Soup cuts calories - but watch the salt...
Eating low-calorie soup before a meal can help you lose weight, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people who had low-calorie soup - creamy soup had the opposite effect - as a first course at lunch reduced their calorie intake by almost a fifth. It's thought that filling your stomach with soup at the beginning of a meal tends to make you feel full sooner, so you eat less of your main course.
The Pennsylvania State University study tested whether the form of soup and the blending of its ingredients affected food intake and the feeling of fullness. Soups tested were made from chicken broth, broccoli, potato, cauliflower, carrots and butter. The styles cooked were: separate broth and vegetables, chunky vegetable soup, chunky-pureed vegetable soup, and pureed vegetable soup.
While researchers thought that increasing the thickness or the amount of chewing required may have made certain forms of soup more filling, results of the study show that low-calorie soup is filling regardless of its form.
"Consuming a first-course of low-calorie soup can help with managing weight," said Julie Flood, who led the study. "Using this strategy allows people to get an extra course at the meal, while eating fewer total calories."
Flood added that you should pick low-calorie, broth-based soups that are about 100 to 150 calories per serving. Higher-calorie, cream-based soups could actually increase the total calories consumed.
Meanwhile, a survey by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) found that half of all soups sold in supermarkets and by takeaway chains contain high levels of salt
CASH surveyed 576 different soups covering canned, chilled, packet, pouch, ready-made and instant soups. Almost half contained more than the target level of 0.6g salt per 100g.
Nutritionist Jo Butten said that CASH were concerned that some soups are a major hidden source of salt. "This is particularly important as soup generally only forms part of a meal, or, in the case of instant cup soups, is drunk as a snack or as an alternative to tea or coffee during the day," she said.
Eating too much salt has been linked to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and strokes. Read Salt - tips for reducing your intake.
Get recipes for healthy soups from these books:
- Saved by Soup
- New Covent Garden Book of Soup for All Seasons
