Soup is a common staple in winter diets, so it only makes sense that January is National Soup Month. Soups are nourishing and satisfying, and with the right ingredients, they can be very healthy too.
To help you embrace the wonderful world of soup this January, here are some tips for what to put in the pot and what to leave out.
Benefits of Eating Soup
Soup can be an incredibly versatile meal, appetizer, or side dish that is full of flavor and packed with nutrition. Soups are a great way to sneak more vegetables into your meals and make convenient lunches and dinners at home or take to work or school. They can help you feel full without making you bloated, add extra vitamins and minerals into your diet, and warm you up on a cold day. Eating soup in the winter is also a strategy for keeping your body hydrated, especially on cold days when you don’t feel like drinking lots of water.
The great thing about soup is that you can make it with nearly anything you already have in your kitchen and perhaps even mask the taste of vegetables you aren’t particularly fond of with a mix of other flavors and textures. Some of the healthiest soups that you can make at home are tomato soup, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup, and bone broth soups.
What to Skip in Your Soup
Some soups contain thickeners and condiments that increase the overall sodium and calorie content. Common thickeners include heavy cream, cornstarch, egg yolks, and a mixture of butter and flour called roux. These ingredients are fine in small portions, but as a general rule, broth-based soups are healthier than cream-based soups. Also, avoid canned soups that are packed with lots of sodium because that extra salt can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease.
Focus on In-Season Vegetables
Soup offers excellent opportunities for you to focus your diet around in-season vegetables this winter. Root vegetables are fresh and available all winter and make ideal additions to soup. You can also add leafy greens that are in-season, as well as cruciferous vegetables that are abundant in markets during this time of the year.
Here are some of the heathiest ingredients that you can add to your winter soup:
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Radishes
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Beets
- Brussels sprouts
How to Get More Veggies in Your Life
In addition to making more healthy soup recipes this winter, you can get extra vegetables in your diet by taking Seagate’s all-natural health supplements. Here are examples of the veggie supplements that we offer, which come in convenient capsule form and can help you live healthier all season long.
- Broccoli sprouts supplements
- Artichoke supplements
- Carrots via Beta Glucan, Carrot and Garlic, and Carrot Powder supplements
- Nopal cactus supplements
- Tomatoes via Lycopene-15 supplements