Asparagus Soup for Bladder Infection

Asparagus Soup

How would you like to stare down a cup of asparagus soup like this in the morning? And again in the afternoon... and another one that night? I'm going to be doing exactly that for the next three days.

One of the reasons I started my nutrient dense paleo adventure was my chronic low back pain. I have a congenital defect where my L5 vertebra is partially fused to my sacrum. For over three years now my back has been bothering me daily to varying degrees. Researching online I started finding articles about the paleo diet, more specifically eating nutrient dense, real food and the effects it could have on chronic inflammation. Going paleo wasn't going to be a huge dietary change for me. I was already gluten free and eating about 80% paleo anyway.

About 2 weeks into my paleo experiment, my back pain got worse. A lot worse. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I also got a bladder infection, another issue I've been plagued with over the past few years. Frustrated with my latest bladder infection I consulted Google for some home healthy home remedies. I found a great list on Natural News, three sounded doable; cranberry pills (or juice), lemon water, and asparagus.

I drink lemon water every morning already. I needed to increase my dose though. So I've upped it to the juice of 2 lemons in 10 oz of water.

Not wanting to add another drink to my routine, I'm opting for the cranberry pill once a day.

I was most intrigued by the asparagus remedy:

Take about 5 or 6 asparagus stalks and boil them in a small pot until very tender. Eat them and drink the juice from the pot. Repeat two or three times daily to help clear the infection quickly.

Chowing down on soggy asparagus and drinking the water however did not sound very palatable. So, I made soup.

I drank it for a day with my breakfast, lunch and dinner. My bladder irritation did improve and so did my back pain! Neither were cured after just one day so I am going to try my 3 part remedy for the next 3 days.

Asparagus Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of asparagus, ends removed, cut into 2" pieces
• water
• 3/4 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• crispy prosciutto (optional)
• olive oil (optional)

Soup Directions:

1. Wash and cut your asparagus. 
2. Put the cut asparagus in a pot and add enough water to just cover it.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Cook on med heat until super tender, about 7-10 minutes should do the trick. 
5. I turn off my stove and let the asparagus and water cool for about 15 minutes before I throw it in my blender. 
6. Pour some in a bowl or cup and top with crispy prosciutto and a drizzle of olive oil. 
7. Store the rest in a bowl in the fridge to reheat on the stove later. I store my prosciutto in a separate bowl to keep it crispy. 

Crispy Prosciutto:

1. Preheat your over to 350 degrees. 
2. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Lay 3 slices of prosciutto on the parchment paper.
4. Cook in the oven until just crispy (about 5 minutes)
5. Let the prosciutto cool, then chop it up.