Right Choice Of Soup Is Essential For Balanced Diet

Also, when you reduce your food intake to lose weight, it becomes really essential to compensate for all the essential vitamins and minerals that your body still requires. So emphasize healthy food choices. Fiber and proteins are filling nutrients so opt for soups which have beans, vegetables and lean proteins.

As a guideline, women should ensure that a serving of soup is less than 150 calories and for men less than 200 calories when having it as a starter or as a first course in a meal.

The table below shows some of the very common soups and the amount of calories they contain per serving:

The calorie count of the soups is approximate and is largely dependent on the way the soups are prepared. Nonetheless, the table can provide a guidance for your choice of soup.

Tips To Include This Healthy Food Options In Your Diet

      As an appetizer: Whether you are eating at home or eating out, soup is a great start to your meal. Try to order soup first, finish it and then order the main course, and you will definitely order less. On the other hand, when at home, finish your soup, clear the table and then serve the meal. You’ll be surprised to see that your appetite will reduce and your overall calorie intake will reduce by around 25 to 30 percent.

      As a snack: Try to include soup as a snack between meals to satisfy your hunger. Apart from being nutritious, it is great energy booster and a low-calorie healthy snack.

      As an ingredient: Broth is an excellent ingredient which is used to thin gravies and sauces. It is a great substitute for oil for sautéing vegetables and meats. It is low in energy density and adds volume and flavor to foods.

      As a calorie counter: Before going to cocktail parties or picnics, which have endless high calorie foods, try having a bowl of soup. This will keep a check on your calorie and will give you a sense of fullness.

Check Labels For Sodium Content

Most of the ready-made soups are high in salt. It is a good idea to choose the ones with low salt content when on a diet. The ready-made soups contain nutritional information per serving. Read this information while buying to make wise choices. For reference, anything with 0.025 g of salt per 100 g or less is considered to be low in salt, and anything with more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g is a high salt food option.

See Also: Brits Now Eat Less Salty Bread - Does That Mean Lower Cardiovascular Disease In UK?

Reducing the energy density of the diet seems to be one of the most effective strategies of reducing weight and one of the easiest ways to do that is to include more water-rich foods such as soups in your diet. For a long term sustainable weight loss, it is very important to include this low energy density food in the diet. Apart from being enjoyable, soups are satiating and increasingly appear to be a great addition to any weight management program.