Most of us tend to think of soup as something to sip on when we’re ill, are low on grocery money, or for a light lunch. While all of these things are true, soup can also speed up your weight loss efforts.
I’ve read before that by just having a bowl of soup before lunch and dinner, it can help you drop the weight without feeling deprived. For just a few calories you can feel full and satiated so that when you dig into your meal you don’t eat as much. Anyone who’s had a bowl of soup and sandwich can probably vouch for the fact that it’s pure comfort food that’s filling.
In order for this strategy to be effective, you’d want to stick with clear soups rather than creamy soups. Some excellent choices are chicken noodle or chicken and rice, vegetable beef, or any number of broth-based soups on the market.
Over the years the Cabbage Soup Diet has popped up again and again. I did give it a try and found that I couldn’t stick with it for very long since cabbage soup was about the only thing on that diet. It is chock full of frugal healthy foods, though I ended up feeling grouchy, dizzy, and the bathroom ended up being my closest friend for those three days that I did stick with it.
The good thing about the Cabbage Soup Diet though is it’s packed full of vegetables that help to boost the immune system, detoxify the body, and takes a big chunk out of the hunger monster.
What I do is whenever the mood strikes I’ll cook a big pot of cabbage soup on Sunday afternoon and have it throughout the week before lunch and dinner. After a week I’m pretty sick of it so I then switch to canned soups. They’re more expensive and not as nutritious, but it’s a nice break. There are a lot of recipes online for inexpensive broth-based soups and I do try those on occasion.
This is my favorite recipe for cabbage soup, tweaked a bit for my preferences.
Cabbage Soup Recipe
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 bunch celery, sliced
* 1 large can tomato puree
* 1/2 pound bag of shredded carrots
* 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, diced
* half a head of cabbage, sliced thin (or one 16oz bag coleslaw mix)
* 6 cubes of beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon
* Enough water to cover all – about 12 cups
* Season to taste with pepper, garlic powder, any herbs you like, etc.
Directions:
Put everything in a big pot and stir well. The cabbage really cooks down after awhile, so don’t worry if it looks like an enormous amount of cabbage in the beginning. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and put the heat on low. Let the soup cook for about two hours to allow the flavors to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
Enjoy this soup in any quantity at any time of the day or night. As I mentioned, I prefer having it as a first course before my lunch and dinner, otherwise it’s just too plain of a diet to be on. Having soup more often is a wonderful way to cut calories and cut back on your food budget while still eating healthy.
If you have a favorite healthy soup recipe, I’d love to hear about it.