Whole30 Chicken Carrot Soup

Do you ever get the feeling that your gut just needs to take a break?  Well, look no further!  This Whole30 Chicken Carrot soup is full of flavour, jam-packed with nutrients, yet still very easy to digest.

In a previous post, I discussed my Whole30 experience along with some tips on completing a successful Whole30.  If you have not read either of those posts and are unsure of what exactly "Whole30" is comprised of, I suggest you look at the official Whole30 website to fully understand the concept.

My experience with the Whole30 was definitely an eye-opener.  Most people talk about all the amazing benefits they received after following such a "clean" way of eating.  I, on the other hand, was completely miserable throughout the entire 30 days.

Why do you ask?  Well, it turns out that my digestive issues (which I have been battling for years), include gastroparesis and a slow-moving digestive system.  Since Whole30 focuses on a lot of fruit, vegetables and proteins (all foods that are fairly difficult to digest), heartburn, bloating and constant pain were only a few of the negative side effects I experienced while committed to the Whole30.

Do I regret it?   ABSOLUTELY NOT!  Luckily, following such a strict food plan allowed me to come to the realization that food intolerances were not the fundamental reason for my digestive woes.  My Whole30 experience led me back to the GI doctor for more tests in order to attempt to get to the root cause of my gastrointestinal duress.

Recently, a new GI doctor decided to run a Lactulose Breath test to see if I have a methane-based Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (also known as SIBO).  Since I am not a GI specialist, you can read more about the breath test here and if you are curious about methane dominant SIBO, here is a great link.

So, while waiting for my results for the breath test, my doctor suggested the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?  Here is a little information from WebMD:

"The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a very restrictive, unconventional diet plan that severely limits most carbs.

It is based on the theory that by eliminating most carbs (primarily grains, starches, dairy, and sugars) and allowing only specific carbs that require minimal digestion, it can reduce inflammation and make eating enjoyable for people with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

People with various GI disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease, can have difficulty dealing with food and side effects from medications and food intolerances.

Removing the carbs that are difficult to digest and cause inflammation in the gut is the rationale of the diet, popularized by the late biochemist and author Elaine Gottschall, MSc, in her book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. Gottschall modelled the SCD based on the work of Sidney Haas, MD, to treat her then 5-year-old daughter, who had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis"

The SCD has an Intro Phase followed by 5 more phases.  Each phase incorporates a reintroduction of a specific food.  You are supposed to eat that specific new food, cooked and pureed first for 4 days, before introducing another food source.  Sounds tiresome, right?  Well, if you live in constant pain, you are willing to try anything to feel better.  This link gives a great breakdown of the phases and which foods are allowed in each phase.

So, with my doctor's recommendation, I started with the Intro Phase.  Here is the list of foods allowed on the intro diet:

• cooked and pureed carrots
• boiled or broiled lean meats (no bacon, ham, steak or jerky as these are more difficult to digest and may have additives)
• eggs
• gelatin
• apple cider (non-alcoholic), grape juice, black coffee, plain tea
• coconut oil (in very small amounts)

THAT'S IT!

How can one survive with so little food choices?  Honestly, really well!

My doctor suggested that I start with doing a minimum of 2 days and a maximum of 5 days on this intro diet.  After only 2 days, I was feeling A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and decided to carry on for all 5 days.

Wasn't I hungry or bored with the food choices?  Not at all.  I created this easy soup which was totally satisfying.  So much so, that I ate it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.  To get a little creative, I either diluted it with some organic broth or, I would put it in a frying pan and drizzled a little coconut oil on the top for a delicious dinner.

How do you make Whole30 Chicken Carrot Soup?

• Place peeled and chopped carrots in a slow cooker.
• Add a little water and some seasoning and place chicken on top.
• Set it for 4 hours on high.

• Once cooked, remove the chicken and place in a separate bowl.
• Using forks, shred chicken.

• Next, place the carrots and the remaining liquid in a high-speed blender and process until carrots are fully pureed.
• Lastly, add the chicken and carrot puree back to the slow cooker.
• Taste the mixture and add any additional salt, pepper or spices.

Sometimes we don't even realize how "bad" we feel until we actually feel "good".  Try this recipe along with my egg recipe (coming up in the next post) for at least 2 days and see if you aren't shocked by how good you feel!

If you like this Whole30 Chicken Carrot Soup recipe, you may also enjoy:

• Whole30 Instant Pot French Onion Soup
• Light and Creamy Zucchini Cheese Soup
• Detox Carrot Soup (Whole30, Paleo, Allergy-Free)
• French Onion Beef Stew

Chicken Carrot Soup (Whole30, SCD)

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Tired of having gut issues? Try this carrot chicken soup for a couple of days and see if you don't feel a world of difference. Everything is combined in a slow cooker with limited ingredients to make it Whole30 as well as SCD diet Intro Phase legal. 

• Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 20 cups 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2-2.5 lbs organic carrots, peeled and chopped into fourths
• 8 (4 oz each), chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbsp paprika powder (organic without any caking agents)
• 1 tbsp curry powder (organic without any caking agents)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

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Instructions

1. Place peeled and chopped carrots in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Add 2 cups of water.  Sprinkle spices on top (if using)
2. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breasts and place on top of carrots.
3. Turn slow cooker on high for 4 hours.
4. Once cooked, carefully remove chicken and pull apart with a fork.  Transfer carrots and liquid to a high speed blender and turn on high until carrots are fully pureed.  If mixture is too thick, add additional water.
5. Place carrot puree and chicken back into slow cooker to combine.  Taste mixture and add additional seasoning if necessary.

Notes

• Feel free to add any additional spices or even a little hot sauce if you are not following the strict Intro diet.
• Add additional organic broth to make is soupier
• I also liked to put it in a frying pan and cook it until heated through.  Then, place it in a bowl and drizzle a little coconut oil on top.

• Author: Cat
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Category: Main Meals
• Cuisine: SCD Intro Phase, Whole30

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 63
• Sugar: 2.2 g
• Fat: 1.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 4.3 g
• Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 9.6 g