The soup diet works for weight loss. Or at least the concept of a soup-based diet can produce legitimate weight loss.
Science shows that this is useful food for weight loss, as it has the potential to be as satisfying as eating solid food, even if it is a liquid. Soup eaters have also been found to weigh less and have smaller waists compared to those who avoid it.
Soup is a pretty basic recipe, so any diet with this product should offer the same benefits, right? Not quite. There are some “mistakes” that can make this liquid lunch less than ideal if your goal is to lose a few pounds.
5 mistakes that prevent you from losing weight eating soup
You always choose a creamy soup
The ones that are genuinely creamy (not the “healthier” and “creamier” versions you find on Instagram) have a lot of fat (and therefore calories) in them.
Sometimes creamy soups are made with a roux, which is a mixture of butter and flour. In addition to the fat in the butter, many of these recipes also require finishing with cream or milk, which would also contribute to the fat content.
30 grams of heavy cream has 102 calories, 97 of which come from fat.
To find out if a soup contains cream or another high-fat dairy, you should look at the fish or bisques. You really should read the ingredient list though.
Sometimes creamy soups contain no fat at all. Perhaps they are naturally creamy because they are mixed with ingredients that become creamy once cooked and mixed, such as cauliflower, beans, etc. Plus, cream is sometimes just a finishing touch, with as little as 1 tablespoon added for that creamy mouthfeel.
All of this is not to say that you should never go for a creamy soup. Just be sure to factor in the extra calories in your weight loss plan.
You only eat puree
Pureed soups deserve a place in your diet, but they shouldn’t be the only type of soup you eat.
First, it is not uncommon for pureed versions (tomato, potato, cauliflower) to include a little cream. But also, very little or absolutely no chewing is required when consuming a pureed soup.
Both chewing your food and eating a plate with a bit of variety in texture can help increase the satiety factor of your food and make you feel fuller for longer. In other words, a puree can leave you hungry shortly after your meal.
You think soup is not a breakfast food
If having breakfast for dinner is legitimate, then dinner for breakfast should be too. Why don’t you dare to have soup for breakfast?
Eating soup for breakfast also means a nutritious start to the day – regular eaters have been found to have healthier diets compared to soap-free eaters, according to an April 2014 study in the British Journal of Nutrition. In that study, soup eaters ate more protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and less fat. However, sodium intake was also increased, leading us to the next mistake.
You eat soup at various meals
Making most (or all) of your meals soup can actually lead to a build-up of sodium in your diet, which only tangentially affects your waistline. This food is one of those foods that is usually loaded with sodium, in part because some of its inherent ingredients are salty (cured meats, canned legumes, broths).
But also, if you mainly consume canned soup, you should know that they contain a lot of sodium. In fact, the canned version ranks fifth among the saltiest foods. And as we all know, too much sodium is unhealthy – it can increase your risk of high blood pressure, kidney stones, and stomach cancer, and it’s not healthy for your heart.
Also, when we take in too much sodium, our body retains water and that can lead to bloating and weight gain.
You choose a soup with little or no protein
Increasing the protein in your diet to lose weight has its advantages. For one thing, combining a high protein diet (about 90-150 grams per day) with your low-calorie diet can help you lose more weight than if you only consume moderate amounts of protein.
Other research outlined in that paper suggests that protein may help you stick with your diet and perhaps not feel deprived, because it is a very satisfying nutrient.
So go for a protein-packed chicken noodle or a hearty lentil stew.