Soup'ing instead of Juice'ing
There are much greater benefits to consuming soup than there is to guzzling a fructose laden juice that has been deprived of its valuable fibre. Without the fibre juices are digested far more quickly than when eaten whole, and, all that fructose will overtax your liver and eventually get stored as fat. Because of the fast digestion of juices you will feel hungry much quicker. Just check out the nutritional chart of one glass of apple, carrot and beetroot juice (the fibre content is not accurate as this was calculated on whole fruits). Consider that one teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams. There are 27 teaspoons of sugar in a large juice. OMG my liver is exploding with the thought of it.
In contrast, soups that are made from whole vegetables and broths are full of fibre , protein and healthy fats which are mostly lacking in juices. A robust and tasty soup will be full of vitamins and minerals to enable glucose production by the liver which will help concentration and steady energy levels throughout the day. You will feel fuller for longer and as glucose is used by every cell in your body, including your brain, most of it is burned up and won't be stored as fat. For those on a weight-loss regime substituting one meal a day with soup is ideal. And, for those of us suffering from tricky digestion, soups can be the soothing balm to relieve tummy troubles.
So, I invite you to get your 'soup on' and ditch the mega fruit juices.
Check out these two delicious healthy soup recipes. Freeze portions and take to work the next day and give it a quick zap in the microwave or warm it up and do the flask thing. I have also added the nutritional charts for the recipes
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 tsp fresh or dried turmeric
2 carrots - chopped
2 sticks of celery - chopped
1 tsp thyme - dried or fresh with woody stem removed
5 large/7 medium sized ripe tomatoes - chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (see recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot and heat on medium.
Add the onions, garlic, turmeric, carrots and celery.
Stir and place a lid on to the pot leaving it slightly askew.
Sautee for around 15 minutes, until the carrots have softened.
Then add the thyme and fresh tomatoes and stir to combine well.
Add the chicken or vegetable stock and seasoning and stir cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Turn off heat and let sit until cooled down.
Pour into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
If you wish to serve the soup immediately, reheat on medium. Do not blend whilst hot as the pressure from the heat can cause the lid from the blender to blow out.
Freeze in portions and reheat as needed.
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onions – chopped
3/4 cup macadamia nuts or cashews – roughly chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger – grated
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 tsp fresh turmeric or 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and diced
7 cups butternut pumpkin – peeled, diced
1 cup chicken broth/veggie broth
Heat the oil in a large skillet.
Add the onion, macadamia nuts/cashews, ginger and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.
Add the turmeric and stir.
Add the apple and pumpkin.
Stir for 2 – 3 minutes and then add the broth.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is quite soft.
Pour all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little hot water if the soup is too thick.
