Of all the world’s culinary traditions, those which I revere the most include the many Asian cuisines. This is not only because of their pleasing flavors, but also the medicinal quality of each food. It amazes me how these cultures really get the principle of “food as medicine”, and have throughout the ages.
Our gut-healing protocol includes everything contained in this recipe, which is heavily influenced by these traditions.
Proper stock is our base, which is critical medicine for the microbiome. It soothes and heals the damaged gut by providing collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline, nutrients specifically needed to reduce inflammation and rebuild damaged villi in every part of the digestive system. Stock is also hydrophilic, rather than hydrophobic, which simply means that instead of repelling digestion and absorption, it draws digestive fluids into the food consumed as it aids in the absorption of nutrients. This is a real bonus in particular when consuming meats, but on its own stock is a nearly complete food. Thus we consider this to be the cornerstone of our healing protocols, but beware of far inferior packaged “broth” or stock which are not properly made and do not contain the above crucial nutrients; homemade is always best!
Making your own stock or broth is so easy! Check out our Beautiful Broth! blog for an easy way to make it with an InstaPot.
Next comes grass-fed ghee which provides essential nutrients such as butyric acid, vitamins A, D, & K, as well as Conjugated Linolenic Acid and, critically important, saturated fat and cholesterol. Especially in times of healing and stress, these are necessary factors as every hormone in our body, including stress-relieving cortisol, are built from cholesterol, which in turn is built from dietary saturated fats.
The lactose-intolerant need not be concerned when consuming ghee as all of the proteins and sugars naturally occurring in dairy are removed, leaving only the pure fats and flavor for us to enjoy. Besides all of this, ghee tastes wonderful, so what’s not to like?!
Simply Ghee is our favorite and we highly recommend their A2A2 ghee for the most nutrient-dense ghee on the planet (use code HEALTH for 10% off).
For everything you ever wanted to know about ghee, listen to our podcast with the Ghee Gals.
Next come the anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting herbs: garlic, turmeric and ginger. These work symbiotically; the absence of one detracts from the effectiveness of all. Add freshly-grated peppercorns to the mix and the effectiveness is boosted still more!
Full-fat coconut milk is added for the benefits of fats and flavor, along with fermented Tamari or Shoyu soy sauce (never the standard, grocery-store brands), and of course, unrefined salt.
This recipe makes enough for about 4 hearty servings as a breakfast meal. It may be stretched out with the addition of organic brown rice & quinoa ramen, or simply the grains themselves, cooked in the stock. And don’t limit this to breakfast-it can be served for any meal, at any time of the day.
Give this a try; we hope you’ll like it as much as we do! Download the recipe and follow along in our latest video below!
Maureen's Gut-Healing Breakfast Soup serves 4-6
1 quart homemade chicken broth
1 can 13 oz full-fat coconut milk
2-4 whole eggs, lightly whisked
2 Tb ghee
2 Tb organic Shoyu or Tamari soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of ½ lime
2 Tb chopped fresh basil (sweet or Thai), or 1 Tb dried basil
1 Tb grated fresh turmeric, or 1 1/2 tsp dried
1 Tb grated fresh ginger, or 1 1/2 tsp dried
2 tsp unrefined salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper
1 bay leaf
Optional: 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Heat the ghee in a heavy saucepan; add the minced garlic, turmeric and ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes and add the black pepper.
Once softened, stir in the chicken broth or stock along with the bay leaf, salt, basil, and optional lemongrass; bring to a simmer. Once hot, drop in the lightly beaten eggs and stir lightly to distribute.
Remove the bay leaf and lemongrass. Add coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, and optional cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired, and serve warm.
If desired, you can add organic brown rice or quinoa for a heartier soup.
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