Weight loss vegetable soup is a yummy and healthy way to eat more vegetables and lose weight. This soup has few calories and fat, but lots of fiber and vitamins. It can help you feel full and happy, while also making your metabolism and digestion better. Here are some tips and a recipe for making weight loss vegetable soup.
- Use different vegetables: You can use any vegetables you want or have, but try to have different colors and shapes for more taste and good things. Some usual vegetables for weight loss soup are onions, carrots, celery, cabbage, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic. You can also put in leafy greens like kale, spinach, or Swiss chard for more iron and calcium.
- Use low-salt broth or water: To keep the salt and calories low, use low-salt vegetable broth or water as the main part of your soup. You can also put in some chopped tomatoes or tomato paste for more taste and lycopene, a strong antioxidant. If you want to put in some protein, you can use low-salt chicken broth or put in some beans, lentils, or tofu to your soup.
- Add herbs and spices: To make your soup more delicious and healthy, add herbs and spices that have anti-inflammation and cleaning properties. Some good choices are bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, cilantro, turmeric, ginger, cumin, paprika, and black pepper. You can also put in some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for some sourness and freshness.
- Cook until soft: To make your soup, heat some oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and cook the onion, celery, and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Put in the rest of the vegetables, broth, tomatoes, herbs, and spices and make it boil. Lower the heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. Change the taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice as you like.
Here is an example recipe for weight loss vegetable soup that makes about 8 servings:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 big onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups of chopped cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups of green beans, cut and cleaned
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 8 cups of low-salt vegetable broth or water
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chopped tomatoes, with juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dry thyme
- 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
- Salt and pepper, as you like
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- Fresh parsley, for decoration
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Put in the onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring sometimes, until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Put in the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, green beans, zucchini, broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and turmeric and make it boil. Lower the heat and cook, without covering, until the vegetables are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Throw away the bay leaves and change the taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice as you like.
- Put the soup in bowls and decorate with parsley if you want.
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