Ten Reasons to Make Soup
I love soup. I can eat it for every meal. In my homeland, Poland, soup is served as a first course for dinner daily, even during summertime. There are countries around the world where soup is part of a healthy breakfast: Japan, Vietnam, China, Mexico, and Turkey. Other countries are proud of their traditional soups, such as Japanese miso soup, Ukrainian red borscht, Italian wedding soup, Scotch broth, French onion soup, Indian kitchari, Vietnamese pho, and Polish cabbage stew.
There are many reasons to include soup in our home cooking besides the fact that it is delicious. Here are ten good reasons why we should consider making soup regularly:
1. Nutrient-Dense Food
Soup can be a nutritional powerhouse, depending on the ingredients. Most soups consist of broths (plant-based or bone broth), veggies, protein (meat, soy, or legumes), fat, starches (optional), herbs, and spices. These components make soup one of the most nutritionally-balanced meals. For extra nourishment, it is good to choose fresh, local, and organic ingredients whenever available.
2. It's the Perfect Part of Any Diet
For anyone who is following a special diet or planning to try a specific food, including soup, it can make your life easier and much more pleasant. Many soup recipes fit in most popular diets: vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, fat-free, Ayurvedic, or Mediterranean. It is easy to formulate fabulous recipes with ingredients that a specific diet allows, and experiment by adding herbs and spices.
3. Best Food on a Budget
Soup is one of the most economical and healthy meals. We can incorporate ingredients that we already have at home, and at the same time, avoid wasting food that has limited freshness such as vegetables or meat. Beans and lentils work very well as a soup ingredient. By choosing legumes instead of meat, we can save quite a bit of money and add a ton of nutrition. Eating seasonal foods is healthy, environmentally conscious, and less expensive. Here are some examples of seasonal soups: black-bean soup for winter, cream of asparagus for spring, and gazpacho for summer.
4. Very Easy to Prepare
Most soup recipes are easy to follow. Often, the methods can be modified on the spot by substituting ingredients that we have on hand. Chopping vegetables by hand can be time-consuming, but many food processors can do this part of the preparation in no time. The next step can be as simple as combining broth with other ingredients in the pot and let it cook. Soups don't require much attention while cooking, crock-pots, or instant pots, are great inventions for making soup and saving time.
5. Convenient to Store
Soups are some of the best foods to make in large amounts and store for later. Some hearty soups taste even better the next day. I store my soups in jars that I save from nut butter, salsa, coconut oil, or ghee. Once the soup is finished, I pour what I want to store into the jars, tighten the lids, and turn the jars upside down to seal. Soup can stay fresh for a week in the refrigerator, and up to six months in the freezer.
6. Healthy Comfort Food
While it is not a good idea to get in the habit of using food as a consolation from life's events, the right kind of food can be very soothing on the body and soul without ruining our healthy lifestyles. A good hearty soup with the aroma and flavor that remind us of mom's cooking can help us find the strength and security we need to resolve life’s challenges and move forward.
7. Very Hydrating
Soups can be very beneficial in maintaining the balance of fluids inside and outside our body's cells due to the amount of water and mineral content that most soups provide. Sea salt and Himalayan salt are excellent sources of sodium and chloride, and many vegetables deliver potassium; while bone broth, herbs, and spices add calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and trace minerals. Soup can be a perfect way to replenish lost fluids from exercising, when ill, or when doing activities and therapies that stimulate sweating.
8. Easy to Digest and Assimilate
The phrase "You are what you can digest” comes from Ayurvedic philosophy that emphasizes the importance of choosing the right foods. Soup is one of the most digestible and nourishing meals, especially during the wintertime (Vata Season in Ayurveda). This relates to several characteristics: most soups are cooked (predigested), contain broth (excellent for leaky gut and other digestive disorders), and herbs and spices that help stimulate organs to release enzymes and hydrochloric acid to break down food and absorb nutrients.
9. Healing, Rejuvenating, and Detoxifying:
Both disease and healing start in our digestive system. Food is our fuel and our medicine. During times when our bodies need to focus on healing or detoxifying, it is important to eat light, healthy, and easy-to-digest foods. This way, we use our energy to rejuvenate our bodies rather than just digest food . A perfect example is chicken soup, still number one on the list for best remedies for the common cold and flu.
10. A Satisfying, One-Dish Meal
Soup can compose an entire meal and most of us won’t feel like we are missing anything. For soup to be satisfying, we need a recipe that includes six essential elements that constitute a balanced meal: protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is easy to make soup, considering that there are many choices from each of these food groups, that are delicious when combined in one pot.
If you are a “soup person” like I am, please share your favorite recipes and I will post them on my website. And if you haven't gotten into the practice of making soups regularly, I hope this blog will convince you to include soup in your diet and healthy eating regimen from now on. Please experiment with ingredients and flavors, and if you can't find a particular recipe, don't be afraid to create your own. The most important thing is to have fun when cooking, enjoy eating healthy meals to stay healthy and robust, while keeping in mind that "food is the medicine" and “you are what you can digest.”
Please take a look at the soup recipes below. They are fast and super easy to make.
2. Hearty bean and vegetable soup
3. “Express sweet” potato soup
Additional Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/six-essential-nutrients
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/budget
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/InteractiveNutritionFactsLabel/factsheets/Protein.pdf
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants/introduction.htm
Author’s note: The information in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as medical advice or a substitute for professional medical opinions, diagnoses, or treatment. Always consult your medical practitioner regarding a medical condition and before changing your diet, supplements, fitness, or other health programs.