Have Some Everyday Cleansing Green Soup!
Lisa Stavrakas, LMT
November – December 2025 • Vol 4, No 19
Rich meals, extra caloric intake, and other holiday transgressions can cause the blood to become like sludge, creating circulatory-and lymphatic-system overload. Signs and symptoms might be: mucus congestion, high blood pressure, or decreased metabolism, leaving you feeling tired, with cloudy thoughts, indigestion, acid reflux, food coma (drowsiness or lethargy), gas, or bloating. Here are some natural remedies based on Ayurvedic principles that should help you recover:
- Stay Hydrated with warm water.
- Drink CCF Tea— Cumin Seed, Coriander Seed, and Fennel Seed tea is an Ayurvedic tea used for supporting healthy digestion, soothing common digestive discomforts, and supporting the body’s natural ability to detox. (Add 1/2 teaspoon of each seed to 8 ounces of warm-hot water. Steep for 10 minutes. Sip throughout the day)
- Get a Belly Massage— Ask your therapist to massage up the right side of your abdomen, which is the ascending colon. Continue across the top from right to left, which is the transverse colon. Be sure to massage ahead of any point where there is stagnation. The block is usually downstream from the stagnant material. Stagnation in the transverse colon is usually due to the kink in the colon at the splenic flexure. Continue down the left of your abdomen, which is the descending colon.
- Take a Hot Bath— Great if followed by a warm-oil massage.
- Get a Warm Oil Massage (Abhyanga)— Helps move congested lymphatic fluid. Always gently massage towards your heart.
- Eat Bitter Greens— Bitters allow food to move through the digestive tract by stimulating peristalsis and increasing digestive enzymes, which increases energy, clears brain fog, detoxifies blood, de-congests the liver and gallbladder, decreases cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglycerides. Bitters also help to eliminate unhealthy food cravings by resetting your palate.
- Take a Day or Two of Simple Eating— with easy to digest food such as Kitchari, Dahl, or soups.
- Have Some Everyday Cleansing Green Soup— This recipe is from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell. This soup is a warm alternative to cold green juice; it’s excellent especially in the winter months. The leafy greens recommended in this soup are considered astringent and bitter. Everyday Cleansing Green Soup helps to give your digestive system the boost it needs after the holidays, or after long travel.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1-inch piece of fresh gingerroot
- 1 cup packed chopped kale (about 2 small leaves)
- 4 cups packed chopped Swiss chard (about 4 large leaves)*
- 1 cup packed parsley leaves (no stems)
- 2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the vegetable broth and turmeric powder and bring to a boil on high heat. Peel and coarsely chop the gingerroot and add to the pot. Add the chopped kale and chard. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and oil. Remove from heat. If using an immersion hand blender, process in saucepan until completely smooth.
If using a carafe blender, transfer liquid and vegetables to carafe and add the reserved cup of broth to cool the mixture down. Put a towel over the blender top and hold it down with your hand. Begin blending on low, gradually increasing the speed, until the soup is smooth. You may need to blend in two batches.
*Kate O’Donnell recommends replacing the chopped Swiss chard with the following seasonal ingredients:
- Spring: Broccoli, arugula, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and/or celery.
- Summer: Summer squash, zucchini, green beans, celery, and/or broccoli.
- Fall: Spinach, peas, and/or green beans.
- Winter: Spinach, Brussels sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and/or cabbage.
In Health and Happy Holidays! —Lisa
Lisa Stavrakas is an LMT, a Yoga Instructor, and an Ayurvedic Wellness Coach. Lisa has added Low Pressure Fitness to her holistic offerings for optimal health. She works with clients remotely through private online sessions and offers both in-person and virtual classes for those seeking guided support on their wellness journey.