The #1 Best Soup for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian
Fall is upon us with winter is just around the bend. And with this cold weather upon us, it's likely that you'll be in the mood for a nice bowl of hot soup at some point. But while we may tend to gravitate towards comforting soups that are made with fatty creams or loads of sodium, if we're looking to avoid feeling bloated, we have to watch what we eat. Luckily, that doesn't mean we have to give up soup—in fact, there are a ton of soups to choose from that can help with your weight loss and health goals.
According to Courtney D'Angelo, MS, RD, author at GoWellness, the healthiest soups for weight loss are the ones with "ingredients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals." And her favorite soup for weight loss? Chicken vegetable soup!
Why chicken vegetable soup is the best soup for weight loss.
"A chicken vegetable soup is delicious, healthy, and filling," says D'Angelo, "and while I prefer to use all kinds of vegetables, knowing what they're there for is important. For example, I like to use things like cabbage, beans, tomatoes, broccoli, celery and zucchini."
Continue reading to learn more about why D'Angelo chooses this soup for weight loss, and for more healthy weight loss tips make sure to check out Breakfast Habits That Will Help With Weight Loss.
The best veggies to put in chicken vegetable soup.
While there are countless variations of chicken vegetable soup, D'Angelo recommends including these three components.
Cabbage
D'Angelo loves including cabbage as one of the main veggies in her soups because of its nutrient content. "Cabbage is high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fiber, which can all help with weight loss," says D'Angelo.
Broccoli
Along with cabbage, she suggests trying a nutrient-dense vegetable like broccoli, which is "packed with vitamins and minerals, such as fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin B9 (folate)."
Broccoli is not only packed full of nutrients and helpful vitamins, but it has also been known to reduce inflammation in the body. According to the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, this occurs because broccoli consumption lowers C-Reactive Protein in your blood, which is a major marker of inflammation.
Chicken
And finally, D'Angelo recommends adding chicken for a boost of protein. "Protein is key for a weight loss diet because high-protein foods take more work to digest, which results in an increase of burned calories."
If you want to add even more fiber to your soup, you can add a scoop of your favorite rice to keep you fuller and satisfied for longer. Try this One-Pot Chile-Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup, or this Easy Chicken and Rice Soup.
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