You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why (2024)

You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why (1)

You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why (2)

While we’re making our way through another long, cold winter, sipping steaming hot soups and stews can keep you and your family warm and toasty. Soup not only takes the bite out of a frosty night, it’s also a fuss-free way to get dinner on the table quickly.

Whether a you’re whipping up a broth-based creation or noshing on a bowl of hearty stew, soups offer these five benefits:

  1. They’re good for you. While some soups can devastate a diet (cream-based varieties can be particularly high in fat and calories), most serve as a great vehicle to meet your daily quota for veggies. View soups as an opportunity to cash in on nature’s bounty (winter crops, including pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots and parsnips, won’t wilt or get limp when you cook them). If you have produce that’s about to pass its prime, tossing them into a soup recipe can give them new life. You can even drop frozen vegetables into boiling broth without compromising taste or texture.
  2. They’re inexpensive and easy to prepare. Soups and stews don’t require a large amount of hands-on time. In fact, if you use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, you can prepare a savory soup in five minutes flat, and let the cooker do the rest of the work. If you amp up the liquid and vegetables, you can use smaller amounts of expensive ingredients, such as chicken, fish and beef. Then, make it a meal with whole-grain bread on the side and a small salad if you like.
  3. They freeze well. Soup and stews are great if you want to meal prep lunches or dinners in advance. Whip up a batch on the weekend, and you can stash half in the freezer to enjoy later. A bonus: you’ll have healthy, homemade soup at the ready when you’re busy, under the weather or too tired to cook.
  4. They keep you hydrated. During the winter chill, it’s not uncommon to drink less than you need. But while you may not be hot and sweaty, you still lose fluid through daily activities. Since soups are mostly liquid, they’re a great way to stay hydrated and full.
  5. They give your immune system a boost. Soups can help you stave off cold and flu, and they’re a great antidote for times when you are sick, too! Most soups are loaded with disease-fighting nutrients. In fact, studies show that chicken soup in particular can help prevent the common cold, especially if you load it up with fresh garlic, onions, celery and carrots. (They all contain powerful immune-boosting chemicals.) A bonus: the hot liquid helps soothe a sore throat.

Watch The Sodium

Whenever possible, use homemade stock or broth. Bouillon cubes, canned broth and even broth in a box are often high in sodium and can be particularly problematic for people with high blood pressure.

Strapped for time and need a quick fix? Be sure to check the nutrition facts food label on the broth you buy to compare the sodium content of your favorites. (Don’t forget to pay attention to the serving size!) A daily value of more than 20 percent is considered a high sodium food.

Some Of Our Favorite Soup Or Stew Recipes

Craving more creative ideas? Here are five fabulous soup recipes to keep you warm and healthy this winter:

You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why (3)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Heart Smart Slow-Cooker Minestrone

Instant Pot Lentil Stew

Quick & Easy Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

Slow-Cooker Vegan Cabbage Soup

To make an appointment with a registered dietitian, call 1-855-434-5483 or visit henryford.com/nutrition.

Bethany Thayer, MS, RDN, is the director of the Henry Ford Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Learn more about Bethany.


Categories : EatWell

You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why (2024)

FAQs

You Should Eat More Soup: 5 Reasons Why? ›

Since soups are mostly liquid, they're a great way to stay hydrated and full. They give your immune system a boost. Soups can help you stave off cold and flu, and they're a great antidote for times when you are sick, too! Most soups are loaded with disease-fighting nutrients.

Why should you eat more soup? ›

Since soups are mostly liquid, they're a great way to stay hydrated and full. They give your immune system a boost. Soups can help you stave off cold and flu, and they're a great antidote for times when you are sick, too! Most soups are loaded with disease-fighting nutrients.

What are the benefits of a soup diet? ›

Eating soup may help increase satiety and help you stay full, which might allow you to eat less overall. 1 While this may lead to weight loss, there is no evidence that a soup-only diet could effectively support long-term weight management.

Why do you need soup? ›

Soup can be a nutrition powerhouse, packed with carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Soup is easy to prepare. After putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, a steaming pot of soup will be waiting for the entire family in the evening.

Why does soup make you happy? ›

As it does with turkey, the body uses tryptophan from chicken to make melatonin—which can help you rest—and serotonin, the chemical that signals your nerves and makes you feel happy and at ease. Both of these are reasons chicken soup is associated with comfort food: you literally feel a physiological sense of comfort.

What is the benefit of soup number 5? ›

In the Philippines, Soup Number Five is well-known, as are its purported aphrodisiac and healing properties. Some men believe that eating it will give them the physical capabilities and virility of a bull, or at least enhance their libido. To the unsuspecting consumer, Soup No. 5 resembles a typical meat soup.

What is the benefit of soup? ›

Many soups contain whole foods that are full of fiber, which helps improve gut motility and regulate bowel health. Soup's warm, liquid consistency also helps stimulate your body's digestive tract, making it an excellent appetizer before eating heartier foods.

Is soup healthy yes or no? ›

Usually, yes! Soup can be filling, low calorie, nutrient-dense, and supportive of your immune system and weight loss journey. Maximize the benefits by avoiding soups that are full of salt, sugar, or cream. Look for soups brimming with vegetables and sources of filling protein and healthy fat instead.

Why do I love soup so much? ›

Not only does it make our taste buds sing, but also provides a nice warmth inside which helps calm us down, be more positive and fulfilled. The feeling of a warm bowl of soup in your stomach is one that cannot be matched since it is pleasant to the eyes and heart.

Does eating soup save money? ›

Eating soup stretches your food dollars and is healthy to boot. Mixing in a pot of water whatever ingredients you have on hand is cheap and filling. It is possible soup has been around since the first pots could be placed over a fire.

What is the healthiest soup? ›

These healthy soup recipes are packed full of goodness but they also pack a punch when it comes to flavour.
  • Chicken Vietnamese Pho.
  • Green spring minestrone.
  • Herb and yoghurt-based soup.
  • Lamb shank and barley soup.
  • Pumpkin soup with star croutons.
  • Lentil and vegetable soup with crusty bread.
Apr 26, 2020

Why does soup get better? ›

An array of salty, umami, tangy elements move in and out of the components in the soup or stew, balancing and integrating the overall flavor. Cooking beans in broth allows them to absorb some flavor from their surrounding liquid; but letting them sit for hours in the broth does a much more complete job.

Is soup good for your stomach? ›

One of the most effective natural remedies for an upset stomach is soup. The soup's warmth can help relax the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract, while the liquid can help flush out any toxins and rehydrate the body. This is why chicken broth is so popular when you are not feeling well.

Why you should eat more soup? ›

Soup Adds Vitamins and Minerals

Looking at the diets of 10,500 Americans, Iowa State University researchers found that people who ate soup had higher diet‐quality scores than people who didn't. Soup‐eaters had higher intakes of fiber, vitamin A, magnesium, iron and potassium.

What happens if you eat soup everyday? ›

As the soup diet usually only lasts for 7-14 days, it's not recommended in the long term. The NHS also highlights how very low-calorie diets like this often lead to short term weight loss, but it's likely that you'll put some or all of the weight back on once you go back to eating normally.

Does soup calm anxiety? ›

Many folks feel comforted after eating a bowl of warming chicken soup. Comfort foods, like chicken soup, boost levels of serotonin, which is a brain chemical that produced a calming effect.

Why am I craving soup so much? ›

There's a reason people crave soup when they have a cold. Soups are soothing, sustaining, and nourishing. They give the body the tools needed to rest and recover. They provide comfort when comfort is hard to find.

Why do I feel better after eating soup? ›

Not only can the hot base be soothing to the throat and sinuses when sick, but a lot of the ingredients typically used in soup have immune-boosting effects, according to Toby Amidor, a registered dietician and author of The Family Immunity Cookbook.

Can too much soup be bad for you? ›

Other types of soup you should watch out for are instant and canned soups, which are often loaded with sodium. High sodium intakes are associated with high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart and kidney disease, and stroke ( 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ).

Why do some people like soup so much? ›

Not only does it make our taste buds sing, but also provides a nice warmth inside which helps calm us down, be more positive and fulfilled. The feeling of a warm bowl of soup in your stomach is one that cannot be matched since it is pleasant to the eyes and heart.

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