Summer Soups - A Healthy Choice For Weight Loss Surgery Dieters

By Kaye Bailey

Summer is a time of abundant vegetables available locally grown at affordable prices. Through the hot summer and into fall farm stands dot America's byways as local growers bring to the public an abundance of freshly grown vegetables, fruits and berries. People who control their weight with bariatric weight loss surgery (WLS) can benefit from a stop at the farm stand for fresh vegetables to transform into healthy soup.

A recent study from Pennsylvania State University indicates that people who include a daily serving of soup in their diet are more likely to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight than those who do not enjoy soup in their diet. A homemade vegetable soup is considered a low-energy-density food that is rich in fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. It is "low-energy" because the calories (energy) in the food are low in comparison to the volume of the food. For example, a 1-cup serving of vegetable soup is seldom more than 100 calories, depending on the amount of fat used in preparation. On the other hand a 1 cup serving of ice cream contains 300 calories making it a high-energy-density food with little nutritional value.

The study found that soup as a first course, or a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, is filling to the point that further calorie consumption through the day decreases. It is believed that soup helps sustain satiation because the fiber from vegetables slows digestion. In addition, carbohydrates from homemade vegetable soup tend to be low-glycemic and do not adversely affect glucose response in the same way simple processed carbohydrates do. As a result our metabolic process is steady and we do not feel an energy surge or drop that is often experienced when eating simple carbohydrates.

Many weight loss surgery patients who complain of "carb-cravings" find that eating a 1-cup serving of soup is an effective way to stop those cravings and curtail feelings of "head-hunger." People who feed "head-hunger" with simple processed carbs tend to eat significantly more calories without satiating those cravings. This eventually leads to weight gain, even after weight loss surgery.

A good homemade vegetable soup can be put together quickly and keeps for up to a week refrigerated. Consider soup making as a series of layers, starting with savory onions and garlic. Heat a healthy monounsaturated fat such as olive oil or peanut oil over medium heat. Add one chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic and cook and stir until soft and translucent. While the onion and garlic cook wash and chop the vegetables for your soup. Select fresh seasonal vegetables that are crisp and unblemished. Vegetables that are good in summer soup include zucchini and summer squash, fresh tomatoes, green beans, carrots, turnips, spinach, napa cabbage, green onions, and fresh herbs. Fill the soup pot with as many fresh vegetables as you like, add the herbs during the final minutes of cooking.

For liquid add low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, or seasoned vegetable juice such as V8 diluted with water. Simmer the vegetables and liquid just until the vegetables are tender and flavors combine. For weight loss surgery patient a thick soup is desired to provide a denser meal and avoid a "slider food" that slips through the stomach pouch too quickly. Portions should be carefully measured at 1-cup per serving and this should be eaten in 15 minutes or less. Taking longer to eat soup will result in greater consumption and a decreased feeling of fullness.

In general, a 1 cup serving of vegetable soup will provide 3 grams of protein and 15 grams of healthy carbohydrate in addition to fiber and beneficial phytonutrients including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While our dietary focus with weight loss surgery is to eat a high protein diet, a freshly made vegetable soup is a healthy nutritional compliment to that diet. Vegetables are known to lower the risk of many cancers, heart disease and stroke and strengthen the immune system. For many with weight loss surgery raw vegetables or salads may cause gastric distress, but most WLS patients report a high tolerance for vegetable soup.

Kaye Bailey (c) - All Rights Reserved

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