Soups are a great source of nutrition and help for those who want to lose weight. With plenty of liquid to keep you hydrated and feeling full, the right ingredients can make soup an excellent addition to your weight loss strategy.
Not all soups are created equal – that’s half the fun of eating soup! We’ll discuss which ingredients and benefits are best when it comes to choosing a healthy soup to help shed a few extra pounds.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Soup for Dinner?
Eating soup for dinner can keep you feeling full for longer, aid in digestion, boost your immune system, and naturally heal your body. For those who are also exercising to lose weight, some soups can even aid with muscle recovery and growth for a stronger body.
Soup Keeps You Feeling Full
Satiety is the feeling of being full. Without it, we get those sugary cravings and often ruin our diets. Soup can aid in weight loss by keeping you feeling satiated.
Packed with nutrients and lower calories, a hearty soup will induce more feelings of satiety by delaying gastric emptying. This means that your body will still be able to access nutrients quickly, even while you feel that your stomach is extended and full. This absorption of nutrients helps keep your blood sugar levels stable, aiding in increased energy levels and feelings of satiety.
Soup Aids Digestion
Healthy soup options usually include many ingredients filled with fiber. Dietary fiber cannot be digested or absorbed in the same way as vitamins and nutrients. Instead, it passes intact and helps create healthy stool.
A high-fiber diet normalizes bowel movement and helps maintain bowel health. It also helps lower cholesterol levels and control blood sugar.
High fiber foods are more filling than other foods, assisting with satiety while promoting healthy digestion. They also take longer to consume and typically contain fewer calories, which is another reason soup can be beneficial for weight loss.
Soup Boosts the Immune System
Eating soup when you’re feeling under the weather has always been the go-to. Apart from warming up your body, soup can also make you feel and be healthier.
Many health soups include ingredients like chicken broth, carrots, celery. With Vitamins A, C, and iron, these soups can help boost your immune system to fight and protect against viruses and bacteria.
Soup Can Help Your Muscles
If you’ve been working hard to lose weight, your muscles may be feeling the pain. High-protein soups are a great way to rehydrate and stay full while regenerating and growing your muscles.
Excellent for combining with a weigh-lifting exercise regime, soups with high-protein for muscle building include:
- Chilis
- Tortilla Soup
- Salmon Chowder
- Beef Stew
Types of Low-Calorie Soups
There are tons of low-calorie soups that are packed with flavor and nutrients. We’ll help by listing just some of the classics and finish off with unique varieties to surprise your palette.
- Chicken noodle
- Minestrone
- Split pea
- Tomato
- Veggie chowder
- Steak and vegetable
- Turkey dumpling
- Chicken tortilla
- Cabbage barley
- Matzo ball
- Tortellini spinach
- Asian ramen
Healthy Soup Ingredients
Not every soup is good for you. If you choose creamy, high-calorie soups consistently you may not see the weight loss you want. By choosing healthier ingredient choices and broth bases instead, you’re bound to notice a slimmer waist in no time.
If you can, choose soups with some of these beneficial ingredients:
- Pureed vegetables: Soups with this ingredient will keep you feeling full faster and with fewer calories.
- Ginger: Ginger root can help speed up your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn more calories in your day-to-day activities.
- Carrots: High in fiber and low in calories, carrots are a staple soup ingredient with vitamin A, vitamin K, and calcium.
- Cruciferous vegetables: These include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and the like. Packed with fiber and antioxidants, they’ll help you feel full for longer as your body slowly absorbs helpful nutrients.
- Legumes: By fighting aging and disease, and providing plenty of protein, legumes like chickpeas and beans are excellent additions to your soup – especially if you’ve worked out that day.
Soups in Summary
Adding soup to your diet is a great choice for those looking to lose weight. Broth-based soups with healthy ingredients pack your body with nutrients, vitamins, energy, and satiety. You can feel fuller longer while aiding your digestion to help curb cravings.
Of course, soup alone is not enough to reach your fitness goals. The best and fastest way to lose weight is by focusing on a caloric deficit every day. Whether you’re combining your meals with exercise or simply cutting down on daily calories, a caloric deficit guarantees that you’ll be able to lose the weight you want over time.
No matter your regime, enjoy a hearty and healthy soup now and again to give your body the care and fulfillment it deserves!
