benefit of this is that bloating will ease and many aspects of digestion and digestive health will improve.”
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Prebiotic Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Serves 1 to 2
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1 lb., 2 oz. (500 g) Jerusalem artichokes, skin-on, chopped
- Generous 2 cups (500 mL) vegetable broth, plus more if needed
- Chili oil and red-pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
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Method
- In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil, with a pinch of sea salt, until the onion softens. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and enough broth to cover. You can always add more if the soup is a little thick, but watery soup is just like gruel!
- Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, until the artichokes have softened. Blend into a thick, smooth soup, adding more broth if you would like it thinner. Serve with a drizzle of chili oil and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes (if using).
Based on excerpts from Eat Your Way to a Healthy Gut: Tackle Digestive Complaints by Changing the Way You Eat, in 50 Recipes by Dale Pinnock, with the permission of Quadrille Publishing. Copyright © 2017.
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Liz Moody is an author, blogger and recipe developer living in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with a creative writing and psychology degree from The University of California, Berkeley. Moody has written two cookbooks: Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships and Glow Pops: Super-Easy Superfood Recipes to Help You Look and Feel Your Best. She also hosts the Healthier Together Podcast, where she chats with notable chefs, nutritionists, and best-selling authors about their paths to success. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, Food & Wine & Women’s Health.