There is just something so soothing about a bowl of good soup. It becomes beyond soothing when you have been without food or drink for two weeks as I had been when hospitalized. I should add that the two weeks got rounded out with a few hospital food meals which might be even worse (but does that count as real food?). I was so ready to go home when I finally got released from the hospital. I missed my bed and my dog. I starting crying when we were about a quarter mile from our house. I was so relieved to be out of the hospital and to be going home. We got home, and I just crashed with my dog on the sofa. I asked my hubby to make me his yummy lentil soup. He went into the kitchen and the house began to fill with the aroma of caramelized onions along with sautéed ginger and garlic. My mouth watered. In no time at all, he brought me a piping hot bowl of veggie goodness. I sat and looked at the bowl, and I cried again. I was just so happy to be home. I was so relieved. The soup was warm and delicious. I could feel the nutrition in the soup giving my cells life. I savored every spoonful.
However, I cried a few more “tears” later on when re-introducing lentils into my diet after doing the RepairVite diet (food elimination diet) for awhile. Recently my husband made me his lovely soup upon my request, I ate it, and then I felt it—a dull burning sensation in my neck and upper back. Ugh! It’s one of the signs my body gives me when a certain food item just isn’t jiving with the rest of my system. I was pretty sad. I didn’t even bother going through the denial stage that I went through with other foods. The discomfort was too familiar and too—present. I knew it this time. No more lentils for me, sniff. But I sure do have a good feeling from it from my first day home from the hospital. At the time, it was bowl full of warmth, comfort, and relief.
The soup remains a hit with the rest of the family, so others can still enjoy its goodness. I’ve “memorialized” the recipe below for all (who can eat lentils).
[yumprint-recipe id=’5′]
I can totally relate! Lentils don’t “work” for me either. I’m fibromyalgia/sensitive, so I’ve learned to listen to my body. It lets me know what foods work and which ones are best left avoided 😉
Hi Sue, thank you for stopping by. Isn’t it amazing how much our bodies tell us when we stop to listen? I thought I was eating healthy before, but when my body forced me to listen, I realized I needed to feed it some foods and withhold other types. I don’t miss the withheld foods as much as before.