During the cold, wintry months, few things beat a comforting bowl of soup. But warming you up is only one of the things this dish is good for. “Soup can and should be a part of your healthy diet. It can also be a weight watcher’s best friend,” says Christine Palumbo, RD, who is based in Chicago.
That’s thanks in part to the fact that soup can be high in nutrients while generally low in calories, says Shilpi Agarwal, MD, a family physician based in Washington, DC.
To make a weight-friendly soup, you simply need the right ingredients.
Veggies are one of them, Palumbo says. “The vast majority of soups contain at least some vegetables, which can be challenging for some people to otherwise bring into their diet,” she explains. Noshing on veggies may help lower your risk for heart disease and stroke, keep certain cancers at bay, and stabilize blood sugar levels, which may help curb your appetite, according to the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Lean protein is another must-have soup ingredient if you’re looking to lose weight. A diet rich in protein can help you feel full compared with lower-protein diets, and this may aid weight management, according to a meta-analysis published in June 2016 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Lean protein keeps total and saturated fat low, per the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). When preparing soup, consider options like beans, lentils, and shredded boneless, skinless white meat chicken.
The consistency of soup could also help fill your belly. “Because you generally have to sip soup, it takes a while to consume, and you’ll likely feel full sooner when eating soup,” says Palumbo.
dr Agarwal has found this in her practice, too. “When my patients incorporate healthy soup into their diet, it really helps to localize and identify hunger signals and avoid overeating because the warmer liquid takes longer to eat,” she says. Research suggests that people eat fewer calories at mealtime when they start with a bowl of broth-based soup, compared with those who went straight to the entrée.
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Ready to get your soup on? Here, discover 10 registered dietitian–approved soups that not only taste delicious but could help support healthy weight loss, too.
