Warm Up and Slow Down

by Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD

Do you tend to eat a big dinner? Maybe even fill your plate up twice? Or have another snack later in the evening? If eating too much at dinner and through the evening hours is keeping you from slimming down, a simple solution may keep you trim. It’s soup. Soup is warming, satisfying and filling, to help you stick to fewer calories.

All soups are not created equal. Try a bowl of broth-based soup like chicken and noodles, vegetable beef, tomato or even minestrone. Basically any soup without cream or cheese will have a slimming effect. Many soups are low in fat and cholesterol and provide many vitamins and minerals.

According to research, having a bowl of soup before a meal will cause you to eat significantly fewer total calories. In fact, people who had soup before the meal ate an average of 100 calories fewer than people who skipped the soup. Soup is convenient, so you can skip the fast-food lane. Soup is satisfying and might reduce your stress. Relax and savor the flavor. Chicken soup may even help you get over a cold. So have a bowl of soup today and one tomorrow.

Try the following recipe. It’s sure to warm you up and help slim you down!

Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD is a registered dietitian at the Blue Springs Hy-Vee. She can be reached at tshaffer@hy-vee.com. The information is not intended as medical advice.

Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.

Photo credit: iStock