When the nights get a little chillier, this week’s Health-e-Recipe for Indian Summer Vegetable Soup is a good transition to warmer fall cooking while summer veggies are still available. And it’s super-simple for busy fall schedules.
Simmering whole-grain brown rice together with potato, carrot and herbs yields a phytochemical-rich broth that gets slightly thick. The potato supplies hearty fiber, potassium and vitamin C; the carrots contribute beta-carotene, an antioxidant phytochemical. These health protectors are joined by onions and leeks, fiber-rich celery and asparagus, a good source of folate (a B vitamin essential to maintain healthy DNA), vitamins C and A and the antioxidant compounds like glutathione and rutin.
Each kind of plant food we eat has its own set of healthful compounds and they work together to fend off cancer development in our bodies. That’s why AICR advises eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits — at least 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables and 1.5 to 2 cups of fruits — every day.