Feel that? It’s here now: the interminable chill that seeps deep into our bones at this time of year. It’s the same chill that we Canadians are only released from sometime after the crocuses have bloomed – and even then, it has a way of lingering well into spring. But rest assured, all is not lost: This is a great time of year to snuggle up with comfort foods, some of which are surprising nutritional gems. One of the best choices to stay warm and still keep the pounds off at the time of year? A piping hot bowl of soup.

Why soup?

Soup is one of those foods that can help you to control your weight and meet nutrient needs, all wrapped up in a cozy little package. The weightloss benefit is attributable to a principle known as volumetrics, a term coined by dietitian and researcher Barbara Rolls. Through numerous studies, Rolls and her Penn State colleagues have found that foods high in water content, such as soups and stews, as well as fruits and vegetables, help us to feel more full than they should. Comparatively, foods that have less water and are more energydense – think dry foods such as dried apricots or raisins, or foods with a high fat content like chips or cheese – don’t seem to trigger the same relative sense of fullness, despite having higher calorie contents.

In one of their classic studies, published in the journal Appetite in 2007, Rolls and her colleagues tested this concept by offering women a variety of soups followed by an entree at lunchtime. Regardless of which type of soup they consumed (broth and vegetables served separately, chunky vegetable soup, chunky-puréed vegetable soup, or puréed vegetable soup), the results were the same: Those who took the soup ate an average of 20% fewer calories at lunch than they did when they went straight for the main course. Rolls and her team also found similar results when they served tomato soup for lunch to children at a daycare.

While weight control is one reason to add soup to your routine this time of year, nutritional value is the other. We know Canadians still fall short when it comes to vegetables, so soups are a great way to bump up your veggie intake this time of year. Depending on the variety, many vegetable soups are a source of vitamin A, vitamin C and fibre, and those that contain beef, beans, lentils or spinach are often a source of iron.

Which soup?

As Rolls’ work demonstrates, lower calorie soups seem to be most effective for weight control; sadly, this means that your uncle’s famous ham hock soup that forms a protective layer on top when refrigerated might not be your best choice.

Instead, stick with veggiebased soups, such as tomato, butternut squash or chunky vegetable: a one-cup (250 mL) serving typically checks in at 80-120 calories, or about the same as one or two of those little Halloween treats you just downed while reading this article. If you are using your soup as a meal, then try to push more protein (aim for at least five grams per serving) and fibre (four grams or more per serving) to help you to feel full. In that case, beef-barley, turkey-vegetable, lentil soup or even chili are usually good choices.

Are there soups to avoid? Because of the volumetricsbased benefit, you could make the case that even heavier chowders and cream-based soups are still better choices than some high calorie meals, but be cautious, as you can easily find cream-based soups that exceed 250 calories per serving (granted, that’s still a far better choice for an appetizer than deep-fried cheese sticks).

Of course, soup’s biggest drawback is its sodium content, which can easily exceed 800 mg per serving (healthy adults should aim for less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, though some experts recommend 1,500 mg or less). Thankfully, there is an everincreasing variety of lower sodium soups on the market, many of which are remarkably flavourful. If possible, look for soups with less than 500 mg of sodium per serving.

Home cooking?

Without a doubt, homemade soup is one of the great joys of winter. If you are new to soup-making, don’t be intimidated: start with a tablespoon of olive oil, add a diced onion, some chopped carrots, celery and leeks, and some good quality stock (I prefer organic brands because they usually have nothing more than vegetables, salt and spices), and a bay leaf, and the rest is up to you. Whether it’s leftover chicken from last night’s dinner, hearty legumes such as kidney beans, or nutrientrich grains like quinoa or wild rice, you can make a meal that will warm your belly without expanding it.

Jennifer Sygo is a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Canada (clevelandclinic.ca), which provides executive physicals and wellness counselling in Toronto.

jsygo@rogers.com

Article source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/soups+weight/5638123/story.html