We all know that soup is comfort food, but did you know that soup can also help you lose weight? Include healthy soup recipes in your diet if you want to shed unwanted pounds.
During the cold winter months nothing is more comforting that a bowl of hot soup. Chicken soup with noodles and vegetables will warm your body. Studies show that eating soup produces greater feelings of satiety compared to other types of food.
The high water content of soup helps to fill us up. At the same time, soup that is piping hot has to be eaten slowly. This allows us to savor the full flavor of the soup and gives us time to notice when we feel full.
Making soup is easy, and you will find healthy soup recipes that are simple to make. Most of the time, you won’t need a recipe at all. Cut out all unnecessary fat if you want a healthy soup recipe for weight loss.
Making Soup Stock
Healthy soup recipes use stock, although you can use plain water. You can also use stock cubes or bouillon powder. Make your own vegetable or chicken stock for a more flavorful soup recipe.
Chicken Stock
You can make a good stock using the carcass from a roast chicken or the raw bones. Break up the bones and put them in a large pot. Add roughly chopped carrots, onion, celery, peppercorn, thyme, parsley and a little salt.
It’s all right if you don’t have all of these extra ingredients. Add enough water to cover the chicken, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam. Let it simmer for three hours, allow to cool, and strain the liquid into a bowl. Chill the stock and remove the congealed fat. This stock freezes well.
Vegetable Stock
Put vegetable trimmings and peelings, a little salt, peppercorns, bay leaf and dried herbs into a pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Allow to cool, and then strain the liquid.
A Healthy Veggie Soup Recipe
You can have a delicious, healthy soup in less than an hour if you follow this recipe. You will need
- 4 cups of stock
- 2 stalks of celery (diced)
- 1 onion (diced), a small turnip (diced)
- 3/4 -cup barley
- 1/4 Savoy cabbage (finely shredded).
Bring the stock to a boil and then add all the vegetables except for the cabbage. Season and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the cabbage, simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.
There are hundreds of other healthy soup recipes including Carrot and Lentil Soup, Ravioli and Vegetable Soup, Broccoli-Cheese Chowder, and Chicken Noodle Soup with Dill.
These nutritious soups pack a lot of nutrients without a lot of fat.