Health Benefits Of Soup - Living A Happy, Healthy Retirement

I thoroughly enjoy freshly made soup during the winter season, as it not only offers health benefits but also provides comforting warmth on chilly days. As we see the mercury begin to drop, I thought this a good time to post this article, “Health Benefits of Soup”. The article will discuss homemade soup versus canned soups and then provide key tips for making homemade soups. I have even added in some tips as to how you can, in a pinch, make your canned soup healthier.

Soups are synonymous with coziness and become essential during the winter months. A steaming bowl of your favorite soup can keep you comfortably warm from the inside out. Creating a homemade bowl of soup is a quick and budget-friendly endeavor. You can assemble various nutritious ingredients to craft a satisfying meal or snack.

However, it’s important to note that not all soups provide the essential nutrients your body needs, especially when it comes to canned options. In addition, soup on its own may not provide the calories needed to qualify as a complete meal. This is why it is often best to pair it with other nutritious foods like a wrap or sandwich.

Benefits of Soup in Winter

Nutritional Excellence
- While some soup varieties can pose challenges for a diet, such as creamy options high in fat and calories, most soups are a great way to meet your daily vegetable intake. Soups are a great opportunity to make the most of nature’s winter bounty, with vegetables like pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips remaining firm and flavorful when cooked. If you have produce on the brink of spoiling, incorporating them into a soup recipe can breathe new life into them. You can even add frozen vegetables to simmering broth without compromising taste, texture or nutrition.
Immune Support
- For generations, it has been passed down that a bowl of soup, particularly chicken soup, can help combat the common cold. This belief actually holds true, especially when you incorporate immune-boosting ingredients like fresh celery, carrots, garlic, and onions. Hot soup also provides relief for a sore throat.
  - There are numerous other soups, such as tomato, beef barley and vegetable, that can also be warming and nutritious and a boost to your immune system.
Hydration
- In the winter, it’s common to drink less water than needed. Even if you’re not sweating, you still lose fluids through daily activities. Soups are an excellent way to stay hydrated since they are primarily liquid.
Freezer-Friendly
- Soups and stews are ideal for those looking to prepare meals in advance or like to have leftovers for a snowy day. Make up a batch of your favorite soup over the weekend, and you can store a portion in the freezer for future enjoyment. The added bonus is having a nutritious, homemade soup readily available for busy days, times of illness, or when you’re simply too fatigued to cook.
Affordability and Simplicity
- Preparing soups doesn’t require a substantial amount of time. A bit of chopping and stirring is all that’s needed. Using a slow cooker, you can make a flavorful soup in just five minutes and let it simmer on its own. By increasing the quantity of liquid and vegetables, you can use more budget-friendly ingredients like chicken and fish. Pair your soup with whole-grain bread for a complete meal.

Reasons to Avoid Canned Soups

Typically, canned soups cannot compare to homemade soups when it comes to both nutrition and the fact that they contain unnecessary ingredients to either preserve the contents or have a shelf ready meal. Below is a list of several reasons why homemade is better for you and better tasting.

Excessive Sodium
- Canned soups often contain excessive amounts of salt, which can lead to inflammation and high blood pressure. Processed meats, such as deli turkey, may also contain substances like nitrates that contribute to inflammation. To reduce inflammation and maintain a healthy diet, steer clear of soups rich in trans fats, sodium, sugar, nitrates, and preservatives.
High Cream Content
- Soups with a creamy base, such as cream of mushroom or nacho cheese soup, can lead to overindulgence in fat and salt, which can be detrimental to your health. Making your own soup allows you to incorporate a variety of vegetables instead of relying on creamy options.
Calories and Saturated Fat
- Canned soups, particularly chowders and bisques, may be delectable but are also high in calories and saturated fat. They can contribute to weight gain and increase the risk factors for heart disease, making them less advisable, even if they are quick to prepare.
Sodium Phosphate
- Canned soups often contain sodium phosphate, an additive used for preservation and flavor enhancement. While our diet should include phosphates, the inorganic phosphates found in canned products can disrupt endocrine function, leading to tissue damage and the development of cardiovascular disease.

Making Canned Soup Healthier

If you must opt for canned soup (for sake of convenience, etc.), consider these recommendations:

Look for healthier options that contain low-sodium, low-fat, or organic soups with beans, vegetables, and lean protein, which can help in providing at least 10% of your daily fiber.
Add fresh or frozen vegetables to boost fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Choose plain frozen vegetables without added salt or preservatives. Frozen vegetables actually are quite nutritious and affordable year-round.
Use your favorite spices to enhance the flavor of low-sodium soups without increasing the salt content.
Look for cans labeled as “BPA-free.” Generally, steel cans are BPA-free, while many aluminum cans contain BPA. You can identify the type of can by inspecting the label.

Benefits of Making Homemade Soups

When lovingly crafted with the right ingredients, soup can emerge as a genuinely healthy dish replete with numerous nutritional benefits. For instance, soups prepared from bone, vegetable, or meat-based broths offer a rich spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, including collagen. They manage to deliver wonderful flavors while keeping excess fats and calories at bay. Furthermore, incorporating soup into your diet represents a convenient and straightforward method for enhancing your vegetable intake.

Increased consumption of vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of weight gain, a significant factor in the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and select cancers. Beyond this, vegetables offer a wealth of health advantages due to their bounty of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and plant compounds.

Additionally, soup recipes can be fashioned from virtually any ingredients you have on hand in your kitchen. However, it’s vital to exercise caution regarding specific components, such as thickeners and condiments, which have the potential to escalate the calorie and sodium content of your soup, potentially transforming it into a less health-conscious meal.

In addition to increasing your vegetable intake, consumption of healthy, homemade soup has been associated with a range of prospective health benefits. To begin, it can play a role in weight management. Research has indicated that individuals who regularly consume soup tend to have lower daily calorie intake. Studies have shown that habitual soup consumers displayed lower body weight and reduced waistlines compared to their non-soup-eating counterparts. They further revealed that they exhibited a more favorable dietary profile marked by diminished fat and salt consumption and heightened protein and fiber intake.

In conclusion, especially during the winter, opting for homemade soup provides a healthier and more nutritionally balanced choice compared to canned soups. Homemade soups allow you to customize ingredients to meet your dietary preferences and nutritional needs, all while savoring the warmth and comfort that a bowl of soup brings during the colder months.

Convenient Ways to Make Homemade Soups

Tips for Making Soup on the Stove

Start with the Broth

The broth serves as the foundation for all your other ingredients. Among the most prevalent options are chicken, beef, and vegetable broths, each tailored to suit your soup of choice. Beef broth complements dishes like beef stew and beef and barley soups. Choose chicken broth when crafting chicken noodle soup or seafood chowders. Lastly, a vegetable broth serves as the perfect starting point for vegetable and bean soups.

Though you can buy canned broths, making it at home is actually quite easy. You simply put all of your ingredients into your pot and let it simmer for 2 plus hours, strain the solids, and you have broth. For more detail, check out this Better Homes & Gardens article on how to make broth.

Choose Healthy Ingredients

A fully nutritious and well-balanced soup will include a lean protein source, a variety of vibrant vegetables, and occasionally a starch component.

Of course, lean cuts of meat are preferable, while your choice of vegetables is almost endless. The starch can be potato, rice, noodles or a choice of your favorite legumes, which are especially useful ff you are looking to go the meatless route. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas and kidney beans are easy to add to any soup. Substituting legumes for potatoes in your usual recipes will give you the same texture, fewer carbohydrates and more protein.

Cut all of your ingredients to approximately the same size. This allows cooking to be more uniform and also makes eating the soup easier and more pleasant.

Pre-Cook the Meat

Brown your meats before putting them in the stock to simmer. Dried beans or legumes will also have to be pre-cooked. If you use canned beans, rinse them thoroughly before adding to the stock.

Add Your Vegetables

For vegetables, you can also sauté them, first the harder vegetables (carrots, onions, etc.) and then the softer ones like squash.

Add the Starch

Add the starch, be it potatoes, rice or noodles. With rice and noodles, don’t add too much as they will expand as they cook.

Select Your Seasonings

Add the seasonings of your choice. It is best to let everything simmer before the seasonings are added. This allows the base ingredients to develop their own flavor and allows you to taste it before adding the seasonings. You can then gauge how much seasoning is required. It is best to minimize the use of salt.

Keys to Making Soup in a Crockpot

Many people will adapt a regular soup recipe for the slow cooker or of course use a crockpot ready recipe. Here are several tips to help you create the most delicious slow-cooked soup possible:

Ingredients for the Beginning

Some ingredients benefit from longer cooking times. Add these at the start:

Vegetables: Onions, root vegetables (potatoes, carrots), winter squashes, tomatoes, celery, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Meats: Lean cuts from beef, lamb, goat, pork, whole chickens, chicken thighs, and chicken legs.
Spices: Most spices can be added at the beginning, but consider adding rosemary near the end to prevent bitterness.

Ingredients for Later

For quicker-cooking ingredients that add fresh flavor, incorporate these in the last 30-45 minutes:

Vegetables: Softer vegetables like peas, corn, bell peppers, and spinach.
Meat: Chicken breast, fish, and seafood. Ensure chicken breast is fully cooked.
Pantry Items: Rice, noodles, grains, and beans (added at the end for firmness).
Dairy products: Milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and coconut milk (added at the end).

Uniform Ingredient Size

Cut all ingredients to the same size to ensure even cooking and easier consumption.

Browning Ingredients

If you have extra time, brown vegetables and sear meat before adding them to the slow cooker for richer flavors.

Use Less Liquid

Slow cookers have minimal evaporation. Pour broth over your ingredients until they’re covered by about 1/2 inch. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes if there’s excess liquid.

Layer Longer-Cooking Ingredients

Place meats and root vegetables at the bottom and sides of the slow cooker for more direct contact with the heating element.

Select Cooking Times

Cooking times depend on your recipe:

Meat-based dishes like chili and pork shoulder benefit from 6 to 10 hours.
Vegetarian recipes are best cooked for about 4 hours, but can go as low as 2 hours or as high as 6 hours (beyond which, vegetables become mushy).
Remember these key tips when creating slow-cooker recipes, and you’ll have great results. A slow cooker is a versatile tool, and practice will help you become more skilled in using it.

As for favorite slow-cooker soups, some popular options include:

Chicken Noodle Soup: Perfect for warming up on a cold day.
Vegetarian Chili: A hearty, meatless option with beans, vegetables, and spices.
Potato Leek Soup: Creamy and comforting.
Beef Stew:
Tender chunks of beef with vegetables and a rich broth.
Tomato Basil Soup: A classic with a slow-cooked twist for enhanced flavor.

Experiment with different ingredients and flavors, and don’t be afraid to get creative with your slow cooker. Enjoy your culinary adventures!

At the bottom of this article, under the heading “Other Resources”, I have listed a few sources of recipes and cookbooks.

Making Your Soup a Complete Meal

As I had mentioned earlier in this post, eating soup alone for a meal may not give you enough calories for a full meal. As a closing story line, I leave you with this heartwarming thought:

Who of us doesn’t have memories of a bowl of warm chicken or tomato soup paired with an all-time favorite…a grilled cheese sandwich? I have found two wonderful articles containing recipes for a “gourmet” grilled cheese that would be the perfect companion to that painstakingly prepared homemade soup.

Other Resources

I thought I would offer a few more resources for those of you who would like recipes. I’ve also posted a couple of links to cookbooks for those who would like more than just a few recipes.

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