Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated: February 24, 2016, 3:44 PM
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Ever wondered why soups always come before the main course and not before the desserts? Of course, they are considered appetisers and so they are served first. But there is a reason why this healthy liquid based dish needs to be had first before you start with your main meal. Here are the reasons.
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It restricts calorie intake: Well this is one reason why most diet conscious people and weight watchers love to have their soup first. A study published in the journal Appetite 2007 showed that people who had soup at the beginning of their meal , ate fewer calories during the main meal, irrespective of their choice of soups i.e. chicken broth or vegetable soup.
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It helps you eat more veggies: Of course you can add shredded chicken, meat balls and chicken cubes to your soup preparation, but adding more vegetables to your clear soup makes it easy to consume the greens, which you otherwise hate. Probably having more veggies in a soup is a better way to make kids eat the vegetables.
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It gives your brain a signal to eat sensibly: National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys done between 2003 and 2008 on US adults aged 19 to 64 showed soup consumption was also associated with a reduced intake of total fat and an increased intake of protein, carbohydrate and dietary fibre, as well as several vitamins and minerals.
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chicken soup
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It could be a whole meal in itself: If you are not in the mood to load yourself with calories, just add your choice of veggies, chicken and herb and you can have a big bowl of a healthy soup as your lunch or dinner substitute.
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It helps to keep your weight in check: Another study in the journal Appetite 2006 showed that children who had soups regularly grew up to have lower body mass index and made healthy food choices. This is one way to help deal with the epidemic of childhood obesity and help children grow up to eat sensibly and reduce the risk of suffering from various lifestyle diseases.
