I am a great proponent of raw food, however because it is still winter, to me there is nothing more warming than soup. You’ll find my recipe for healing broth in a previous blogpost, but if you are recuperating from illness, an operation, have a sore threat and are looking for something more substantial and nourishing to rejuvenate you, I recommend Bieler’s Broth.
Medicinal not Calorific Food
Bieler’s Broth is not culinary—in fact it is more of a pureed soup than a broth—so I wouldn’t recommend it for your next dinner party. However, it is highly recommended for those suffering stress, or are living under stress-related conditions. Sipping cups of it daily for a week will improve your health dramatically. In fact, I have known friends who eat nothing else while recuperating from illness.
The History of Bieler’s Broth
Bieler’s Broth has been a well-known and popular healing recipe amongst enlightened medical professionals and with practitioners of holistic and alternative healing for decades. I was first made aware of this green elixir by my friend, Lorraine Weiss, who drank gallons of it for weeks on end while recuperating a double knee replacement.
Bieler’s Broth was created by Dr. Henry Bieler, a physician, clinical nutritionist, and pioneer in the understanding of food as medicine in the 1930s. The author of the book Food is Your Best Medicine, he was a firm proponent of the idea that many diseases and conditions can be treated and/or healed through diet and nutrition. Well known for treating Hollywood celebrities, Dr. Bieler created Bieler’s Broth to detoxify and restore the balance in the body.
We need to eat more greens
The reason it is still popular today? Because it is full of something we never get enough of: greens. Whether you choose spinach, kale, parsley, coriander, or any of the many types of lettuce (the darker the green and the more bitter the better it is for you), Bieler’s Broth is powerhouse of greens such as zucchini, parsley, green beans, and celery. Dr. Bieler chose these four ingredients because they provide vitamins and minerals and help balance the alkaline/acid and potassium/sodium in the body. In addition, according to Anthony William Medical Medium:
- Zucchini is highly alkaline and is one of the easiest vegetables to digest. It is a great source of vitamins A, C. B-complex as well as the minerals iron, zinc, potassium, and manganese. Rich in poly-phenolic anti-oxidants, it protects the body from aging and disease and helps normalize blood pressure. It is vital in helping heart attacks and stroke.
- Celery is up there with the Gods according to Anthony Williams, who began the celery juice movement forty years ago. He can’t stop praising this herb (and it is a herb, not a vegetable) because its cluster salts gather harmful toxins and pathogens and filter them out of the body. Google Medical Medium – celery for much more information.
- Parsley is one of the most alkalizing herbs that exist. It keeps bacteria, parasites, and fungus at bay. It’s amazing for mouth-related diseases and has a chelation affect against all those nasty environmental pollutions that attack us daily: DDT, pesticides and herbicides. Highly mineralizing, it contains folic acid, traces of vitamin B12. The benefits go on and on.
- Green beans are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients such as vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, manganese, beta-carotene, and protein. They provide great cardiovascular benefits and are particularly good for anyone suffering from an auto-immune disorders
Organic is worth it
I always recommend buying fresh, organic vegetables when you can (especially zucchini, which is now a common GMO crop). Feel free to add spinach or kale, fresh coriander, garlic and/or red pepper flakes for spice, however, do not add salt, yeast, or stock cubes, no matter how organic they are, if you want to fully benefit from its medicinal properties. Just veggies and water. I used to think that all soups needed oil and salt to be tasty, but that’s not true. The cleaner you system becomes, the sharper your taste buds become, too. Now, when I make myself a pot of Bieler’s Broth, I know it is delicious just as it is.
Bieler’s Broth
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Always try to use organic when possible.
3 large zucchinis, cut into chunks
4 stalks celery
1-2 bunches parsley
1 package fresh green beans
6 cups water
It can’t be easier
Add the ingredients to a large pot together with the water and bring to a boil. Once the vegetables are cooked, puree the mixture well with a mixer. I love sipping mugfuls for about a week to give my system an extra boost in those in-between seasons with fluctuating temperatures such as winter into spring. You’ll feel the difference almost immediately.
