How Soup Makes You Fuller For Longer

Given it is winter and literally freezing outside at the moment I thought I would share 3 of my favourite soup recipes with you. Soup does not have to be boring and all the old veg from the fridge chucked together. Soup can be an extremely healthy, nutritious, low calorie and a tasty dish. And soup makes you fuller for longer.  

Soup Makes You Fuller – How?

Studies also show that eating soup actually makes you feel fuller for longer. (As opposed to just eating the vegetables cooked and whole with the same amount of water you put in soup in the soup). This is because when you eat soup the water in it is retained in the stomach while the solid nutrients are digested. If eaten unblended these ingredients wouldn’t do this. The stretching of the stomach wall this causes supresses the creation of the hunger hormone ghrelin. Therefore you feel fuller for longer.

The calories provided are for the entire recipe not per portion. Each recipe contains more than one portion.

1/ Carrot and Lentil Soup

(350 calories)

75 grams dried (2 ½ oz) red lentils

1 large onion, chopped

400 grams (14 oz) carrots, sliced

1.2 litres (5 cups) of veg stock

1 tsp ground coriander

Handful of chopped parsley

Directions – Put vegetables in a pan, fry for 5-10 mins, add stock and bring to the boil. Then simmer for 30 minutes (or as long as it takes for the lentils to cook.  Add parsley, then put in a blender. Serve.

2/ Broccoli and Nutmeg Soup

(290 calories)

600 grams (21 oz) broccoli, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

800 ml (3 cups) chicken stock

Sprinkle of nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Put vegetables in a pan, fry for 5-10 mins, add stock and bring to the boil. Then simmer all the vegetables gently in the stock for 15-20 minutes. Then blend. Serve.

3/ Mexican Mixed Bean and Lentil Soup

(630 calories)

1 onion, chopped                  

garlic clove, minced                      

1 tsp chilli powder (more if you like)           

1 X 400 grams (14 oz) tinned tomatoes

500 ml (2 cups) of vegetable stock

50 grams dried (1 ¾ oz) of red lentils                      

400 grams (14 oz) mixed beans, drained & rinsed   

Bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped                      

salt and pepper to taste

Directions – Put vegetables in a pan, fry for 5-10 mins, add stock and bring to the boil. Then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beans and cook for a further 15 minutes.  Add coriander, then put in a blender.  Serve.

FYI – Depending on which soup you choose you will probably want to have it with a piece of lean protein to make sure you get enough protein from the meal and it fills you up. The soup has such low calories that will have plenty more to play with. And when the soup makes you fuller for longer you won’t need the carbs to go with it.

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