Making the Soup

Last week I wrote about our experience with the Jaramillo Soup.  The beauty of this soup is that you can make it with whatever you have in your fridge, so it's economical and uncomplicated.  When I started making it for Zach, I began by giving him 2 oz. three times per day, mixed with breast milk (plus nursing on-demand the rest of the day).  This meant that I was making about 1/3 of the recipe featured here.  I gradually increased the amount of soup based on his demands and hunger level.  By six months of age, he's drinking four 9-oz. bottles of soup each day (plus purees for lunch and dinner made from other things like sweet potato, corn & spinach, etc. to practice spoon feeding).*  When you see how much he eats you'll find it shocking and cruel that anyone would expect THIS big baby to be on a breast milk-only diet until he turned six months.

*Since I started this post a week ago (hello, busy life) I have weaned Zach from the bottles and I'm spoon-feeding him 100%.  This is described at the end of the post.

Ingredients:

Vegetables
  • 1 chard leaf
  • 1 kale leaf
  • 1 lettuce leaf
  • 1/2 zucchini
  • 5 green beans
  • 1 large broccoli floret
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1/3 sweet potato
Legumes & grains (soak all legumes and brown rice the night before)
  • 1 tbsp. mung or azuki beans (or any beans you have)
  • 1 tbsp. green lentils (or yellow or brown)
  • 1 tbsp. brown rice
  • 1 tbsp. quinoa (doesn't need to be soaked)
Animal protein (a portion approximate to the size of your baby's palm)
  • Dark meat chicken, grass-fed beef, chicken livers* or fatty fish (i.e. salmon)
*Liver can cause constipation but it's a great source of nutrition, so play it by ear and go easy at first.

Fruits
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 sliver of papaya (approximate size = three of your fingers)
  • 6 prunes
  • five chunks of mango, 1/2 peach, handful of blueberries, OR any other seasonal fruits without the peel (note: NO bananas, strawberries, or citrus)
Optional: DHA cod liver oil for babies (2-3 ml) or a tbsp. of quality olive oil

Water: Ideally use spring water or reverse osmosis water, but at least use purified water (no tap water!!)

Equipment: pressure cooker (or regular soup pot, but it takes longer)*, blender, ceramic or glass bowl, glass bottles, cross-cut nipples (use a sharp knife to cut a cross in the nipple so the soup will go through).

*I have a T-Fal pressure cooker; it's affordable and works really well.

Instructions:

The night before, measure out the legumes and grains and leave them soaking in two cups of purified water in a glass or ceramic bowl (no plastic, even if it's BPA-free!).  You can

You can chop up the veggies or cook 'em whole.

also prep baggies with washed and pre-measured veggies for the whole week (note: if your veggies are not organic, make sure you disinfect them with grapefruit seed extract).  Do the same thing for the animal protein; portion the meats, wrap them in parchment paper and then put them in baggies to freeze.

I prep the veggies every Sunday.

In the morning, pour the legumes and grains into your pot with the water they soaked in, and add the vegetables and animal protein.  DO NOT put in the fruits or oil, and DO NOT use any sweeteners or seasonings.

Cover the pressure cooker and turn on the heat as hight as it will go.  When it has built up pressure and starts steaming, turn down the heat to medium-low (just enough to maintain pressure) and set a timer for 15 minutes.  Alternately, you can pressure cook the grains and legumes for 10 minutes, bring down the pressure, add the veggies and protein, increase the pressure again, and pressure cook for five more minutes (I just find this to be more of a hassle).  If you are using a regular pot, you will have to let the grains

Grains, legumes, veggies and animal protein ready to cook.

and legumes cook for about 45 minutes, then add the veggies and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the fruits and oil in a blender.  When the timer goes off, quick-release the pressure and transfer all the soup ingredients from the pot to the blender.  Blend on the highest setting for at least 30 seconds, or until everything has been perfectly pureed because little chunks of food can clog the nipples.  (I bought a $15 Oster blender with a glass blender jar, and it works great on

"liquify" mode). If the soup is too thick, add a little more water or some 100% organic fruit juice (I like prune, pear, or apple).  It takes a few days to get the consistency just right; have a toothpick handy to unclog the nipple if necessary.

Pour the soup into the bottles, screw on the nipples, put on the caps and put the bottles immediately into the fridge.  Try to put them on a bottom shelf, not in the door racks, so that they'll stay very cold.  If your fridge isn't very cold, put ice in a large container and nestle the bottles among the ice, and then put the whole thing in the fridge.  Failure to cool down the bottles can cause your baby to have gas, especially with the afternoon and evening feedings.

Ready to blend...

It sounds like a huge hassle to make the soup, but it's actually quite quick once you have a system.  It takes me about 30 minutes each morning, and I can rest assured knowing that my child has wholesome, healthy, and home-cooked meals for the rest of the day.

CAVEAT: You MUST makethe soup fresh each day.  This soup should not be stored overnight nor should it be frozen.  Your child deserves fresh food to get off to a healthy start!

To heat up the bottles, you can use a bottle warmer (I have the Dr. Brown's warmer and it works great if you set it for 5:30 minutes).  Always make sure to shake the bottle thoroughly to even out the soup temperature and test the soup on your hand before giving to baby.  The soup should be served warm.

Yummy!

If you are going out, take the soup in a thermal bag with ice and make sure it stays as cold as possible.  To reheat on the go, ask for a large cup half-filled with hot water and immerse the bottle for 5-7 minutes, then shake.

It is also possible to make the soup thicker and spoon-feed it to baby.  Now that Zach is eating really well with a spoon, I am making three separate purees from the items I cook (I still cook everything in one pot but I use less liquid during blending to ensure a thicker consistency):
  1. A puree made from legumes, grains, a 4-minute egg yolk and some pastured butter (this is for breakfast and mid-afternoon meal)
  2. A puree made from veggies, animal protein, and cod liver oil (this is for lunch and dinner)
  3. A puree made from the fruits and avocado (this is "dessert" after each meal)

    Bottoms up!
In just two days, he successfully weaned from using the bottles, which he had been using since he turned 3 months.  He LOVES to eat with a spoon and has made great progress in that department.

This soup has changed our lives for the better.  Our child is happy, healthy, strong, and sleeps like a champ.  It's never too late to start making it!  If you have any questions on how to make it, please e-mail me or leave a comment.

The first time we tried spoon-feeding the soup... It's gotten a lot better since then!

30 comments

Stephanie
 

Thank You! This is exactly what happened with me. I didn't know there were choices like this out there. I was provided with a very good book from my province of Quebec, but in the food department was a bit lacking and of coarse only provided the most popular ideas for how to start on other foods; example cereal only and then veggies and later introduce legumes etc. I was really surprised to see that you had introduced these things so early but also very exciting to know that there are others out there who are willing to try different things with their children and make an effort to try to help others. Thank you again.
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Hil
 

We've been feeding our almost 5 month old baby this soup since she was only 7 days old. Madeline was born premature by 6 weeks and her pediatrician wanted to supplement my breast milk with Enfamil. We outright refused and looked into the Jaramillo Diey. We are lucky as one of his cousins is the mother of my sister in law, so we did speak to him directly regarding all of his concerns. Both our families were shocked and horrified, but once they saw the good it does to our baby they became fierce advocates. The soup has been INCREDIBLE! I can't rave about it enough! Madeline was born weighing 4lbs 7oz and now weighs a whopping 13 lbs 6 oz (her next appointment is in two weeks, so we are thinking she will be weighing 15lbs or so, given her 2lb a month weight increase). Besides her weight gain, she has had incredible motor function development and is progressing right along where she should be. How could she not?! She is receiving all the nutrients, minerals, vitamins that she needs. P.s. It is thanks to your blog that I was finally convinced to go for it. Thanks for taking the step to provide your son with the nutrition that he so desperately wanted and needed, and at the same time put it out there for everyone to see. What an inspiration!
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Esther Lucia Jaramillo
 

Dear All, I am Doctor Jaramillo's daughter. I was given the soup as a baby and gave it to my children who grew healthy and had excellent reports at school. Anyone with doubts should contact my father directly, he speaks English and is always eager to help. The benefits of this soup are endless, every person I know that has given it to their children is grateful and happy to have done it. My father's email address is dietajaramillo@gmail.com. I can also help with my own experience.
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Carla
 

" When you see how much he eats you’ll find it shocking and cruel that anyone would expect such a big baby to be on a breast milk-only diet until he turned six months." If you don't accept critics to your son's soup diet, then why be disrespectful to the mothers that choose to exclusively breastfeed their (big) babies until 6 months? This statement is simply not true.
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the full monte(ssori)
 

You're right Carla. I meant to say "...that anyone would expect THIS baby to be on a milk-only diet". Everyone has the right to choose what is best for their own child, but it's important to know that there are CHOICES and that we are not limited to a milk-only diet if a child NEEDS something more. Some mothers don't know that there are alternatives, and their children suffer. I would've LOVED to nurse exclusively for six months, but it's not about ME; it's about my baby's needs. That's the message I wanted to get across.
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Montessori Beginnings
 

Thanks for posting in detail how to make the soup! I was wondering if you know if it is possible to have a vegetarian option? Can you leave out the animal protien?
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the full monte(ssori)
 

I imagine you can leave out the animal protein, especially if you are still breastfeeding, but Dr. Jaramillo makes emphasis on including animal protein because of a child's developmental needs (it's up to the parents... We're "pescatarians" but I am feeding all types of animal protein to Zach and will continue to do so for several years). Of course, if you're going veg you have to make sure to always include the legumes and quinoa to get a good amount of protein. If egg is part of your vegetarian diet, you can add one or two 4-minute egg yolks when you blend the soup. My acupuncturist also told me that babies can tolerate goat milk much better than cow's milk, so goat milk yogurt could also provide some protein if egg is off-limits. Hope this helps!!
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juliana
 

Hi! I'm so glad I foud this post! I've been researching the soup and I have a lot of questions. I would love an opportunity to pick your brain a little. Is there anyway that I can email you personally as opposed to replying to the post? Please let me know. I'm very excited to see that someone else has tried it and has been having such success with it. Cheers!
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Hi Juliana! You can absolutely contact me via e-mail... I'll send you an e-mail because I don't like posting my personal address online. Glad we found each other! :)
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Stephanie
 

I am preparing to start this soup and although this blog is thorough I am still a bit confused.  All of your ingredients listed go in the blender after you have cooked the veg and animal protein, and then you adjust the consistency.  I understand that part, and then you go on to explain that you also give three other meals on top of that?  And so you are making a soup and these seperate meals or preparing them all seperate now?  I know it will depend on my child how much to give, what style and when, maybe because I haven't started feeding her yet that I don't understand.  And when are you breast feeding? My girl is just over 5 months and has been super hungry for almost a month now and waking more to feed and seeming hungry right after feeding.  I thought she was getting teeth but that's not happening.  I'm so ready for this because I have made her wait long enough thinking it was her teeth and that I would sooth her with my breast! I know she is ready for a spoon too!  Anyway if you could help that would be greatly appreciated I see her crying and eating everything in sight right after a feed and I need a bit of guidance.  I love this option because it includes things that have been told to me that I should avoid. I also tried different things while breast feeding and haven't had any trouble (gas, colic ) so I would like to try legumes and some of the veggies sooner than when "my book" says. Also this is the most clear Montessori blog I have found, i like your layout and your pictures help me to explain my thoughts to my husband and help show others what we are interested in.  I also like www.michaelolaf.com for the material and supported text.  I am just getting started and look forward to learning more about this beautiful way of living.
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Hi Stephanie! Sorry if my "all over the place" thoughts confused you. :) I hope this answer clarifies things (you can also contact me via e-mail). When I was making the soup in the bottles (from ages 3 months to six months), I would make two purees in addition to the soup. The purpose of these purees was to introduce different flavors and the experience of spoon feeding. I did not want to spoon-feed the soup because Zach eats a TON of soup and spoon-feeding him when he was younger was both messy, ineffective, and time-consuming (it's gotten better now). I made these purees in the morning, while I waited for the soup to cook. They are easy to make: simply steam for 5 minutes about 1/2 cup of whatever frozen veggies you have (Zach likes spinach & corn, or bell peppers & sweet potato, or peas & carrots), then puree and serve (make sure to cool it down a bit first). Please note: these purees are NOT essential, they are not for the purpose of nutrition, it is mostly about the experience of spoon feeding. I would give him the puree first, followed by the soup in the bottle. My schedule for feeding him when we first started with the soup was: 6am nursing, 9am bottle + nursing, 12pm nursing, 3pm puree + bottle, 6:30pm puree + bottle, 7:30pm nursing. This evolved to what we currently do today, which is the following: Instead of blending the whole batch of soup and pouring it into bottles, I cook everything as usual but blend in three batches: 1. veggies + animal protein + DHA (cod liver oil) drops for babies 2. grains + legumes + one 4-minute egg yolk + one pat of pastured butter 3. fruits + avocado (I am also introducing goat's milk yogurt on occasion) The reason I am doing this is because I want to wean him off the bottles now that he is eating well with the spoon. I don't want him to become dependent on bottle-feeding if the need is no longer there. He is no longer nursing at 6 months, because he had issues with my breast milk (severe reflux, shiners, runny nose, scaly earlobe) that made it clear he was allergic to something in the milk. I planned on nursing for a whole year but this was not how things turned out. If you can continue to nurse, by all means do so for as long as you feel is appropriate. Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope I can continue to help you in your journey of discovery. Your daughter will certainly benefit from the soup, especially since she's showing signs of needing additional food. Follow your child; she is wise and will let you know how much soup she needs. If she wants more, give her more! :) I suggest you make the bottles for the day, but save some of the soup in a container, in case she asks for more soup after her bottle is finished. My little boy will get angry when is bottle is empty, and will push it away when he is full. They know what they need, we just have to be ready to listen. Best of luck and please keep me posted on your journey. Enjoy your little one and have fun cooking for her.
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Stephanie
 

Thank you so much for your quick response and further detail.
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Jennifer
 

Hi I have also been researching the soup for some time and started making it for my baby about 3 weeks ago. I just have few questions and problems that I'm sure you have into, and since most people believe in just milk for the first 6 months they cannot help me. Thanks a lot
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Hi Jennifer, I'll send you an e-mail and then please respond to it with your questions. I'm happy to share my experiences in the hope that they help other moms!
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Milk It! « The Full Montessori
 

[...] not crazy about the concept of plain water.  I’ve successfully transitioned him from the soup to solids, but this meant a decrease in his liquid consumption.  Enter the most glorious of [...]
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Natalia Mejia
 

Love this soup!! Many comments to share. How can i share them???
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Thank you for your comment, Diego! It's such a blessing to know that the soup has worked for so many other families, and that not only is it nutritious but that it helps sick babies regain the health they deserve to have! I'm so glad your son is now thriving, I only hope we can continue spreading the word so others can know of this amazing and affordable discovery!
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Natalia, please feel free to write your comments in this "comments" section for other readers to see. It is very useful for others to know that the soup has been tried and is a great complement to breast milk!
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Diego Giraldo
 

Our 10 y/o boy started on this soup when he was 30 days old and we're glad we did because he was born with healh issues such as hypotony, hypoglicemia and he was also underweighted. He was on the desired weight in only 2 weeks, then his hypoglicemia went away a few weeks later and when he was 1y/o his Doctor said his hypotony had disappeared too. He continued to take his soup daily until he was 2 and he's very intelligent, talented and healthy, thanks to the JaramilloSoup. My wife and I recommend this soup for any child because it does work and it's affordable. We all take this healthy soup in regular bases and we hope you do it as well.
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jcknutson
 

Hi there! This post is fascinating. Just to clarify: with the ingredients list, one item would be selected from each category, correct (e.g., one leaf of kale, one tsp. of lentils, one portion of animal protein and one item from the fruit list)? That, at least, is the impression I got from Dr. Jaramillo's site: http://dietajaramillo.org/jaramillo_en/complementaria.htm Many thanks!
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the full monte(ssori)
 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing this story with me!! Please share your experience with everyone you know, it's the only way we'll change people's perceptions of infant nutrition. Blessings to you and your baby!!
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding! You can add as many veggies and fruits as you want/have, and then yes, one portion of lentils or beans, one portion of animal protein. It's a very flexible soup, make it with what you have... I hope that helps!
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cluelessfather
 

[…] We reached out to friends who pointed us in the direction of this blog: http://thefullmontessori.wordpress.co… […]
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the full monte(ssori)
 

Hi Jess, I am so sorry I didn't see your message earlier! If you get this, please contact me at pilar dot bewley at gmail dot com
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Jess
 

Hi! I am so eager to try out this diet as I've been doing lots of research for over a week now. Your blog just convinced me to give it a shot already! My baby boy is 8 weeks old and is displaying signs of staying hungry after each feeding. I had to stop breast feeding at 5 weeks due to lack of milk supply. Unfortunately I had to start him on formula (Similac sensitive) which I was against but what other options did I have?? Now that I see there is indeed another option I am very excited and eager to get this ball rolling! I have a few questions before I start though. Is it possible to contact you directly? Thank you so much!! Your blog is so helpful and inspiring !
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Sandra Cupajita
 

Hi thanks, this soup is the best option for ours babies!! No milk anymore. My baby started when he was 20 days old, now he is 1 year and a half and he still loves his soup, is a boy happy and healthy. Thanks to Dr Jaramillo 😘
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Pilar B.
 

I've read about adults who take it and have reversed chronic illnesses including dementia! You can adapt the soup to your dietary needs and it's a great source of nutrients. I wish you luck, Karen.
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Pilar B.
 

Yes, you can modify it as you see fit! :)
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Karen
 

Thank you for this wonderful info! I’m considering making this for myself, as I have severe digestive issues and am very malnourished. Is the soup blended just for babies, or does Dr Jaramillo blend the soup for adults as well? I need to make this as a simple as possible. Thanks again!
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Carmen
 

Hi, are the benefits the same if you remove the grains from the recipe? In numerous studies it showed that babies until he age of 2 do not developed the enzyme to break down grains and can cause celiac disease and other issues later on in life....what are tour thoughts on that?
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