THE RIGHT QUESTION – Healthy, quick to prepare, comforting, soup is an easy dinner. But is it a complete meal? Dietitian doctor’s answer.
Soup, broth, veal, mouliné… Soup in all its forms is a great cold season classic. The ancestral and often insignificant versions with cabbage or leek-carrot-potato are gone. food now becomes delicious and comforting with multiple pairings. It’s quick to make, it’s known to be healthy… Some people even just make soup for their dinner. But is that enough? Does it provide everything the body needs? And can we eat every evening?
Yes, with conditions
The soup has several advantages. It’s a good way to use vegetables, especially for those who are used to eating them in summer salads, but less so in fall and winter. “It’s also a great way to hydrate the French population, who don’t get enough of it,” adds nutritionist Corinne Chicheportich-Ayache. From a nutritional point of view, the soup provides minerals and vitamins due to its vegetables. “Their heat treatment destroys a part of the vitamins, but the minerals are found in the broth and boiled water,” informs the doctor.
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So can we just dine on him? “Yes, soup is a complete meal as long as you make sure you’re getting it in,” answers Dr. Corinne Cicheportich-Ayache. Let’s remind that the so-called “complete” dish contains vegetables, proteins (vegetable or animal) and a part of starchy foods. So a vegetable minestrone, in which you put some pasta and a few pieces of meat, is perfect, says the doctor. A tempting option might be a lentil soup enriched with a little cream and a poached egg, or a pea soup enriched with smoked turkey and a little ricotta. And by changing the recipes, it is completely possible to eat soup every night.
Love homemade
Unsurprisingly, the “homemade” version is ideal, but supermarkets and frozen food stores can be interesting alternatives if you don’t have the time or desire to cook. The key is to be sure to read product labels, avoid those with additives, and prepare the right amount of vegetables.
A vegetable-only soup is not complete because of the lack of starchy foods and protein. “This is what happens if you add potatoes and eat a piece of fresh cheese on quality bread,” informs the nutritionist. And if our meal consisted of a lot of protein, we can do without cream cheese. Add fruit for dessert and the evening menu is perfect.
Two caveats to keep in mind, according to Dr. Corinne Cicheportic-Ayache: you’ll add more or less starchy foods to your soup or to your meal in general, depending on your physical activity that day and the day after, and you’ll be. be sure to use certain very creamy options in moderation, such as creamed cauliflower.
Source: Le Figaro
