Nutrition Intuition

6 Ways to Make Your Soup a Bowl with Benefits

By Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN

Published Mar 2, 2015

Just when you thought it was safe to put down the bone broth, we now have a soup-er challenge you won’t want to miss! Everyday Health is kicking off our #10soupchallengetoday! Although you may long for the sight of spring flowers, enjoying a hot mug of soup in the weeks ahead is a great segue way between the two seasons as you begin to lighten up your diet.

This chameleon of a meal, comfortably appearing as either an appetizer, main dish, or a between meal snack, can be enjoyed all year through. Soup can healthfully hydrate while putting a halt to hunger. Here’s how you can create a bowl with benefits:

1. Soup is a perfect vehicle for veggies. Fresh, canned, or frozen, you can add any veggies to soup because you’re not necessarily looking for a crisp texture and mouth feel. Frozen and canned vegetables are easier to store and are usually less expensive than fresh types.

2. What lays in soup stays in soup. Whatever beans, vegetables, or proteins (chicken, meat) you add will get cooked directly within the soup, thereby retaining valuable vitamins and minerals that would otherwise get lost in other forms of meal preparation.

3. If you’re not a veggie lover (but you know you should be eating more of them), try using an immersion blender. This inexpensive tool is perfect for pureeing veggies right within the pot of soup. It’s easy to use, clean, and store and turns a chunky soup into a creamy one in minutes.

4. Cook now, sip later. Make more than you need and store soup in small containers in the freezer. Carry some to work with you and pop it in the microwave for an afternoon snack that will carry you through to dinner without needing to pay a visit to the vending machine.

5. Adding soup could ditch calories. Studies show that a bowl of broth-based soup before a meal can help you eat less at that meal and thereby help slash your calorie budget. Cream-based soups, of course, might add more calories than you bargained for, so when dining out, ask your server about what might be hidden in that bowl.

6. Proceed with caution when comes to sodium. Read labels carefully to check serving size since some canned soups may show half a can as a portion, in which case you’d have to double all of the numbers listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel. To help keep sodium in check, jazz up your soup with savory spices and seasonings — a healthy way to showcase your creativity!

Need some soup suggestions? Try my thick, wholesome split pea soup recipe or go to the Recipe Rehab Facebook page for more ideas and tips. Are you up for the challenge?

Eat a healthy diet

• Briefly, a healthy diet means:                                                                                                                           AT LEAST five portions, or ideally 7-9 portions, of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day.
• A THIRD OF MOST MEALS should be starch-based foods (such as cereals, wholegrain bread, potatoes, rice, pasta), plus fruit and vegetables.
• NOT MUCH fatty food, such as fatty meats, cheeses, full-cream milk, fried food, butter, etc. Use low-fat, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated spreads.
• INCLUDE 2-3 portions of fish per week, at least one of which should be ‘oily’ (such as herring, mackerel, sardines, kippers, pilchards, salmon, or fresh tuna).
• If you eat meat it is best to eat lean meat, or poultry such as chicken.
  If you do fry, choose a vegetable oil such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive.
• Try not to add salt to food, and limit foods which are salty.

Try to lose weight if you are overweight or obese

You don’t need to get to a perfect weight. If you are overweight you can gain great health benefits by losing 5-10% of your weight. This is often about 5-10 kg. (10 kg is about one and a half stone.)

Don’t drink too much alcohol

Keep an eye on the amount of alcohol you drink. Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week, no more than four units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week. Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, no more than three units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.Pregnant women should not drink at all. One unit is in about half a pint of normal strength beer, or two thirds of a small glass of wine, or one small pub measure of spirits.

Fertility

Getting pregnant can be an exciting time. For some, getting pregnant seems to happen simply by talking about it. For others, getting pregnant takes patience and perhaps a bit of luck.

Understanding when you’re most fertile can make getting pregnant easier. It’s also important to consider simple do’s and don’ts of conception. For example, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet and have sex regularly — especially near the time of ovulation. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Of course, healthy sperm counts, too.

With frequent unprotected sex, most healthy couples conceive within one year. If you have trouble getting pregnant, don’t go it alone. A fertility specialist or other health care provider might be able to help. Infertility affects men and women equally — and treatment is available.

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