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

Why is soup so important? ›

Soup is chock full of the micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, needed to nourish your body and support its various processes. Micronutrients are an important part of every person's diet, and consuming enough of them is essential for combatting diseases such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer.

What are the benefits of a soup diet? ›

In addition to helping you lose weight quickly, soup diets may offer additional benefits, including:
  • Increased vegetable intake. Vegetables provide essential vitamins and beneficial plant-compounds. ...
  • Increased fiber intake. ...
  • Increased water intake. ...
  • Easy to follow. ...
  • Encourage plant-based eating.
Jun 9, 2020

What are the benefits of soup soup? ›

Soursop is high in vitamin C, an antioxidant known to boost immune health. The vitamin strengthens your immune system, improving its ability to defend against pathogens. It also promotes the destruction of free radicals, which can help to protect your skin and cells from environmental oxidative damage.

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 are the benefits of soup to the body? ›

Benefits of eating soup

For example, one observational study showed that people who regularly ate soup had lower body weight and waist circumference than people who didn't ( 5 ). It also found that they had better diet quality, characterized by reduced fat and increased protein and fiber intakes ( 5 ).

What are the 7 things soup does? ›

There is an Italian saying: “La zuppa fa sette cose.” It means “Soup does seven things.” Soup quenches thirst, satisfies hunger, fills your stomach, aids digestion, makes teeth sparkle, adds color to cheeks and aids sleep. In other words, soup cures most, if not all human ills.

What are three facts about soup? ›

Soups can be consumed hot or cold, depending on the climate of the region where it's being served, and flavors can be sweet or savory. Americans eat more than 10 billion bowls of soup each year. The most popular soup variety in the U.S. is chicken noodle.

Why does soup feel so good? ›

The steam from chicken noodle soup also has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Heat relaxes the muscles, it soothes discomfort in sore throats, it dilates blood vessels to increase blood flow. When you're sick with a cold, white blood cells called neutrophils go straight to your throat, causing it to be inflamed.

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.

Does soup actually help you get better? ›

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

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.

What soup has the most benefits? ›

The chicken soup is one of the healthiest soups when you're sick due to the anti-inflammatory healing properties. Chicken soup also has high amounts of vitamins such as A, B6 and C because it is made from chicken broth that contains vegetables like carrots, celery and onions.

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 does soup make you feel better? ›

The sodium in the recipe helps relieve sore throat pain (the same principle behind gargling warm salt water), the heat helps clear nasal congestion, and can relieve pain and sinus pressure. The vitamins and minerals in nutrient-dense soups can also speed recovery, Bailey adds.

Why does soup make you full? ›

Why soup? Scientists say texture is key. Although liquids empty from the stomach faster than solids, thicker liquids like soup are different. They actually tend to cause the stomach to expand a bit more, and remain in the stomach longer, so you feel more full, for a longer length of time.

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