Should you eat soup every day? Features, opinions of nutritionists, benefits and harms. Is it healthy to eat soup? Is it healthy to eat the first course every day?

When coming up with a menu for the day, have you ever thought about making a pot of soup for... breakfast? Many of us cannot “cram” anything into ourselves in the morning, and then there’s soup! After all, we usually eat the first one only for lunch. Meanwhile, for Europeans and Asians, sipping hot soup in the morning is usually a thing.

And who said that soup can’t be a good breakfast? British nutritionists have long proclaimed soups as the best way to lose weight: they fill the body faster, although they contain fewer calories than porridge or muesli.

Simple breakfast

For us soup for breakfast seems something strange, but in other cultures it is a typical morning meal. For example, changua, also known as “egg soup” or “hangover soup,” is a traditional Colombian breakfast made with a few simple ingredients: cheese, eggs, milk, toasted bread and cilantro.

Many generations of Vietnamese people start the day with a serving of pho soup because they eat soup with meat for breakfast. Pho soup is made from rice noodles, thinly sliced ​​meat, herbs and broth.

Let's find out why it's better to eat a bowl of soup for breakfast than oatmeal or sandwiches.

Here's a selection of five delicious soups for inspiration. It will be great if you add an egg directly to the boiling soup: fried in a frying pan on one side, hard-boiled or just raw.

Use one of these recipes to make a healthy, diet-friendly soup for the summer. Also, any vegetable broth is a very good detox.

Soup can be called the head of our dinner table; since childhood, we have become accustomed to the fact that during the daytime meals should begin with it - a rich, aromatic liquid dish. Today, too, many of us cannot imagine a day without hot soup, because from a very early age we were taught that the “first thing” must be eaten, otherwise we will have neither strength nor health. However, soup has opponents who believe that it is a harmful dish that can ruin our stomach. So is it good to eat soup every day, or can such a habit harm our health? Let's figure it out together.

Soup is rightfully the “first” dish

Soups are a whole group of liquid dishes, the main feature of which is that more than half of it consists of liquid. There are probably millions of recipes for different soups. Many countries have their own soup, which has become a symbol of national cuisine. We have cabbage soup and borscht, the French have onion soup, the Japanese have miso soup that is especially popular today, the list goes on for a long time.

Each type of liquid hot dish has many variations; there are several hundred recipes for borscht alone. Moreover, for example, Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian borscht can be very different from each other, fueling disputes in interethnic families. After all, each spouse has his own, national, understanding of what this first course should be. For example, in the Russian version of borscht there should be no lard, while in the Belarusian and Ukrainian versions this component occupies an important place in the recipe. And a Belarusian can ask a Russian why you put cabbage in borscht.

Another interesting fact is that soup does not have to be a hot dish; there are many recipes for preparing a cold dish. Each of these soups has its own health benefits and harms; a cold dish will retain more vitamins, but the hot version is considered to be healthier for the stomach. However, this depends on the specific recipe.

The benefits of the first dish

Soup is a great opportunity to enrich our diet with vegetables. Once we roughly count the number of different vegetables indicated in the recipe, we are convinced that this is truly a magical elixir.

It is believed that in order to fulfill the daily requirement for eating vegetables, you can “wrap up” just a couple of bowls of aromatic soup. Therefore, light vegetable soups are considered especially useful.

We can quickly satisfy our hunger with soup, because in order to eat a liquid dish, we don’t need to chew it well. Moreover, the nutritious liquid of soup, especially hot, fills the stomach, dulling the feeling of hunger. If you want to eat something tasty, but not very healthy, eat a bowl of soup first. This way, there will be less “room” in the stomach for that same “tasty, but not the healthiest” dish.

This also explains the benefits of soup for weight loss - we eat up in smaller portions, given the low calorie content of a liquid dish with high nutritional value. Of course, if we are not talking about the notorious lard borscht with donuts. There are even many diets based on various light, mostly vegetable, soups. Such dishes not only satiate us, but also rid the body of waste and toxins. Also, along with soups, our body receives fiber, which is necessary for weight loss and overall health.

The benefit of soup lies in its easy digestibility by the body. The soup contains many useful substances, is easily digestible and does not require much effort to eat it. Therefore, it is actively used during colds; it helps the body, exhausted by viruses, to recover and receive the necessary vitamins. However, the soup should be low-fat and light, so that the body does not have to spend a lot of effort and energy on digesting it, which is needed to resist infections. The dish warms the body well, which is especially valuable in the cold months.

Many soups have a good effect on metabolism and help you lose weight. Pea soups are especially useful in this sense, despite their relatively high calorie content.

Are there any benefits to soups for children?

The benefits of soups for children are sometimes questioned. This is partly surprising, because from childhood we are taught that the first must be included in the diet. However, some modern scientists question the usefulness of the dish, arguing that along with beneficial substances, dangerous components can also penetrate into the child’s body. To ensure that as little harmful substances as possible get into the dish, you should drain the first water of the meat broth. After the meat has cooked for a few minutes, the water needs to be drained and new water added. And only then cook the soup itself.

But kids still need to eat soup, the majority agrees on this opinion. You just need to carefully monitor the quality of the added products and prepare mainly vegetable first courses. If you use meat, then chicken or veal. You should not add bouillon cubes, a lot of seasonings, or garlic to soups for children.

Soup has the same effect on a child’s body as on an adult: it improves digestion, is easily digestible, and helps to gain strength. And puree soups are recommended to be given to small children as the first complementary food. By the way, the first course is with pureed vegetables, and an older child will eat it with more pleasure than ordinary soup, in which, sometimes, unappetizing pieces of vegetables float.

Is soup good for the stomach?

A person with a number of stomach diseases should not eat raw vegetables, they can harm the organ. But you also need to get the necessary vitamins and microelements. Soups help out; boiled and stewed vegetables are not harmful to the stomach.

The benefits of soup for the stomach cannot be overestimated - it stimulates our digestion. First courses promote the production of gastric juice, thereby preparing the gastrointestinal tract for digestion. However, for the soup to benefit a sore stomach, it must be prepared correctly. We will tell you exactly how below.

Soups made with low-fat meat broth are especially beneficial for digestion. Puree soups are useful for stomach diseases, but you need to select a cooking recipe in accordance with your disease. Due to their consistency, they envelop the gastric mucosa, thereby preventing contact of hydrochloric acid with its walls. But you need to use only those vegetables that can be consumed by a person with a sick stomach.

For example, those who have inflammation of the gastric mucosa should not eat beetroot soups. Pumpkin is a good ingredient; it is rich in nutrients and does not harm the stomach.

What soup is the healthiest for the stomach? There is no definite answer to this question, since much depends on the condition of the stomach itself, existing gastrointestinal diseases and other diseases. For example, a soup that is good for a healthy stomach can have a negative effect on a diseased organ, even leading to an exacerbation of the disease.

Healthy soups for the stomach:

• Cream soups
• Slimy soups prepared with the addition of cereals with a viscous consistency - rolled oats, rice, etc. Soups are prepared based on vegetables and lean meat broth
• Dairy with cereals, with the exception of barley and millet. It is necessary to dilute milk with water in a ratio of 1 to 1

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Harmful properties of soups

Yes, there are claims that soups can be harmful to our health, or that they are not as beneficial as we think. Some claim that 70% of vitamins and minerals are destroyed during cooking and do not go into the broth. But harmful substances get there.

The statement is partially true, but not absolutely all vitamins are destroyed during the cooking process. Vitamin C is destroyed almost completely under the influence of high temperatures. But many B vitamins, vitamins A, E, D, PP are resistant to high temperatures. They are destroyed, but partially, and approximately 70% of the original amount remains in the soup. Fiber is also destroyed slightly during cooking.

Another statement about the dangers of soup is more true: various antibiotics and hormonal drugs that were “fed” to the animal end up in almost their entire composition in the broth. But this can also be avoided: the first water must be brought to a boil and drained, adding new water.

The first hot dishes are harmful to our body due to their high fat content, of course, if we are talking about meat soup. In order not to harm your health and figure, cook non-rich dishes.

How to make healthy soups

To include soup in your diet without fear of harming your health, you need to follow a number of rules when preparing:

• Prepare meat soups from young animals
• Choose fresh, undamaged food
• Use lean meat and fish
• Vegetables need to be washed well before cooking, but do not soak in water.
• Don’t forget to drain the first broth, which we already talked about
• It is better to first cook the broth with vegetables, and then add meat there, and not do the opposite
• When cooking, it is important to consider what foods can be eaten by people with certain diseases

Should you eat soup every day?

No matter how many battles there are over the harms and benefits of soup, it is recommended to eat it regularly. Naturally, it will bring benefits if you prepare the first dish correctly, following the above recommendations. But it is impossible to replace solid food with soup, especially for a long time. This can lead to a number of diseases and problems, including lazy bowel syndrome and or dental problems. If the diet is replete with soft foods that hardly require chewing, the gums weaken, not receiving the necessary daily chewing “charge.” In the long term, this can even lead to tooth loss. However, this applies not only to soups.

So is it harmful to not eat soup at all? It is believed that soup, at least not daily, should be present in our diet. For example, soups are very useful for gastritis. While “gastratics” generally have a relatively meager diet, properly cooked soup is a real helper.

Soup in Russian cuisine has always been the main lunch dish, and it is impossible to imagine a daily home menu without it. Is soup healthy? Yes, and, despite the opinions of some experts about the dangers of this dish, the vast majority of people consider it indispensable in their diet and cannot imagine a full meal without soup.

Useful properties of soup

Soups are prepared with vegetable, chicken, and meat broths; there are also milk and fruit soups, and they all differ not only in taste, but also in the content of nutrients.

Soup

Soups cooked with meat broth are considered the most nutritious. They stimulate appetite, are quickly absorbed, stimulate digestion and warm. All the nutrients contained in the meat are transferred into the broth when it is cooked and make the soup very tasty. Is it healthy to eat soup for lunch? Yes, at the same time it can be not only meat, but also vegetarian, and such soups are useful for everyone without exception.

Nutrients in soup:

• Vitamins;
• Microelements;
• Extractive substances.

Doctors recommend vegetable soups for people who need a diet, as well as those who want to lose weight. Is soup good for weight loss? For those who decide to lose weight, nutritionists advise eating low-calorie soups cooked in vegetable broth, which are quickly digested and contain almost no calories.

Is soup good for the stomach and digestion?

Any soups are good for digestion and for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Despite some claims that liquid dissolves gastric juice and therefore food is less digestible, when asked whether soup is good for the stomach, experts answer positively. The fact is that this dish activates gastric juice and prepares the stomach for digestion.

Soups are recommended to be eaten not only by healthy people, but also by those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, but for this they must be properly prepared. Thus, for those suffering from diseases of the pancreas, duodenum, and stomach, doctors recommend eating soups cooked in vegetable, chicken and fish broth. Also in this case, it is better to cook soups in a second broth, that is, you need to drain the broth when boiling and pour clean water over the meat or chicken.

Is it healthy to eat soup every day?

Properly cooked soups improve metabolic processes, stimulate digestion and are indispensable not only for organisms weakened by disease, but also for completely healthy people. Is it healthy to eat soup every day? Yes, because it contains vitamins, microelements and nutrients that come from vegetables. Soups help restore the necessary fluid balance, which affects blood pressure levels.

Chicken broth soup strengthens blood vessels and is good for colds, as it contains substances that relieve symptoms. This dish is ideal for those who are watching their weight, so when asked whether soup is good for weight loss, experts answer in the affirmative. They explain this by the fact that this dish quickly makes you feel full, and vegetable soups also contain almost no calories. There are diets based entirely on soups, which you can eat in unlimited quantities, getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals without gaining extra pounds.

Soups with rich broth are contraindicated for:

1. Chronic diseases of the pancreas;
2. Increased gastric secretion;
3. Gout;
4. Metabolic arthritis.

How much soup can you eat per day?

Usually soup is only included in the lunch menu, but some people are happy to eat another serving of vegetable soup for dinner, and this will do nothing but good for your body.

How to cook soup correctly

To make the soup not only tasty, but also healthy, you need to use only fresh ingredients for its preparation. It is best to take lean meat, chicken, which must first be brought to a boil, and then, reducing the heat, remove the foam and continue to cook over low heat for one and a half to two hours.

Recipes for making healthy soups

Zucchini soup

Place potatoes (2 pieces) in a saucepan with boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Cut one carrot into thin circles, an onion into half rings, crush 3 cloves of garlic with a knife, and cut the zucchini (250 g) into medium cubes. Fry the onion with garlic and carrots in vegetable oil, add the zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut tomatoes (2 pcs.) into cubes, add to vegetables and simmer for another 5 minutes. Then transfer the contents of the frying pan into the pan with the potatoes, add salt and cook for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add chopped herbs to the soup.

Shurpa soup

Boil beef broth with bone (700 g), remove the meat, cut it into pieces and fry along with chopped onions (2 pieces). Grate carrots (2 pcs.), chop two bell peppers, tomatoes (2 pcs.) and add to the onions with meat along with tomato paste (3 tbsp.), pour in broth so that it covers the vegetables, and simmer for half an hour over low heat. Place meat and vegetables in a saucepan, add 6 pieces of potatoes cut into cubes, fill everything with broth, salt, pepper and cook until the potatoes are ready. Add chopped herbs and crushed garlic (optional) to the finished soup.

For most Russians, the concepts of “soup” and “lunch” are related. Those who refuse the first course are usually told: “You’ll ruin your stomach!” It will be useful for anyone who is interested in proper nutrition to know how true this fear is, whether it is necessary to eat soup or whether our body will do just fine without it.

Is soup really that healthy?

To make the soup fat-free, you need to put it in the refrigerator, and then skim off the frozen fat.

The fact that eating soups is not at all necessary is indirectly confirmed by the gastronomic tradition of many countries around the world. This dish or its analogues practically do not appear on the menu of most of them, which, according to medical statistics, does not have a negative impact on public health.

However, what is good for a resident of the USA or Australia is not always good for a Russian: geography still leaves its mark on culinary preferences.

For residents of Russia, who traditionally eat more than 30 billion plates of cabbage soup, borscht, noodles and other first courses a year, soup is an excellent food in the cold season: it warms you up and quickly restores energy reserves in the body.

Besides this, there are other reasons why soup has the right to be on our table:

• after cooking, the soup retains beneficial substances that are lost as a result of frying and other methods of heat treatment of ingredients;
• soup provides the body with the necessary fluid balance, which is important for those who are not used to drinking enough water during the day;
• in people with reduced secretory function of the stomach, soup stimulates the formation of gastric juice, without which high-quality digestion of food is impossible;
• Some types of soups (for example, chicken) due to their composition have a positive effect on the immune system, which protects the body during the cold season;
• soups are often used in weight loss diets as low-calorie but satisfying dishes;
• Soups are the fastest and relatively inexpensive way to feed a large family or group.

In order for the soup to retain its beneficial properties as much as possible, it is important that it is not very hot, but not cold either.

However, not everything is rosy when it comes to soups. Experts had to debunk some myths:

• Soups are very useful for people with stomach problems.. In fact, if a person suffers from gastritis or ulcers, first courses (especially those cooked in meat broth) increase the formation of acid in the stomach and worsen health.
• Soups are digested much easier than any other food. According to recent studies, a liquid first course significantly reduces the concentration of gastric juice, as a result of which the process of digesting food slows down. To prevent this from happening, adherents of separate meals began to refuse to eat soups, and allow themselves tea or coffee only half an hour after eating.
• The soup is good for people of any age, including the elderly. Rich, fatty broth is dangerous for old people, as a rule, those suffering from atherosclerosis, hypertension, kidney disease, and gout.
• Long-cooked soup is free of harmful substances that may be in its ingredients. This is wrong. After prolonged cooking of the meat, the broth is “enriched” with antibiotics, steroid hormones that were used in raising livestock. From the bones, heavy metal salts, carcinogenic substances and other harmful compounds that accumulate in the bone tissue throughout the life of the animals get into the soup.
• Cooking allows you to at least partially preserve vitamins in foods. Today, experts are more categorical in their assessments; they claim that even at a temperature of 57 °C, not a trace remains of the beneficial properties of vitamins. This means that vegetables (cabbage, carrots, tomatoes) are best consumed fresh, for example, in a salad.

The healthiest thing to use for broth is chicken.

The body quickly gets used to “good things” - soft and liquid food does not need to be thoroughly chewed, because of this, the gums weaken, teeth may begin to fall out, and the intestines will lose their natural functions.

Some methods of preparing them are also not in favor of soups. For example, housewives like to add carrots and onions fried in oil or its substitutes to the first dish. Often they use ready-made “frying”, the manufacturers of which stuff it with various dubious ingredients to enhance the taste. As a result, your plate may end up with a “hellish mixture” of fats, carcinogens and cholesterol.

In cabbage soup with sorrel, the natural acid of this green after heating turns into inorganic and combines with calcium, thereby depriving the body of this vital substance (its deficiency results in caries or osteoporosis), and provokes the formation of kidney stones.

When preparing soup, do not use seasonings or bouillon cubes, as they are toxic to the body.

Chicken broth is becoming dangerous due to the fact that poultry farms have begun to actively use the antibiotic tetracycline in raising chickens in recent years. After 30 minutes of cooking, it is found in all parts of the carcass (most of all in the skin), and after another half an hour, a substance harmful to human health is found in the broth. To correct the situation, nutritionists advise draining the first liquid from the pan, adding fresh water and cooking the soup in the so-called secondary broth.

Traces of human carelessness also affect the fish, and therefore the ear. Recent studies by Japanese scientists have established the presence of such a dangerous substance as mercury in sea water in fishing areas. Researchers from Russia, Norway, and the USA have similar data.

Even a seemingly harmless milk soup can cause harm, for example, to an elderly person, since over the years the body has fewer and fewer enzymes capable of breaking down milk sugar.

Today, experts do not urge Russians to completely exclude soups from their menu, but they recommend being more careful when choosing a recipe, and when cooking, take into account and eliminate possible risks using various techniques. It is also important to purchase products for soup from a reliable manufacturer, because nitrates can get into the dish with vegetables, antibiotics with meat, toxins with mushrooms, and carcinogenic substances with various flavoring additives.