The Healing Power of Pho

Seriously! Who gets sick in the middle of summertime?! Oh wait, I do!

I have to rant for a minute here. I am a very healthy person. I eat well, exercise, take vitamins and minerals. I even eat fermented vegetables and drink water kefir every day! Unfortunately one of my medications for Crohn's suppresses my immune system just enough for me to catch every sickness known to man! I missed the first NCSU football game on Saturday because of this stupid sinus cold. I got so frustrated that I decided to stack on all my cold-remedies at once to nip this thing in the bud.

And those remedies include:

1. Hot water, lemon and honey (3-4 cups a day)

2. Neti pot (twice a day)

3. Cold humidifier (next to my bed at night)
4. DayQuil for the really severe days. I try everything before going to antibiotics.

5. And, the best of all, Pho

Pho, pronounced "fuh," is a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup. I don't have a recipe to share because it is quite complicated (and I am American). Just find the best Vietnamese restaurant in your area and when I say "best," I mean most authentic. For us, the best is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a strip mall - Pho Far East in Raleigh. My friend Nicole introduced us to this spot (she has been going for many years) and it didn't disappoint. I tried the traditional Pho the first time (which has beef and other meats), but my favorite is the chicken noodle Pho.

Hot broth, rice noodles, chicken and a lot of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chili peppers, lime and onions. The first bite opens your sinuses right up! After several cups of hot water, honey and lemon and a run-in with the Neti pot, I was able to gather enough energy to pick up a bowl of Pho for dinner. I woke up feeling ten times better the next morning.

I am convinced, Pho is the best remedy around! Pho-real! Pho-sho!

If you are feeling brave: Pho Recipe from Steamy Kitchen

When you find that Vienamese hole-in-the-wall: How to Eat A Bowl of Pho Like You Know What You're Doing

(If you can't find a good Vietnamese restaurant, you can also make Healing Vegetable Soup).

Healing Vegetable Soup

There is nothing worse than being sick, except maybe when your spouse is also sick. Ryan and I spent the better half of the nasty, rainy, cold weekend fighting coughs and colds. We certainly took it easy most of the weekend, but did muster the strength to whip up some home remedies to fight our illnesses.

Warm water with lemon and honey is my go-to for coughs and colds for several reasons. First, you need tons of liquids when you are sick to flush out all the crap in your system. Secondly, you need vitamin C to boost your immune system and fight the illness. The honey is just a nice addition to the warm water :)

Anti-inflammatory remedies are also very important for illness, especially for people with autoimmune diseases like Crohn's. I find the best way to accomplish this is with a Healing Vegetable Soup.

I like to add two essential anti-inflammatory ingredients to my soups when I am sick. Both of these should actually be incorporated into a daily diet - turmeric and cayenne.

Turmeric and Cayenne

Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family and usually presents itself in a bright orange-yellow powder form. It is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes and often used for medicinal purposes due to its anti-inflammatory properties. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which has been linked to fighting off colds and breaking down mucus congestion. I started taking turmeric/curcumin supplements about a month ago as another anti-inflammatory vitamin to help prevent my flare-ups. So far, so good!

Cayenne, a hot red chili pepper, is another wonder-spice that I always include in my daily diet. I actually have this in the morning with warm water and fresh lemon for a daily liver cleanse. Cayenne is also an anti-inflammatory spice that has many, many other health benefits. Check out this list of 17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper. This also adds a bit of spice to the soup, which helps break up congestion.

Hopefully, you don't get a cold or cough, but if you do, there are many things you can do besides revert to DayQuil (which for me, never really works).

Ryan and I certainly are on the mend AND enjoying some delicious soup leftovers!!

Healing Vegetable Soup

Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 T butter

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp turmeric

½ dried Italian herbs

¼ tsp dried tarragon

salt and pepper

6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarian version)

1 bay leaf

Parmesan rind

2 parsnips, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)

1 cup frozen peas (or snap peas, chopped)

Brown rice, cooked

Plain Greek yogurt for garnish

Fresh chives for garnish

Put on the brown rice to cook if not prepared already. 

Start by chopping all of the vegetables and aromatics. Warm a large soup pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Saute the shallots, garlic, carrots and celery for about 5-7 minutes or until starting to soften. Stir in the cayenne, turmeric, herbs, tarragon, salt and pepper and cook another 2 minutes until very fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaf and Parmesan rind, then bring to a slight boil. Stir in parsnips and peas and cook for 15 minutes or until parsnips are cooked through and soft.

Serve with a small scoop of brown rice, yogurt and chives.