What are the health benefits of soups

  • Broth based soups are generally low in calories.
  • Soups can be filling
  • You can add plenty of vegetables, which are nutritious.
  • Soups can be stored in the refrigerator for easy reheating.
  • Soups generally freeze well, perfect for those who have not had time to shop and want to eat better.
  • Soup can be inexpensive to make.
  • You can use leftovers.
  • You can place in a crockpot without the need to watch the stove.

healthy soup recipeStocks

  • Keep the vegetable broth after you cooked some healthy vegetables.
  • Stew leftover chicken and beef bones to make the stock.

Vegetables

  • Do not throw away leftover vegetables, throw them into your soup.
  • Dice and slice extra vegetables when making salads.
  • If you are short of time buy ready cut vegetables, these are usually more expensive.
  • Frozen vegetables can also be used for soups.

Meats

  • Use leftover lean meats to add protein to your soups.

Beans

  • Beans offer fiber and protein.

Substitute out processed pasta

  • Consider substituting pasta for a whole grain such as barley or another whole grain.

Barley

  • Barley is a whole grain which has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

How to cook barley

Ingredients

  • 1 cup barley
  • 3 cups water or stock
  • 1/2 tsp of salt, optional if you are using water. No need if you are using broth  which has plenty of sodium

Directions

  • Bring water,  barley and salt to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover for approximately 45 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
  • Fluff with a fork before serving or adding to soups.

Those that eat soup may have a lower body weight

  • Compared with non-consumers (n 9307), soup consumers (n 1291) had a lower body weight (P = 0.002), a lower waist circumference (P = 0.001) and a trend towards a lower total energy intake (P = 0.087).
  • Interesting, that soup eaters tend to consume more sodium.
  • Reference-Zhu, Y. and Hollis, J.H. (2014) ‘Soup consumption is associated with a lower dietary energy density and a better diet quality in US adults’, British Journal of Nutrition, 111(8), pp. 1474–1480. doi: 10.1017/S0007114513003954.Soups increase satiety through delayed gastric emptying yet increased glycemic response.

Soups help us feel full because gastric emptying is slowed and food is more easily digested

  • Previous studies have demonstrated the satiating properties of soups compared with solids; however, the mechanisms controlling soup-induced satiety are unknown.
  • The smooth soup induced greater fullness compared with the solid meal because of a combination of delayed GE leading to feelings of gastric distension and rapid accessibility of nutrients causing a greater glycemic response.
  • Reference Clegg ME1, Ranawana V, Shafat A, Henry CJ.  J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jan;67(1):8-11. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2012.152. Epub 2012 Oct 24.

Do you think soup has any health benefits?

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