The weight loss process requires multiple sacrifices like avoiding your favorite dishes, restricting several delicious items, etc.
Here, soups could be the savior of your desire to have something good while losing weight.
Soups are one the healthiest and low-calorie foods you could easily make by following a few recipes.
Hence, this article lists a few best soup recipes that may help lower your weight.
Best Soups For Weight Loss
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Clear Soup
Clear soup is one of the best options to stay healthy and promote weight loss. It is a low-calorie food with no or minimum weight-gaining ingredients.
Generally, a clear soup doesn’t contain any flavoring agent or starch that may cause weight gain in people.
Moreover, the soup could be preferred by vegetarians and non-vegetarians in their diet plans to promote weight loss.
A clear soup primarily contains several vegetables rich[1] in fiber and other essential nutrients and compounds responsible for weight loss.
Hence, the boiled soup is a great pick to start the weight loss process.
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Beans
- Cabbage
- Onion, broccoli, etc.
- You may choose vegetables of your preference to make a clear soup.
Procedure
- Cut the chosen vegetables into smaller pieces.
- Put the vegetables and water in a container to boil until they turn mushy.
- Strain the cooked veggies and finely mash them.
- Simmer chopped ginger and garlic until they turn tender.
- Add the mashed stock and some finely chopped veggies like carrots, beans, etc.
- Allow these veggies to boil, and add a pinch of salt as per your taste to finish the cooking.
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Cabbage Soup
Cabbage soup is another famous[2] soup highly preferred to lose weight.
Some consumers believe that the soup may help people lower their weight by 10 pounds in a week.
The cabbage soup consists of various nutrients and natural fibers essential for building muscle mass.
Moreover, the low-calorie soup may help[3] to get slim or quickly lose weight.
But, to get such results, you may need to completely switch to cabbage soup for one week.
You may consider having one or two low-calorie meals per day alongside cabbage soup.
Ingredients:
For making a perfect cabbage soup, you may need the following items.
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Green Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Carrots
- Mushroom (Optional)
- 7-8 Cups of Water
Procedure
- Chop all the vegetables, including cabbage, onions, green peppers, carrots, and tomatoes, in cubes or small pieces.
- Take a pan or pot, and saute some onion with a tablespoon of oil.
- Once the onion is ready, add all the remaining vegetables to the cooking vessel along with the water.
- Let the vegetables boil for a few minutes and turn the knob to medium heat to simmer them well for 30-35 minutes.
- After you serve the soup on the plate, sprinkle some seasonings like salt, hot sauce, spices, etc.
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Chicken Ginger Soup
Chicken ginger soup is a simple and highly delicious soup to be considered[4] for weight loss.
It contains some ingredients that have been individually used to lower weight.
Hence, combining all these valuable elements for a soup makes the chicken ginger soup an excellent option for losing weight.
As the name suggests, chicken ginger soup consists of chicken, the wealthiest[5] protein source.
On the other hand, ginger has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties helpful in cutting down weight.
Ingredients:
- Boneless chicken pieces like[6] thighs and breast
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Sweet potatoes
- Water
- Lemon juice and zest
- Cilantro leaves
Procedure
- First, cut ginger and garlic into fine pieces.
- Take a big pot and place perfectly cut chicken pieces and chopped ginger and garlic along with water to boil.
- After a few minutes, add some salt and lower the heat to simmer the chicken pieces until they are thoroughly cooked.
- Then, start cooking the sweet potatoes until they get softened to easily mash them.
- Take out the chicken pieces onto a plate and shred them using a fork.
- Add the squeezed lemon juice and zest to the soup for enhanced flavor.
- Mix them all in the soup and serve it with a cilantro leaf topping.
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Tomato Soup With Vegetables
Tomato soup is one of the healthiest food items to include[7] in your regular diet.
The soup has been highly preferred to lower the overall weight of an individual.
Moreover, the soup may offer several other health benefits[4] like boosting immunity, improving bone health, etc.
Tomato is the soup’s main ingredient, which is packed with vitamins, lycopene, minerals, plant compounds, and antioxidants.
These essential nutritional values may help in promoting weight loss in an individual.
Additionally, the antioxidant properties of tomatoes could be highly useful in initiating the weight loss process.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Red pepper
- Carrots
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Vegetable stock
- Olive Oil
Procedure
- Finely cut the vegetables in equal and small sizes.
- Take a cooking pot and put some olive oil in it. Now place the chopped vegetables on the pan to saute them until they turn soft.
- Add the tomato sauce to the pan and cook for another 1 minute.
- Put the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock into the pan and simmer the mixture on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Take out the cooked soup and blend it to make it a fine puree. Now, you may consider adding non-starchy veggies like carrots as toppings and continue cooking the soup for 10 minutes more.
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Green Detox Soup
Detox soups could be the best option to stimulate and promote weight loss in an individual.
The detox soups may help improve liver function as it has several essential nutrients that may help remove the toxins faster helpful in lowering body weight.
Ingredients
- Coconut Oil
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Grated Ginger
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Water
Procedure
- Take a large pot and add some coconut oil to it.
- Now, put some onions into the pot to cook them until they turn golden brown.
- Now add all the chopped veggies into the pot along with water and let them boil.
- After a few minutes, lower the heat to simmer the vegetables.
- Turn off the heat and let the veggies settle slowly.
- Then, blend the veggies by adding some ginger, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and salt to make the soup.
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Broccoli And Red Lentil Soup
Broccoli and red lentils are two such veggies that offer numerous[8] weight loss benefits to their consumers.
Broccoli is rich[9] in nutrients that improve digestion and reduce the risk of several digestive issues.
Moreover, broccoli and red lentils are rich in fibers that may help keep you full for a long time, reducing the risk of overeating and high-calorie intake.
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- White Onion
- Spices (turmeric, cumin, ginger)
- Garlic
- Red Lentils
- Broccoli
- Water
- Mint
Procedure
- Take a cooking pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and cook chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Add the spices to enhance the flavor and color.
- Add the chopped lentils and broccoli with optimum water to perfectly boil the veggies.
- Add some mint leaves to brighten the flavor and blend all the ingredients in the pot with a hand blender.
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Spicy Chicken Soup
Chicken is one of the most significant sources of protein for an individual.
As you may know, proteins are highly essential[10] for building[11] strong muscles and cutting down body fat.
Consuming spicy chicken soup may help enhance the weight loss effect as spicy foods increase the thermogenic effect that helps burn additional calories.
Moreover, spicy chicken soups may increase satiety; hence, you may feel full for a longer period.
Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken
- Herbs like parsley, oregano, mint, etc.
- Low-carb veggies like tomatoes, carrots, etc.
- Green chili
- Spices
- Onions
- Water
Procedure
- Start making spicy chicken soup by making chicken stock.
- Put chicken in a pot along with some herbs, vegetables, onion, green chili, spices, and sufficient water.
- Boil the above ingredients for at least 40 minutes to make them soft.
- Remove the chicken pieces and shred them using a knife or fork.
- Now, strain the remaining fluid to use it in the soup.
- Plate the soup by taking the stock in a bowl and putting some shredded chicken in it.
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Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup
Immune-boosting chicken soup is a great option to prevent yourself from cold and flu during winter.
The highly loaded chicken soup contains several ingredients that may help boost immunity. The broth-based soups are also a great option[12] to manage weight.
Moreover, all the ingredients used in the preparation offer low-calorie and low-carbohydrates to make the soup a healthy option for weight loss.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Ginger and Garlic
- Cooked chicken and stock
- Water
- Fresh Cilantro
Procedure
- Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a cooking pot.
- Add onion, carrots, and ginger to the pot and cook them for at least a few minutes.
- Now, add the chopped garlic to the pot and stir for another one or two minutes.
- Pour the chicken stock and chicken along with some water into the mixture.
- Keep stirring until the chicken mixes well.
- Lower the heat and allow everything to simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Now, sprinkle some finely chopped fresh cilantro on the top.
Conclusion
Thus, soups are a healthy and easy-to-cook way of losing weight.
Additionally, you may consider adding the above-mentioned list of soups to your diet to encourage your weight loss goals.
You may customize some recipes of your preference to enhance the flavors, but avoid replacing the main ingredients.
References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed research, academic, and medical institution studies.
- Dietary fibre. Available from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/fibre-in-food
- Vegetable soup, home recipe. Available from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1103728/nutrients
- Yong Zhu , James H Hollis. Soup consumption is associated with a lower dietary energy density and a better diet quality in US adults. Br J Nutr. 2014 Apr 28;111(8):1474-80.doi: 10.1017/S0007114513003954. Epub 2014 Jan 2. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24382211/
- Julie E. Flood, and Barbara J. Rolls. Soup preloads in a variety of forms reduce meal energy intake. Appetite. 2007 Nov; 49(3): 626–634.Published online 2007 Apr 14. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.04.002
- Franca Marangoni, Giovanni Corsello, Claudio Cricelli, et al. Role of poultry meat in a balanced diet aimed at maintaining health and wellbeing: an Italian consensus document. Food Nutr Res. 2015; 59: 10.3402/fnr.v59.27606. Published online 2015 Jun 9. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v59.27606
- Chicken, dark meat, thigh, meat only, with added solution, cooked, roasted. Available from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174500/nutrients
- Erica N. Story, Rachel E. Kopec, Steven J. Schwartz, and G. Keith Harris. An Update on the Health Effects of Tomato Lycopene. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2010; 1: 10.1146/annurev.food.102308.124120. doi: 10.1146/annurev.food.102308.124120
- Curried Red Lentil Soup. Available from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/curried-red-lentil-soup/
- Broccoli, fresh, cooked, no added fat. Available from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1103172/nutrients
- John W. Carbone1 and Stefan M. Pasiakos. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients. 2019 May; 11(5): 1136. Published online 2019 May 22. doi: 10.3390/nu11051136
- Protein. Available from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/protein
- Eat More, Weigh Less? Available from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/energy_density.html
- About the Author
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Louise Rodriguez is a full-time health and fitness writer. She considers herself a gym rat and takes pride in showing her biceps. She dedicates most of her time to her health. With the time left, she spreads information regarding health and fitness among the masses. Harry Potter is her first love.