Curb calories with soup
in
Warwick
Have you ever eaten in a restaurant and ordered a cup of soup as your appetizer?
Did you notice that by the time your meal arrived, maybe 15 minutes later, you were no longer hungry? In fact, it takes your stomach about 15 to 20 minutes to send a message to the brain that you have eaten something. When we eat too fast, we tend to eat too much and go back for second helpings because we don't give our stomachs time to notify our brains.
If you are trying to shed a few pounds, try using a hot cup of soup before your meal to curb your hunger. Wait a few minutes and then serve yourself a small salad-sized plate of food. This is a great way to enjoy the same foods as the rest of your family instead of "dieting" or trying to prepare separate meals. You can cut your calorie intake in half at supper and not even notice.
Canned soups tend to be high in sodium, so if you are limiting sodium for health reasons, you may want to make your own homemade version of your favorite soup.
I start with fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken or beef broth, onions, garlic and celery. I add boneless skinless chicken strips or lean stew meat. Add frozen mixed soup vegetables and canned no-salt-added diced or crushed tomatoes and simmer until the veggies are tender. Remember to season with herbs or low-salt seasoning mixtures like Mrs. Dash.
There are some great dried bean soup mixes available, such as 15 Bean Soup. Soak the beans overnight in water and then put them in a crock pot with chicken stock, seasonings and chopped lean ham or turkey sausage. When you get home from a busy day, the soup is ready to eat. If you have a favorite recipe for a cream soup, substitute some fat-free half-and-half or use evaporated skim milk in place of the higher fat ingredients. You can always cool soup down and refrigerate it overnight. Before serving, skim any fat off the top and reheat. I usually make a big pot of soup and freeze it in smaller containers for later use.
Remember, even small reductions in portion sizes can make a big difference. It is not always what we eat, but how much we eat.
