Healthy soups are a great weight loss food. They are low in kilojoules, yet high in flavour and nutrients. Broth based soups have a low energy density because of their high vegetable, fibre and water content.
Consuming low-energy-density soups may help with weight loss by reducing the kilojoule content of your diet, while still allowing you to feel satisfied after a meal.
Having soup before a meal may help to keep hunger at bay and prevent overeating afterwards. Eaten for lunch, dinner or even as a snack, healthy soup may help to prevent winter weight gain.
But before you embark on a celebrity soup diet, or boil enough cabbage to feed an army, it helps to look at scientific research to see how soup may help you to shed those unwanted kilos.
The research
A recent study published in the journal Appetite found that subjects who ate a low-kilojoule soup entree consumed 20 percent fewer kilojoules overall compared to participants who were not given soup before lunch.
This reduced kilojoule intake did not cause the subjects to feel hungrier later, or report decreased fullness at the end of the meal. The researchers also found that the way the soup was prepared did not make a significant difference. Soups prepared from identical ingredients but blended differently were used in the study, including chunky vegetable soup, chunky-pureed vegetable soup, and pureed vegetable soup.
Practical ways to have more soup
Here are some ideas on how to get more soup in your diet, and help maximise any potential weight loss benefits.
- Have soup as a main meal, or as an entree prior to lunch or dinner to make it easier to reduce the amount you eat afterwards.
- Choose water and vegetable based soups. Avoid creamy soups with ingredients such as butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, full cream milk, and large portions of fatty meats – these are higher in fat and kilojoules and may actually trigger weight gain.
- If you have bread with your soup, avoid using butter or margarine. Choose whole grain bread, and keep your portions moderate.
- If you are short on time, use low fat (and preferably low salt) canned soups as an easy soup base, and “build”. Add extra vegetables, skim milk, lean meats, legumes, whole grains, herbs, spices and condiments.
- When preparing a soup, it may be helpful to make a double batch, and freeze the leftovers. Knowing you have a healthy, tasty soup available for a quick re-heat might reduce your reliance on less healthy options.
- You can still make healthy versions of creamy soups by using low fat soy milk, skim milk or evaporated skim milk. See below for a healthy recipe for creamy chicken and corn soup.
Creamy chicken and corn soup
Serves 4
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp water
1 cup chopped chicken
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup skim milk or evaporated skim milk
1 440g can creamed corn
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, shallots, chives)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg, beaten
Pepper to taste
1. Place onion, garlic and water in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the onion is transparent.
2. Add the chicken, stock, milk, corn, herbs and paprika and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the beaten egg just before serving, stirring it through until the soup thickens. Season to taste with black pepper.
References available on request
