Patriot Health Digest
With daylight savings here, now we will have to get used to the sunsetting earlier and earlier and less hours with natural light in the evenings. Days that last longer without sunlight just might put a damper on our mood and might even result in gaining more weight. On average, data shows that people add one to two pounds during the winter months.
However, there is a silver lining to going through these cold winter nights—chilly weather calls for cozy, comforting soups.
“Soup could be one of the greatest weight control-friendly foods out there, if the right ingredients are included. In fact, according to a study issued in the British Journal of Nutrition, consuming soup is linked to a raised intake of fiber and protein, two nutrients that may support losing weight,” says Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian nutritionist.
As reported by Manaker, when eating soup for losing weight, you still need to be cautious of some types of soup, namely those with calorically-dense add-ins and those high in sodium.
“There are some caveats when deciding the best soup for losing weight. First, soups could be high in sodium—an ingredient that could cause people to be bloated. Second, certain soups can include calorie-rich ingredients like sausage, butter, and heavy cream. And consuming large amounts of these ingredients might not be the best decision when trying to control your weight,” says Manaker.
To have better results with soup, you are going to want to make belly-flattening ingredients a priority.
The Best soup that supports a flat belly
While many low-sodium soups will support losing weight, there is one soup that might be the best for a flat belly: “a normal vegetable soup with some fresh ginger and a low-sodium bone broth can be a food that might help people support their weight control goals in a cozy and consistent way,” recommends Manaker.
Add tons of veggies and beans
In addition to veggies, you should toss in a can of beans as well. Many types of beans will work, chickpeas, black, kidney, or white. Like vegetables, beans rich in fiber have also been linked to better weight control.
Use a bone broth base for more protein
Creamy soups are just as good as broth-based soups, but they are not as flat-belly friendly. Milk and cream are both calorically dense and dairy might be inflammatory to some, which could cause bloating. If you add protein-rich bone broth to your soup, it could support satiety.
“When deciding the base of the soup, skip the heavy and creamy options and lean on a homemade bone broth that does not contain a huge amount of sodium. While normal low-sodium broth is okay, bone broth has more protein in it—a nutrient that helps promote fullness. And while the data is limited on bone broth being a miracle liquid that many proclaim it to be, there is no denying the fact that this rich soup has high-quality protein,” says Manaker.
Author: Scott Dowdy
