The Soup Cleanse

November 16, 2015
Blatteis and Vella reveal the health philosophy behind Soupure, their Los Angeles–based company dedicated to providing “health in a bottle”: nutritious hot and cold soups for weight loss and healthy eating. They dislike juicing, despite its proven weight-loss record, due to side effects such as headaches, muscle aches, lethargy, and irritability. As an alternative, a licensed holistic practitioner helped Blatteis and Vella develop a menu of filling high-fiber, whole food–based soups without dairy, GMOs, or preservatives. The soups can be used for cleanses, supplements, and meal options. Each soup is designed to help dieters lose weight while controlling inflammation, chronic symptoms, and stress. The authors’ program for achieving and maintaining optimal health features a “pantry prescription” for stocking up on the right foods, steps for preparing and following several soup cleanses, and ways to incorporate soups into post-cleanse menus. Almost 100 pages of recipes for cleansing soups and their subsequent real-food eating plan cover breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts, and cocktails. Readers will also learn about making infused waters, teas, and smoothies. Checklists, boxes with nutritional information, and first-person stories add to the basic cleanse instructions, and the authors’ supportive tone enlivens this short, uncomplicated guide. Agent: Meg Thompson, Thompson Literary.

Starred review from January 1, 2016

If the word "cleanse" conjures up an image of preparing for a colonoscopy, you're not alone. Soupure founders Blatteis and Vella are talking about nourishing your body while flushing out the toxins on a cellular level. Their array of soups, teas, and smoothies, perfected in the kitchen of their Los Angeles-based store, are full of healthy and delicious vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and rich bone broths. There are recipes for light chilled soups, hearty winter comforters, and everything in between. VERDICT An excellent introduction to "souping," complete with 50 recipes and meal plans.

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