Soup: A Healthy Addition to Your Daily Eating Routine (Recipes Included!)
How do I love homemade soup? Let me count thy ways! For its many health benefits, as well as general ease of preparation and menu versatility, homemade soup is a must-have in your kitchen recipe rotation.
Soup can serve as a great vehicle for including a variety of vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates for a well-balanced meal. It also can help to hydrate us due to the high liquid content of most broth bases. Soup is also versatile; it can be an appetizer, a main course, or dare I say, a dessert? Prepared higher in calories for a hearty and filling meal, or, lower in calories as a side dish, soup can help those with a weight loss goal. And contrary to a popular belief, soup is a great option to eat all year-'round.
Adding various herbs increases the health benefits as well, so don’t shy away from including some cayenne pepper, turmeric, or sage into, or on top of, your soup.
To begin, preparing a homemade broth that serves as your base for most recipes can be easy. I would recommend making this in a large batch and freezing portions so that you can easily pull a portion from the freezer when you are ready.
Here are a few soup recipes to try year-’round, all with health-boosting properties.
● Chicken Broth: A standard broth/stock base made from chicken bones and vegetables is great on its own or as a starting point for creativity.
● Chicken and Rice Soup: Adding chicken and wild rice to your broth will help boost protein, iron, and calorie levels.
● Mushroom Miso Soup: The miso paste and tofu can enhance gut health and immunity, while the kale and mushrooms provide you with powerful antioxidants.
● Creamy Turmeric Pumpkin Soup: Turmeric is anti-inflammatory, while the squash is full of Vitamin A and fiber.
● Vegan Minestrone Soup: An excellent option for vegans, the beans provide protein as well as serve as a prebiotic for gut health.
A quick note: If you do not include animal products in your diet, then you can use water, store-bought vegetable stock, or you can make your vegetable stock at home by using the standard bone broth recipe above, minus the chicken.
Which soup recipe are you most excited to try? Feel free to comment below!
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