How Soups Can Help To Keep Us Healthy In Every Way?
Soup is such a wonderful food.
A warm, hearty bowl of soup that fills your kitchen with such an inviting aroma can hit that spot on a very cold day.
It is easy to prepare, comforting and very much filling!
But, is that it?
Here are ways soups can help us be healthy in every way!
1.Soups Increase Vegetable Consumption
Most people, particularly picky eaters, and kids do not get the recommended amount of vegetable intake every day.
I mean, on picky eaters point of view, who would like to eat those green leaves and bitter veggies as it is?
With the best soup makers, however, you can “style” it with other food items and transforming it into something part-liquid and part-solid, thus helping you increase your vegetable intake. This is particularly true if you choose vegetarian soups like gazpacho which is a tomato-based soup served for calming cold symptoms.
2.Soups Are Very Filling
Unlike most liquids such as water, soups can be as filling as solid foods come. This only means that you can serve soup as a meal without having to worry about being hungry again, a few hours after eating.
3.Soups Have Little Fat-Content
If made with lean meat, most soups have little fat content, making them a great choice for anyone who is concerned about fat intake in their diet.
4.Soups Can Help in Weight Loss
Because soups are more filling than solids, they can help prevent overeating or binge-eating. Soups keep us full for longer, thanks to their form that takes up more room in the stomach and therefore turns off the hunger hormones.
Moreover, even a big bowl of soup will not set you back for over 300 calories. Thus, soups are a great way to eat less without feeling like you are starving yourself to death in order to lose some weight.
5.Soups Are Packed With Nutrients
Soups which are made with lean meats like fish provide lean protein while beans can give you fiber. Tomatoes are packed with lycopene which is an antioxidant that can help in reducing the risk of cancer, prostate cancer in particular, as well as other severe diseases. Vegetable soup is loaded with vitamins such as C and A as well as potassium and selenium. Creamy soups, on the other hand, are a good supply of vitamin D and calcium.
6.Soups Can Be Beneficial For The Skin
Soups that uses cabbage and other veggies are great for the health of your skin! They help improve your skin complexion, rejuvenates the skin, cleans and clears the skin of inflammation, may help in slowing down the aging process, heals the skin and helps in flushing out toxins, all thanks to the wide variety of nutrients they pack.
How to Make a Healthy Soup?
The Broth
In general, broth-based soups contains fewer calories than those that are made with cream. There are some tricks to scale back on the cream, or you can skip it altogether.
For broth-based soups, choose a low-sodium broth such as beef, chicken or vegetables. For a creamier soup, you can use starchy vegetables in order to get the consistency that you like. Potatoes and butternut squash make great thickeners or you can also combine cornstarch and flour with stock.
If you really like heavy creams, then try to reduce the amount you pour in that can help lighten things up while also maintaining a creamy texture.
Choose Healthy Ingredients
The healthiest of all soups have lean protein ingredients, and lots and lots of veggies with also a bit of starch— a balanced meal in a hearty bowl!
Lean cuts of pork, lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, and legumes can add the necessary vitamins, minerals, protein, and flavor needed. For veggies, there is an endless list to add for a healthy soup. These include zucchini, parsnips, cabbage, broccoli, celery, kale, green beans, carrots or whatever veggies you like! For starch, you can add rice, noodles, or potatoes.
Flavor It with Healthy Seasonings
After adding all the ingredients, you might find that your soup is missing something. Spruce it up with seasoning. Bay leaf, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme works well with most soups, plus they are very healthy. If you must, add salt sparingly, particularly if you are using a prepared broth that may already have a lot of sodium content.
