Low Sodium Vegetable Soup - AKA Poop Soup

It’s shocking how backed up many people get, especially in the winter. Cold weather makes exercise, drinking plain water and eating clean organic fiber-rich vegetables less desireable. Unfortunately, reducing activity, daily water intake and eating more processed, overly salted rich foods makes many of us “hang onto shit” (pun fully intended) longer than we’re comfortable with.Since big bowls of cold salad are tougher to swallow, the alternative of a warm soothing vegetable soup is a far more appealing this time of year. However, traditionally-prepared soups and sauces are some of the most sodium-laden foods you can eat. A medium-sized bowl of vegetable soup in many restaurants contains around 1000 mg sodium, nearly half the FDA Daily Recommended Value! Overdosing on sodium reduces the amount of water your body has available for digestion, causing further blockage. Unfortunately, you’ll rarely find low sodium soup in restaurants, but you can always ask. Making your own sodium-free stock from fresh vegetables and/or bones, like the Thanksgiving turkey carcass I used, is ideal, but time-consuming. In lieu of that, seek low-sodium broth or save lugging home heavy quarts of broth, and opt for concentrated envelopes of broth, such asTrader Joe’s Low Sodium Savory Broth Concentrate. I’ve further reduced the amount of sodium in this soup, by not using the broth concentrate as recommended – 1 envelope broth per cup water. Instead, create satisfying flavor with only 3 broth envelopes (8 cups water) and salt-free flavor powerhouses: fresh organic tomatoes, lemon juice, rosemary, garlic and my new favorite item: TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute – a salt-free seasoning mix that adds fantastic depth of flavor to savory dishes like fish, poultry, sauces and soups.Affirmative. This is the Poop Soup recipe mentioned in my Yelp review of a local hydrotherapy facility:Trainer Recommends Colonics on YelpINGREDIENTS1 tsp olive oil1 large organic white or yellow onion, diced1 tbsp minced garlic3 large springs of organic rosemary, leaves removed from sprigs1 & 1/2 tbsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute1 head of fresh celery, diced3 envelopes Trader Joe’s Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth Concentrate8 cups water1 cup ripe organic tomatoes, dicedJuice from 1 ripe lemon2 cups fresh green beans, diced (I prefer the smaller, more delicate Haricot Verts, a staple in our home!)DIRECTIONSSauté olive oil, onion, garlic, rosemary leaves and TJ’s Seasoning Salute in large soup pot on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add celery and 1 broth envelope and continue sautéing 2-3 minutes. Add water, remaining broth envelopes, tomatoes and fresh lemon juice. Raise to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Lastly, add green beans, and simmer on low another 10 minutes or until beans soften but still maintain green color and a little texture. Remove from heat. Soup’s good for 3-4 days and intensifies in flavor.