Bieler's Broth: Liver Cleansing soup in a white mug

Bieler’s Broth: Liver Cleansing & Kidney Calming

What is Bieler’s Broth?

Today I like to share an incredibly healing and very easily digestable soup recipe with you called ‘Bieler’s Broth’. This very nourishing and healing ‘Bieler’s broth’ is superb for cleansing the liver whilst also being very soothing for the kidneys.

First of all it’s name comes from a doctor named Bieler who inveted the soup in order to restore an acid-alkaline and sodium-potassium balance to organs and glands. Especially the sodium-loving adrenal glands which often suffer severly under stress.

The soup is vegan and all vegetable-based. It is not a culinary soup, so it can be a little bland for people who are used to flavourful spicings of their soups. However, it’s tasty enough that you can eat it a few days in a row and thus is super suitable for cleanses and detox diets.

The broth is also very supportive for liver function — remember that the liver is our detoxifying organ.

Bieler’s broth contains zucchini and string beans, which are rich sources of organic potassium and sodium. The liver uses those elements to clean and revitalize the body. Occasionally, when you’re sick, the best thing to do is not eat and let the body heal. Digestion takes a lot of energy.  Instead, drink Dr. Bieler’s healing broth recipe for energy, weight loss, and cleansing.

Background: Dr. Bieler would take a detailed study of his patients’ endocrine glands. This includes the adrenal glands, pituitary gland and the thyroid gland. Dr. Bieler would then prescribe a limited diet, or even a fast on Bieler’s broth. The vegetables were cooked and easy to digest, full of vitamins and restore such elements as potassium and sodium to our glands. Dr. Bieler was particularly interested in restoring the liver.

What else ?

Dr. Bieler believed that most folks eat excessive amounts of proteins. He said that milk and eggs lose their nutritional value after being pasteurized/cooked, and that meat cooked to temperature above rare becomes hard to digest. According to him, salt is a stimulant providing only a temporary sensation of well-being, and over consumption is detrimental to health. The best way to obtain necessary sodium is from plants (vegetables), not addition of salt. He gave a number of examples of disease-free cultures that do not have access to salt.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: This soup might be a little light for you, sensitive Vata, as there’s no oils or added fats in this detox recipe. However if you’re on a cleanse and if not eaten for longer periods than 3 days, this soup can work well for you on a detox or cleanse if the overall detox programm is well thought out and stabilising to your system.

Feeling Pitta:  This soup works really well for you, go for it!

Feeling Kapha:  Perfect soup for a kapha cleanse, go for it!

Healing Recipe

Bieler’s Broth: Liver Cleansing & Kidney Calming Soup

Bieler's Broth: Liver Cleansing green soup in a glass jar

Bieler’s Broth: Liver Cleansing & Kidney Calming Soup

The soup is vegan and all vegetable-based. It is not a culinary soup, so it can be a little bland for people who are used to flavourful spicing of their soups. However, it’s tasty enough that you can eat it a few days in a row and thus super suitable for cleanses and detox diets.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Cleansing
Servings 4 person

Ingredients
  

  • 4 medium zuchinis
  • 450 g string beans
  • 2 stalks cellery chopped
  • 1 bunch parsley chopped
  • 4 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil. Skim any foam off the surface.
  • Lower the heat and simmer, covered.
  • Cook the vegetables until the are tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Take off the heat and then puree the soup in the pot with a hand-held blender.
  • Serve warm, sprinkled with a little bit of fresh parsley on top if you like.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

You can experiment by adding fresh kale(or other fresh, leafy greens of your choice) to your soup. For this, chop some kale and add it into the soup towards the end of your cooking time.
Keyword adrenal healing, adrenals, ayurveda, bielers, broth, detox, dosha, Liver healing, Liver-Cleansing, simple, Soup, Vegan


turmeric apple and banana porridge

Simple Apple & Banana Turmeric Porridge

Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast

This simple apple and banana porridge infused with turmeric provides a super healthy and anti-inflammatory breakfast to kick-start your day.

Why Turmeric?

TURMERIC is a POWERHOUSE, a plant with amazing healing and anti-inflammatory properties, and is one of the most powerful herbs on the planet today to help us humans shield from inflammation, prevent disease, and to keep our bodies strong and healthy. For a full article on what turmeric is and what it does, read on here. Turmeric is also well digested and tolerated by all three doshas. It can sometimes aggravate a very high Pitta, but you would have to take very high dosages for this to happen and a teaspoon like suggested in this recipe should be more than fine.

Why Porridge ?

Porridge is a very nourishing staple breakfast for people with sensitive bellies

A warm porridge in the morning can be a very healing and warming food, especially for people with food sensitivities. Porridge has become a staple in my breakfast repertoire and since consuming it regularly in the mornings, with a teaspoon of added linseeds, it has really improved my digestive issues. It sets me up nicely for the day, especially in autumn and winter times: it gives you this super-nice; cosy and warm feeling in your belly. Especially for Vata types what’s not to like! This porridge is also flavoured with yummy cinnamon. Cinnamon is well torleated by all three doashas, stabilizes blood sugar, reduces blood pressure and its prebiotic properties may improve gut health. For more info on Cinnamon’s benefits click here.

Always opt for Gluten-Free Porridge

I recommend always opting for gluten-free porridge oats. Oats can be cross-contaminated with gluten from the sites that they’re being processed at and only oats that especially state that they are gluten-free can claim to be free of this cross-contamination. I myself do not consume any gluten at all, as I believe gluten is a very triggering substance for most human beings today. I also have very sensitive digestion and food allergies and after swapping my standard porridge oats for gluten-free porridge oats, I realised that I could suddenly handle oats well, whereas this wasn’t the case before.

However in the rare case that you do not tolerate oats well, even when they’re gluten-free, try and opt for millet instead. You can simply cook the recipe below and use millet instead of oats. Or if you don’t tolerate millet either, chose a breakfast grain that you know you do tolerate well, as long as you make sure that it’s gluten free. For more info on gluten and other triggering foods read on here.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: You can play around with other fruits for this porridge if you like, Vata does well on most sweet fruits. If you want to add dried fruits ensure you soak these overnight. For very ‘dry’ Vatas it can be a good idea to add a little linseed oil on top of your porridge when serving (not during cooking).

Feeling Pitta: Ensure the bananas are very ripe and sweet, if not you can replace the banana with sweet pears instead. Generally avoid any sour fruits. If worried about your Pitta being too high opt for half a teaspoon of turmeric or leave out completly.

Feeling Kapha: Oats are usually too heavy and can make a Kapha feel sluggish and tired. Replace the oats in this recipe with millet, buckwheat flakes or quinoa (amaranth can also be ok in moderation). You can replace the banana with pears.

Healing Recipe

Simple Apple & Banana Turmeric Porridge

turmeric apple and banana porridge

Simple Apple & Banana Turmeric Porridge

A warm porridge in the morning can be a very healing and warming food, especially for people with food sensitivities. Porridge has become a staple in my breakfast repertoire and since consuming it regularly in the mornings, with a teaspoon of added linseeds, it has really improved my digestive issues. It sets me up nicely for the day, especially in autumn and winter times: it gives you this super-nice; cosy and warm feeling in your belly. Especially for Vata types what's not to like! This porridge is also flavoured with yummy cinnamon. Cinnamon is well torleated by all three doashas, stabilizes blood sugar, reduces blood pressure and its prebiotic properties may improve gut health
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium banana chopped
  • 1 medium apple diced
  • 5 tbsp porridge oats gluten-free and soaked overnight
  • 1 tsp brown or golden linseeds (skip if doing a cleanse) soaked overnight
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder, ground
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamom optional

Instructions
 

  • Add the porridge oats and the linseeds (if using) to a heavy bottom sauce-pan and cover in water (just enough water to have everything just about covered)
  • Start cooking on medium heat, stirring frequently.
  • Add the chopped apple and banana.
  • Add the turmeric and the cinnamon (if using).
  • Add a pinch of salt and keep cooking for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently, and until the apples are well cooked through.
  • Cook until you have reached a nice, creamy consistency. Add a bit more water at the time if the mix starts getting to dry and sticks to the bottom.
  • Take off the heat and serve.

Notes

You can sprinkle with some cinnamon and add maple or date syrup when serving to sweeten it up a bit. If not on a cleanse you can also sprinkle with nuts or seeds or try roasted coconut chips. 
Keyword apple, banana, porridge, turmeric


cooling green soup

Cooling Green Soup

In need of a detox? Feeling too hot? Is your skin playing up? On a cleanse? Or simply on the look-out for a nice nourishing lunch full of greeny goodness? Then you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to mix up the greens in this soup and add in more greens that you like and that you know make you feel good. Adding more greens to your diet has a myriad of health benefits such as boosting our digestive enzymes, drawing toxins from your digestive tract, cleansing your liver, balancing blood sugars, making your skin glow, supporting bone health (dark leafy greens contain plenty of calcium), relieving stress and fighting belly bloat.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: feeling very light and in need of grounding goodness? Simply add a carrot or two, an extra potatoe, or experiment with adding half a fennel bulb, or more of the peas or the zuchini.

Feeling Pitta: This is the soup for you. If feeling overly Pitta, leave out the garlic or the onion, or only use half. You can add more mint and you can always add in more greens, as greens are for you!

Feeling Kapha: You can leave out the zuchini if you like, but only if feeling overly Kapha. Leafy greens are great for you, so go for it!!

Weekly Recipe

Cooling Green Soup

Yield: 1 Pot

Cooling Green Soup

cooling green soup

In need of a detox? Feeling too hot? Is your skin playing up? On a cleanse? Or simply on the look-out for a nice nourishing lunch full of greeny goodness? Then you've come to the right place. Feel free to mix up the greens in this soup and add in more greens that you like and that you know make you feel good. Adding more greens to your diet has a myriad of health benefits such as boosting our digestive enzymes, drawing toxins from your digestive tract, cleansing your liver, balancing blood sugars, making your skin glow, supporting bone health (dark leafy greens contain plenty of calcium), relieving stress and fighting belly bloat.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 x small onion
  • 350g fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 x zuchini, chopped 
  • 1 x large potato, diced
  • 500ml stock (try using stock powder without any extra fats and without added yeast)
  • 180g lambs lettuce
  • 180g spinach, chard or other similar leafy greens
  • 1 x bunch of fresh mint, chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 x teaspoon olive oil (leave out if doing a cleanse)

Instructions

  1. Add the olive oil (if on a cleanse just use a bit of water) to a medium size soup pot. Add the chopped onion and cook slowly on a medium heat until golden and translucent.
  2. Then add the potato, the zuchini and the peas. Cover all in the stock so that all the ingredients are covered in liquid.
  3. Bring the mix to the boil and then turn down the heat to a medium and simmer until the potatoe is soft for about 10-15 minutes.  
  4. Add the spinach, the lambs lettuce and any other leafy greens of your choice and stir well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  5. Seperate the mint leaves from the stalks and finely chop the leaves. Add to the soup and cook for another minute or so.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Take off the heat and puree everything with a hand-blender until the soup has a creamy consistency.
  8. Serve!

NOTE: Experiment with adding more greens that you like, such as parsley, chard, spinach, collard greens, kale, etc. The more greens the better. Or omit others that you know don't agree with you and simply replace with others.


warming detox smoothie

Cleansing & Warming Smoothie-Bowl

This smoothie bowl will warm you up nicely in the morning, giving your digestion a nice, gentle start to the day whilst at the same time cleansing your system of built-up toxins and filling you up with a great dose of antioxidants.

warming detox smoothie

It might come as a suprise to you to stew and lightly cook the fruits in this smoothie first. After all, we’re so used to consuming smoothies and morning fruits raw and uncooked. Now trust me when I say that you will love this smoothie so much after you’ve eaten it a few times in the morning, you probably don’t want to go back to raw smoothies ever again! Especially if you have sensitive digestion or food allergies where many things can set you off and can trigger you, eating a cooked breakfast in the morning is a godsent. It gives your body the chance to warm up nicely, giving your digestion a gentle kick-start to the day, rather than dumping ice-cold fruits and juices from the fridge directly into your system. Think of your body like an engine of a car, it has to warm up first before it can start going. So does your body. Also, cooking food gently before you’re eating it helps your body to digest foods faster as it doesn’t need to invest so much energy to break them down. This in turn frees up more energy to be used elsewhere in your system: to fight inflammation, to heal, and to give you more energy during your day. Ayurveda really favors cooked over cold breakfasts, and especially for Vata and Kapha types, a cooked breakfast is a must.

Spirulina: super nutrient dense, I call Spirulina the best ‘natural Multi-Vit & Multi-Mineral’ available from the plant world today. High in B-Vitamins, Vit C, E and K, plus high in Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Potassium and Zinc, what’s not to like. It’s also high in plant protein, so great for vegans and vegetarians that are keen to up their protein intake naturally. Spirulina also has the capability to draw out heavy-metal toxins from our tissues, liver and brain and is thus a great all-round morning addition to any breakfast smoothie.

Wheatgrass Juice: also very rich in vitamins and minerals, wheatgrass has the added benefit of being super high in chlorophyll. This makes it a great detoxifying agent and can therefor protect against abnormal cell growth also known as cancer. Also, wheatgrass has been shown to boost levels of glutathione, the body’s primary antioxidant. Glutathione is used by the liver in all of its detox duties.

Atlantic Dulse Flakes: super high in anti-oxidants, dulse flakes make a great anti-inflammatory, fighting disease causing free-radicals. Studies have also shown that dulse (and also kelp) can reduce toxic heavy metals and also clear radioactivity from the body.

Coriander (Cilantro): is a powerful anti-fungal, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. In Aryurveda coriander is hailed for its cooling effects on the digestive tract, for calming the immune-system and rashes, and for being a mild diuretic that clears inflammation from the urinary tract. Even though it acts as being slightly drying, it does not aggravate the Vata constitution, and pacifies (calms) all the three doshas.


ayurveda

Feeling Vata: add more fresh ginger and try adding warming spices such as cinnamon and or cardamom to your smoothie.

Feeling Pitta: ease off on the ginger, and instead try adding more cooling herbs such as fresh mint and more coriander to your smoothie.

Feeling Kapha: give your metabolism that extra boost by adding a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, and experiment with adding some bitter greens such as dandelion to your smoothie.

Weekly Recipe

Cleansing & Warming Smoothie Bowl

Yield: serves one

Cleansing & Warming Smoothie Bowl

cleansing warm smoothie bowl

This smoothie bowl will warm you up nicely in the morning, giving your digestion a nice, gentle start to the day whilst at the same time cleansing your system of built-up toxins and filling you up with a great dose of antioxidants.

Ingredients

  • 2 x ripe bananas, chopped
  • 2 x handfulls of wild blueberries (I usually buy these frozen from the organic store and always have some in the freezer)
  • 1 x apple, chopped (optional)
  • half a mango, chopped (optional)
  • 1 x teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced (optional)
  • half a teaspoon atlantic dulse flakes (if you don't like the taste of atlantic dulse you can simply buy some dulse flakes encapsulated and take them alongside the smoothie)
  • one orange, peeled
  • 1 x teaspoon spirulina powder (if you don't like the taste of spirulina buy spirulina tablets and take them with your smoothie)
  • 1 x teaspoon wheatgrass or barleygrass juice powder
  • 1 x teaspoon fresh or dried coriander
  • optional: for additional sweetness you can add a teaspoon of raw honey.

Instructions

  1. Add a little bit of water to a heavy bottom sauce pan
  2. Add the banana, apple (if using) & mango (if using) and the minced fresh ginger to the pan, cover and simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes, so that the fruits are stewing nicely and slowly and don't get overcooked or burned.
  3. When the fruits are stewed enough, take them off the heat.
  4. Pout the cooked fruit and ginger mix into a high-speed blender.
  5. Add the peeled orange, the dulse flakes, spirulina, wheatgrass and coriander.
  6. Blend all until smooth.
  7. If you need extra sweetness you can add the raw honey to your smoothie.

Notes

If not on a cleanse or detox programme, you can give your smoothie bowl some nice toppings such as your favourite gluten free granola, chopped roasted coconut flakes, roasted pumpkin, etc. Let your creative mind run wild. Just ensure your toppings are roasted or slightly steamed and not cold from the fridge, especially if you're a Vata or Kapha type.


Gut Healing Turmeric & Mushroom Curry Soup

Get stuck into a bowl of bubbling, warming, yellow-goodness
and enjoy the healing powers of turmeric, ginger and shitake mushrooms.

This healthy but yet tasty yummy broth will help your body fight bacteria and inflammation, boost your immune system,
and to keep those pesky bugs at bay (always good in a corona crisis!).

Weekly Recipe

Gut Healing Turmeric and Mushroom Curry Soup

Yield: One Large Pot of Broth

Gut Healing Turmeric & Mushroom Curry Soup

Gut Healing Turmeric & Mushroom Curry Soup

Inflammation calming, immune-boosting, gut healing yellow turmeric curry soup.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp sesame oil (leave out if on a cleanse, or if this is your evening meal, leave in).
  • half a shallot, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp anisseed
  • 1 tablespoon thai yellow curry paste (try and find a curry paste without added fats, maltodextrin, natural or unnatural flavourings, etc.)
  • 1 thumb size knob of fresh turmeric, sliced finely. If you haven't got fresh, use 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 thumb-size knob fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, grind small in a pestle and mortar
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 bok choi, chopped 
  • 1 zuchini, chopped
  • 200g shitake mushrooms, fresh or dried (important if dried: soak at least for 5 hours beforehand. If you can't get hold of shitake, brown button mushrooms work as a replacement)
  • toasted sesame seeds to garnish
  • 1.5 liter vegetable stock
  • 6 tbsp cocos aminos or lupin sauce, or both, depends how strong you like your flavouring.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • juice of 1 lime (if you haven't got limes lemon juice works ok as well)
  • handful of fresh coriander, chopped
  • gluten free brown rice noodles, cooked to your liking
  • toasted sesame seeds or toasted nuts of your choice to garnish (leave out nuts and seeds if on a cleanse)
  • spinach or other leaves to garnish

Instructions

  1. Grab a large stock pot, and add about 3 tablespoons of water to the bottom.
  2. Add the sesame oil and place cooker on a low heat (skip this step if on a cleanse).
  3. Add the chopped shallot, minced ginger and chopped garlic. Mix well with the oil and the water. Add the yellow curry paste. Keep heat on a low setting and cook for 5-10 minutes, until onion is translucent and onion and garlic flavourful.
  4. Add the anisseeds, turmeric, thyme and fennel and mix in well. Up cooker to a medium heat and cook for another 5 minutes stirring frequently.
  5. Add the sliced celery and zuchini, stirr in well with the onion spice mixture and cook on medium heat for a few minutes.
  6. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
  7. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
  8. Add mushrooms and cocos aminos. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  9. Add the sliced bok choi, the lime juice and half of the coriander and cook for another 5 minutes.
  10. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Depending on what you used (cocos aminos, lupin sauce, or both), taste the broth and add more of what you feel is needed. I usually can't get enough of the cocos amino taste so I always add a bit more of that at the end.
  11. Serve the soup over gluten free brown rice noodles (or any other asian style noodles of your chosing), sprinkle with the rest of the coriander and top with sesame seeds, nuts or chilli flakes.
  12. Enjoy!

Healing & Nourishing Asian Style Broth

This is my go-to soup recipee when I simply need something warming, nourishing, and simply healing:
when you had a stressfull day, when you are feeling run down or when your boss has just simply driven you up the wall:
This broth will pick you up, give you a hug and will fill you with a
warm feeling telling you that everything, really, is ok.

Particularly good for people with digestive issues
and sensitive bellies (bloating, gas, etc.), this recipe is a winner.
Fennel and anissed will soothe your digestion and flush out toxins,
garlic will help to clear your mucus membranes and kill of any pathogens,
and plenty of greens assist in moving foods through your sensitive digestive tract.
You can replace the vegetables used in this recipee with anything you might prefer.
Choose any leafy greens of your choice, and along the zuchini,
try it with added carrots, sweet potatoes or any other root vegetable.

This soup always works in any combo!

Picture credit: Mae Mu 

Weekly Recipe

Asian Style Healing Broth

Yield: 1 Pot of Broth

Healing & Nourishing Asian Style Broth

Healing & Nourishing Asian Style Broth

This is my go-to soup recipee when I simply need something warming, nourishing, and simply healing:when you had a stressfull day, when you are feeling run down or when your boss has just simply driven you up the wall:This broth will pick you up, give you a hug and will fill you with a warm feeling telling you that everything, really, is ok. Particularly good for peope with digestive issues and sensitive bellies (bloating, gas, etc.), this recipe is a winner. Fennel and anissed will soothe your digestion and flush out toxins, garlic will help to clear your mucus membranes and kill of any pathogens, and plenty of greens assist in moving foods through your sensitive digestive tract.You can replace the vegetables used in this recipee with anything you might prefer. Choose any leafy greens of your choice, and along the zuchini, try it with added carrots, sweet potatoes or any other root vegetable.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil (leave out if on a cleanse, or ok for the evening meal).
  • 3 shallots diced (or use half a red onion instead)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1.5 litre vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp aniseeds (grind in pestle and mortar)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds (grind in a pestle and mortar)
  • 4 x tablespoons cocos aminos (or lupin sauce or both).
  • 2 tsbp miso (I use soya free miso made from lupins)
  • 1.5 heads bok choi OR kale OR chard OR substitue any other green leaf of your choice
  • 1 zuchini, chopped
  • juice of half a lemon
  • half a fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1 pack of rice noodles
  • sesame flakes for topping
  • red pepper flakes for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive in a large stockpot over medium heat.
  2. To the oil, add the diced shallots and mix well.
  3. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallots turn translucent and turn to soften. Stir often.
  4. Add the minced garlic and minced ginger to the shallots and mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic and ginger are fragrant.
  5. Add the ground anise and fennel seeds to the onion mix, stir and cook until lightly toasted (1-2 minutes)
  6. Then add the chopped fennel and coat the fennel pieces evenly in the onion and ginger mix.
  7. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the cocos aminos and the miso, and stirr everything well to combine, then add the chopped courgette.
  8. Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
  9. Afterward add the bok choi (or other leafy green) and the rice noodles. Cook everything for a further 5-8 minutes (until the vegetables are tender and the noodles are cooked through). Add the juice of half the lemon, stirr in, then turn off the heat and leave for 1-2 minutes to sit before you serve.
  10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Divide soup between bowls and season with toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if you wish.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Amount Per Serving Saturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0g

Please note that nutrition information is based on averages and can therefor not always be accurate.