Relief for inflammation, constipation & digestive firestorms (like hemorrhoids). This soothing, gut-loving soup is light yet grounding—designed to calm irritation, support your belly, and nourish you from the inside out.
Let’s be real—when your gut’s in a flare, it can feel like your whole body is out of sorts. Whether it’s the fiery burn of acid reflux, the stuck heaviness of constipation, (or even the tenderness of a hemorrhoid), it’s hard to know what to eat that will actually help you feel better. This soup was born from one of those moments—a day when my body was inflamed, sensitive, and asking for something deeply soothing. I needed comfort without heaviness, nourishment without irritation.
This isn’t your typical creamy or spicy soup. It’s brothy, grounding, subtly sweet, and full of gently supportive ingredients that bring real relief when your belly’s feeling sensitive. It’s especially helpful when Pitta is flaring—showing up as heat, irritation, sharpness, and inflammation—but it’s also grounding enough for Vata and light enough for Kapha digestion too.
And yes, even though soup is often considered a fall or winter food, this one is light and refreshing enough to enjoy in the summer. Especially when your body needs a reset.
Why These Ingredients Work
Chicken Thighs – Cooked simply and seasoned gently, they provide satisfying protein without overstimulating the system. Protein is essential for tissue repair—something your gut lining needs right now.
Carrots & Turnips – These root veggies bring gentle fiber and a little natural sweetness to soothe and nourish. Turnips in particular are slightly astringent and help reduce dampness while also being light and digestible—great for Kapha.
Zucchini – Cooling, softening, and hydrating. Zucchini is easy to digest and adds a nice texture contrast without adding heaviness.
Bok Choy – Underrated and incredibly healing. It has a meaty sweetness and slightly bitter quality that supports liver health and digestion. Bok choy helps bring lightness to the recipe and is easy on all three doshas.
Ginger & Turmeric – These are your herbal powerhouses. Ginger stimulates digestion and circulation gently without being too hot or irritating. Turmeric is bitter, anti-inflammatory, and supports detoxification and tissue repair. Just remember—it stains!
Bone Broth – Rich in minerals and amino acids like glutamine, bone broth helps repair the mucosal lining of the gut. It’s deeply healing and grounding, without being too dense.
Cilantro or Parsley – Both bring a fresh, bright note at the end. Cilantro is cooling and detoxifying; parsley is slightly warming and deeply nourishing. Use whichever one feels right for you.
What I Purposely DIDN'T Include
Pepper, onions garlic, or anything pungent (except the ginger, which is an exception here because of its digestive benefits). These ingredients, while yummy irritate the digestive system and it can become over stimulated. While these ingredients have their own healing attributes, they are counter productive to our goals in the case.
How to Make It
This is a real-life recipe. I made it while doing other things—cleaning as I went to avoid overwhelm since I was meal prepping with a batch of gf no refined sugar sweet potato muffins in the oven. It’s flexible and forgiving, just like your healing journey should be.
Here’s the gist:
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Season 4 chicken thighs with sea salt, ginger, coriander, turmeric, and a dash of thyme and parsley. Cook them in a pan until done, then set aside to rest.
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Scrape the fond (those golden bits at the bottom of the pan) with a little broth to build the flavor.
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Then add sauté 4 chopped carrots and 3 turnips (lacrosse-ball size), plus the minced ginger and turmeric in olive oil until they start to soften.
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Add chopped zucchini, If the fond had built up again, put the lid on- Since zucchini has a lot of water you can use the condensation to scrape the fond, if not add a few tablespoons of the broth.
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After everything is cooked- add back the chopped and cooked chicken. Pour in Chicken bone broth—Simmer for at least 10 minutes to meld the flavors, or up to an hour for deeper depth.
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In the last 5–10 minutes, stir in chopped bok choy. Cook until soft.
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Finish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro or parsley and a little sea salt to brighten it up.
This soup feels like a reset. It’s flavorful, textured, satisfying, and comforting—but never heavy. It’s the kind of thing you can eat all day when you're flaring or just feeling off. Plus it's nice to have a switch up from basic chicken soup (which I also LOVE for gut health).
Want to go deeper?
This soup pairs perfectly with the mindful eating practices I teach in my Savor course—and if you want a deeper digestive reset, try my free 3-Day Detox. It’s a gentle but potent program to bring your gut and energy back into balance.
Wishing you relief, nourishment, and so much more flavor than any bland "sick food" you’ve ever had.
Watch me make this soothing soup step-by-step below!