There’s been a lot of noise for pretty much all of modern history about how soup may actually be the perfect diet food.
And with New Years right around the corner, this clamor is starting to pick up again.
But here’s the big question:
Is soup actually the perfect weight loss for?
And then, perhaps even more importantly:
Why or why not?
Well, have no fear. In this post, you’re about to learn everything you need to know to make a proactive decision about whether or not soup might actually help you to achieve your own weight loss goals.
The Basics: What Is The Soup Diet?
The basic idea behind the soup diet is this:
Soup is so calorie-light that even if you eat a lot of it, you’ll still probably be operating at a calorie deficit.
And thus, you’ll probably still lose weight.
Soup is incredibly calorie-light, especially if you use whole-food ingredients.
Why?
Because it’s mostly water. And it takes up a lot of room in your stomach without loading you up with unhealthy calories or processed sugar.
In fact, according to recent studies, soup-eaters tend to have smaller waists than those who shun it.
But with all of this being said, soup isn’t always a silver bullet for weight loss.
Eating The Wrong Types Of Soup Can Undermine Your Weight Loss Efforts
For example:
Creamy soups tend to have a lot of fat and calories in them.
They may even contain a roux, which is basically made using butter and flour.
In other words, some of these ‘creamy’ soups don’t really deliver the classic soup diet benefits.
They’re too calorie-packed to provide you with a satisfying low-calorie meal.
Pureed soups can also be an issue.
Not only because pureed soups tend to contain cream, but also because they require very little chewing.
For this reason, they tend to be less satisfying—which may put you at risk for looking for a high-calorie snack right after your meal.
People can also run into trouble when they just eat too much of the wrong types of soup.
For example, a lot of soups (especially store-bought soups) contain a lot of sodium.
Well, if you eat too much sodium, you’ll retain water.
This will make you feel bloated, and can even contribute to weight gain in the short term.
To overcome this, you may want to cook more homemade soups that contain less sodium.
For Best Results…
Prepare your own soups.
Use low-sodium broth to do it, and include plenty of whole vegetables.
Hold back on the butter/cream, and don’t use flour.
Make sure to include some protein, and hold back on adding the extra salt.
Instead, season with all-natural non-salt spices and herbs.
In Conclusion
Soup is wonderful diet food.
And if you stick more of it into your diet, you’re likely to experience a huge range of benefits.
Just make sure to follow these common-sense guidelines to keep from taking your ‘soup habit’ in the wrong direction, and you should start to see some pretty good things happening to your body over time.
