Vegan Sweet Potato Soup

The sweet potato is actually considered one of the healthiest foods in the world. Although there are many ways to enjoy this super-veggie, consuming it as a soup has some unsurpassed benefits you may want to consider. Although many view soup as a seasonal meal during the cold season, or something to consume when sick, soup is actually a meal to be taken seriously! Soup is healthy beyond a doubt. Soups usually provide a great balance of carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. A full, healthy meal in itself. But did you know that plant-based meals such as this vegan sweet potato soup recipe shared below are actually the healthiest choices in meal selections and their consumption can help lower risks for developing chronic diseases.

Reasons To Go Vegan

Yes, it's true. Science has irrefutably proven that humans do not need meat, or any animal by-products to survive. Dairy, eggs, and meat are not a requirement for good health, in fact, they could cause many chronic health ailments, allergies, and eventually, even death. There are quite a few good reasons why this vegan sweet potato soup and other meatless meals are gaining so much favor:

• The human anatomy resembles that of herbivorous animals in almost every way.
• Eating plant foods over animal-based foods can reduce obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, stroke, and some cancers.
• Vegan diets are appropriate for every stage of life including infancy, childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, and lactation. They are suitable even for athletes.
• Farming animals are inefficient and wasteful compared to growing plants to feed humans directly. In essence, livestock take more food than they provide.
• Animal agriculture is the greatest source of greenhouse gases and land degradation and the number one source of air pollution. In fact, the UN has called for a global shift towards veganism to combat world hunger, climate change, and ecological devastation.

The Amazing Sweet Potato

Not only does a sweet potato taste delicious, it’s one of the healthiest veggies you can add to your diet. Healthwise, the sweet potato in this vegan sweet potato soup recipe can provide

• An unsurpassed source of beta-carotene
• A superior ability to raise vitamin A in our blood levels
• Prevention and healing in oxidative damage to our cells
• Considered one of the best antioxidant foods
• It has anti-inflammatory benefits
• With its balanced amounts of fibrinogen, thrombin, and fibrin, it strengthens the body’s ability to heal, close off wounds, and stop blood loss.
• It improves blood sugar regulation and is actually a great food for diabetics and adrenal fatigue sufferers watching their diets for sugar crashes.
• The glycosides in sweet potatoes have been found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

The average baked sweet potato contains the following percent Daily Value (DV):

• 214% Vitamin A
• 52% Vitamin C
• 50% Manganese
• 36% Copper
• 35% Pantothenic Acid
• 34% Vitamin B6
• 29% Biotin
• 27% Potassium
• 26% Fiber
• 19% Vitamin B3
• 18% Vitamin B1
• 16% Vitamin B2
• 15% Phosphorus

Benefits of Soup

We’ve proven the amazing benefits of sweet potatoes. The next question is, how to eat them? With this particular veggie, you have an abundance of cooking options. You can boil, roast, bake, microwave, or grill them. However, aside from the conventional methods, there are some reasons why you may want to consider making a vegan sweet potato soup and adding it to your meal plan on a regular basis. Aside from being a delicious comfort food, soup is easy and one of the best ways to add vegetables to your diet. Most soups only contain a few simple ingredients.

Soups are often used in weight loss plans. They pack minimal calories, high nutrition content, and are filling. Often, soups are eaten at the beginning of a meal to fill the belly to avoid the high caloric count of the main course.

For a small cost, you can make enough vegan sweet potato soup to feed an entire family or more. Soup is very affordable.

There is a reason why chicken soup has been served to people who are under the weather. It is easily digestible and filled with an abundance of health benefits, including immune building nutrients.

Vegan Sweet Potato Soup

Now, when you put these three beneficial elements together: a vegan meal, a super-food vegetable, and a healthy, low-fat soup, you have a nutritious vegan sweet potato soup, an award-winning meal for the entire family!

Ingredients A

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or oil of choice
• 1 small organic onion, cut into ½ inch chunks
• 2 large organic sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½ inch chunks

Ingredients B

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or oil of choice
• 1 clove organic garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ingredients C

• 3 cups low sodium organic vegetable broth
• 1 cup light organic coconut milk

Ingredients D - garnish

• Vegan yogurt
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• Sprouted whole wheat pita bread, cut into eighths

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Mix Ingredients A in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Spread the sweet potato and onion chunks onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. You will want the vegetables cooked until soft.
4. In a large pot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add garlic and cook for approximately 1 minute.
5. Add the remaining ingredients from list B and cook an additional minute.
6. Mix together the roasted sweet potatoes, onions, and add the vegetable broth from Ingredients C. Bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium temperature and cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Remove everything from the heat and carefully puree half of the soup in a high-power blender. Repeat this process with the second half.
8. Return the pureed soup to the pot and mix in the coconut milk from Ingredients C, cooking for 5 more minutes until the soup is heated all the way through.
9. Garnish with Parsleys from Ingredients D on top, and serve the vegan sweet potato soup with a dollop of yogurt and pita wedges.

Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome and Vegan Sweet Potato Soup

Regular meals consisting of high-quality, nutritious foods are extremely important for anyone suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, a condition brought on by unhealthy lifestyle choices consisting of poor nutrition, chronic stress, and lack of exercise. They can aid to maintain efficient adrenal function, keep blood sugar levels optimal, and offer a defense against further regression of the illness. Studies of the NeuroEndoMetabolic system, or NEM, show just how closely all of our systems are related, and how the downfall of one, such as the adrenals, can affect the entire body.

Diet is a major factor in adrenal function. Proper meals can replenish energy and decrease inflammation so the adrenals can recover to full potential. Easy to digest, toxin and chemical-free meals like the vegan sweet potato soup are the first step to recovery.

Eating super-foods like sweet potatoes may also offer help with weight loss and inflammation, two very common symptoms of AFS.

Take Caution

Although sweet potatoes are considered safe, even for babies and children, an allergic reaction to any food is always possible, especially for those who suffer from AFS. Advanced adrenal fatigue makes the body extremely sensitive to things that it once wasn’t. It is best to consult with a nutritionist or specialist familiar with AFS prior to starting any new diet plans or recipes.