Best Autumn Soups for IBS

Now that it is autumn, I am getting excited about the sweater weather! Fall is my favorite season when the weather in New England cools down and things feel cozier, but it's still warm enough many days to get outside in the sun and enjoy nature. The leaves change and there are fewer insects. For me, it is also a very welcome reprieve from the heat and humidity of the summer – which usually tends to flare my pain issues, including my IBS.

I also love autumn because I get more of an appetite again (the sticky summer weather tends to sour my appetite) and it's comfortable enough to light the stove and start cooking hearty meals.

My favorite staple of cooler-weather meals is low FODMAP soups! I find these are filling and IBS-friendly (especially the way I make them). By far, the soup I tend to make the most is carrot soup, with squash soup (or bisque) being a close second.

Soup step 1: Start with a stock base

My general recipe starts with a vegetable stock base (for some, this may be chicken stock, but I am vegetarian, so I get veggie stock), either in liquid form in a box/bottle or as bouillon cubes to be mixed with water. Some people like to make their stock from scratch, which I've done a few times, but it takes up more spoons for me, so I like using pre-made stock or cubes. If you do make your own veggie stock, it usually consists of sauteing celery, onions and garlic (the latter two can be IBS triggers, so you want to go light on these) in butter or olive oil (if vegan the latter, or concerned about the fat in butter triggering your IBS) and then adding water and boiling so the flavors seep into the stock. For chicken stock, it usually requires adding chicken bones to this concoction with some of their meat/morsels still on them.

Soup step 2: Add starch, veggies, and more!

I take my store-bought organic stock (I find organic is beneficial to my IBS and endo) and adding one or two white potatoes skinned and cubed (as this add some starchiness to the soup) and then skinning, slicing and adding the carrots; or, in the case of squash, skinning, seeding and cubing the squash (butternut squash is best for this). The potatoes, carrots and/or squash are all usually (but not always, due to my budget) organic I don't have a specific ratio. It depends on how much soup I want at the time and if I want leftovers. I tend to fill the pot pretty full because I like my soups to have a thicker consistency.

Soup step 3: Boil, cool, freeze, reheat, repeat

I boil usually for about 20 minutes or so till the potatoes and carrots (or squash) are soft enough to be stabbed through with a fork. Then I let it cool for 20 to 30 minutes, usually putting it in the freezer. After that. I put it in a blend it till smooth and the texture I want. I will then return it to the stovetop where I reheat it, adding other spices to taste (usually: salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley). I also added in some [organic] almond milk to make the soup creamier. Sometimes as a bonus treat, I will put in a dollop of cream cheese. I like then dip some baguette into the soup or rice crackers. For carrot soup, I may add ginger, which besides adding an extra kick of flavor, is also soothing to the stomach and benefits GI issues.

IBS-safe ingredients

Again, these soups are filling but also not fatty, and rely on relatively "safe" staples for IBS (potato, carrot, squash) and I don't make it with butter or milk, so besides the cream cheese I sometimes add, it can suitable for vegans as well. Just one more note: Sometimes I make sweet potato soup instead, by just replacing the squash or carrots with sweet potatoes (or I've made a soup that combines carrots with them) which is also yummy – though I not as adored by me as the other two soups.

What are your favorite IBS-friendly soups for fall? Please share yours (and even recipes!) in the comments section below!