day 15 - 25 days of wellness
Hi there! I’ve seen a couple of people I follow do Advent calendars for various things - 1000 Hours Outside has one for outdoor family activities, and Nutritious Movement has one for movement to create a “butt for the holidays” haha. So good.
So here we go - I’m going to drop a little post each day on a little Wellness tidbit for you to consider. Enjoy!
DAY 15 - broth
Another great liquid to pack in the vitamins and minerals is broth! I advocate vegetable broth which is sometimes called potassium broth. Many of us grew up with sodium-rich diets - and highly processed, “fortified” sodium at that. The result is that our Na:K (sodium to potassium) ratio is much higher than it should be for a well-functioning body. Potassium broth (which is what vegetable broth just naturally IS) helps us get that ratio back into balance. Like the herbal teas and juices, the nutrients go straight to the blood stream. It has the added benefit of being a warm, very hydrating liquid which will stimulate the body and help open up the lungs if there’s any congestion there.
I generally just make broth from vegetable scraps: onion tops, carrot tops, garlic skins, onion skins, potato skins, the hard part of leeks and green onions, beet peels, etc. But here’s a basic list of ingredients for a really tasty broth that you can use scraps or whole vegetables for(chop roughly… or not if you’re short on time!):
onions or leeks with skins
garlic with skins
carrots with skins
potatoes with skins
culinary herbs such as rosemary, bay leaf, oregano, etc.
anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric, peppercorns
kelp! I get dried kombu from Azure Standard (here’s my referral link again… if you follow this link and spend $100 then we get $25 in credit) and add an inch or two to every batch of broth for extra mineral power.
Add to a stainless steel pot, cover with pure water, bring to a boil and then simmer low for a couple of hours. This can be prepared in an Instant Pot as well, especially if you don’t want to heat up your home too much in the summer - plug it in outside and let it steam merrily away! My favorite is to get my broth to boiling and then put it in my Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker overnight, bumping it back to a simmer the next morning and evening (if I let it go that long). Strain out and compost vegetables (or eat them!) and enjoy your broth. Add a little cayenne pepper for a nice cold and flu mucus-fighting kick!
A cup of broth with each meal can aid digestion and boost nutrients. it is a go - to to rotate with warm teas during any kind of illness. Hydration is key!
See you on Day 16!
