Soups can be a very healthy dish, rich in fiber, antioxidants, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, useful for hydrating, combating obesity and the accumulation of abdominal fat, protecting the heart, and strengthening the immune system are a perfect dish to consume on cooler days, just like the ones we are about to face.
Soups are tasty and, after an appropriate choice of ingredients, they can become true allies of health, providing antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, proteins and fiber, helping to counteract inflammation and damage from free radicals and protecting the heart. Today we talk about the properties of soups, the ingredients to prefer, and what to pay attention to when we intend to bring a fragrant, tasty and healthy soup to the table.
Soups against obesityFrequent consumption of soups is associated with greater control of body weight, a lower risk of developing obesity, and a reduction in waist circumference.
This observation can be traced back to the soup’s ability to counteract hunger attacks, to satiate you, and to provide important nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals without being excessively caloric (Zhu et al, Br J Nutr, 2014). Furthermore, soup, thanks to its high nutrient content, protects gastrointestinal health and the microbiota and helps keep blood sugar under control (Zhu et al, Br J Nutr, 2014).
Soup for the heartFrequent consumption of soups protects the heart, helping to keep blood sugar and cholesterol under control. In particular, those who often consume soups tend to have higher HDL good cholesterol than those who do not consume this dish (Zhu et al, PLoS One, 2013).
Among the ingredients we can choose to ensure cardioprotective properties, barley is certainly worth taking into consideration. Barley is in fact a precious source of beta glucans, which are a type of fiber that helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels under control. (Bacchetti et al, J Clin Biochem Nutr, 2015).
Anti-aging soupsThe choice of ingredients can make a soup a powerful concentrate of anti-aging properties. For example, the combination of green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and pumpkin made it possible to obtain a dish rich in antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, chlorophyll and carotenoids, with a significant increase in the body’s ability to fight free radicals (Fernandez Lopez et al, Plants, 2020). Even a soup prepared with red peppers and tomatoes, or with carrots and coriander is a concentrate of carotenoids, as is a soup prepared with purple cabbage, black cabbage, purple carrots, red chard, and red spinach.
In particular, the latter combination helps to increase the levels of lutein and beta carotene with a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, also useful for eye health (Fernandez Lopez et al, Plants, 2020 – Bacchetti et al, J Clin Biochem Nutr, 2015 ). Always hydrated thanks to soupsSoups help you stay hydrated since they are rich in water (Fernandez Lopez et al, Plants, 2020).
The best ingredients of a soupThe advantage of soups is that they can always be different thanks to the variety of ingredients. But what are the healthiest ingredients we can use? Barley, lettuce, and celery provide vitamins C and E and help keep cholesterol and triglycerides under control (Niebla Canelo et al, Foods, 2022).
Barley is also a source of beta-glucans, which form a synergy with the antioxidants and the vitamins of the vegetables added to soups, able to support the immune system response (Lee et al, Food Sci Biotechnol, 2021). Onion is antithrombotic, it helps to combat high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cellular degeneration, as well as protecting the heart and improving blood fluidity.
Carrots provide potassium, vitamins A and C, pectin, and beta-carotene, improving the functionality of the endothelium and the elasticity of blood vessels (Niebla Canelo et al, Foods, 2022).
Carrot is an ingredient that should never be missing as the pectin it contains helps the body better absorb antioxidant substances such as beta carotene and lutein, which we can find in purple or black cabbage! And then we must not forget the aromatic herbs, spices and condiments, such as parsley, coriander, dill, turmeric and black pepper, which are antioxidants and help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol, and extra virgin olive oil that counteracts the aging processes (Naghedi Baghdar et al, Avicenna J Phytomed, 2018). Finally, the addition of legumes improves the protein, fiber, and antioxidant intake of the soup (Fernandez Lopez et al, Plants, 2020).
Soups, not all of them are healthy soups, as we have seen, can be a really healthy meal. However, there are exceptions and you need to pay attention to some ingredients, such as those used to thicken soups, such as cream, cheese, flour, butter, and eggs.
In small quantities, these foods can be part of a healthy diet, but you shouldn’t overdo them as they can increase calories and cholesterol. Then pay attention to ready-made soups, which can contain an excess of salt (Zhu et al, Br J Nutr, 2014). If for homemade soups we can have control over the ingredients and thus reduce the amount of salt, the same cannot be said for ready-made, canned, or dry soups.
These ready-made soups are among the foods with the highest salt content, which counteracts the benefits of the dish. But not only salt is added to ready-made soups, but sugar can often also be found among the ingredients, sometimes in quantities that almost reach the maximum recommended daily dose (Fernandez Lopez et al, Plants, 2020).
Finally, dry soups can contain a high quantity of heavy metals such as lead, aluminum, and cadmium, which should be avoided especially if the meal is intended for children (Niebla Canelo et al, Foods, 2022). So, in general, even if ready-made soups, especially dry ones, are practical, quick to bring to the table and can present an interesting supply of nutrients, often comparable to that of home-prepared soups, it is also important to try to limit them due to the reasons just seen and, if used, choose versions with little salt, without sugar and of good quality.
Miso soup, propertiesThe soup prepared with miso, a paste obtained from the fermentation of soybeans, deserves a separate discussion. The result is a very tasty product with anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, anti-aging and anti-obesity properties (Saeed et al, Food Sci Nutr, 2022).
However, miso contains salt, which, indeed, is essential for its production. One would be led to believe, therefore, that miso may have a negative effect on blood pressure and cardiovascular health. However, the reality is different. In fact, as demonstrated by scientific studies, the intake of miso does not alter blood pressure and heart rate, which the same quantity of pure salt would do (Ito et al, Environ Health, Prev, Med, 2020). Indeed, it seems that miso can even attenuate hypertension caused by a high-salt diet and reduce cardiovascular risk (Ito et al, Environ Health, Prev, Med, 2020). It has not yet been possible to find an explanation for what was observed, although it is believed that it is due to miso’s ability to attenuate the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (Ito et al, Environ Health, Prev, Med, 2020).