Soup, the all-time winter favourite

Health & Fitness
I am finding this winter particularly cold, with a real bite to the air, especially as the sun goes down.

I am finding this winter particularly cold, with a real bite to the air, especially as the sun goes down.

Home and Garden with Helen Devmac

This cold weather brings with it problems in deciding on what to pack for lunch at the office, with sandwiches, salads, fruit and yoghurt having lost their appeal. I think its time to rediscover soup, that all-time winter favourite.

There is nothing quite like a bowl or cup of soup on a cold winter’s day or night to warm you up. It can be quite versatile, smooth and creamy for the gourmands and chunky and wholesome, but always flavoursome. There is a soup for everyone.

Without any doubt soup is a great meal option nutritionally, particularly if it is a vegetable-based soup, combining a high nutritional density with a low energy density, meaning that you get a meal packed full of high nutritional elements such as fibre, vitamins and minerals at a relatively low calorie intake.

Particularly during winter ,where we are more inclined to fill up with calorie intense comfort foods such as bread, sadza, potatoes and pasta. It has been proven that apart from being a healthy option, soup has great advantages for anyone watching their weight or just being health conscious.

Even while dining out, diners who chose soup as a starter, are likely to consume far less calories with their main course, than those who omit the soup option.

This stands to reason, they would have filled up with soup before the main course is served.

Another factor to consider is that ingredients such as onion, leeks and celery most often used in the preparation of soup, are particularly high in potassium, and because potassium has the tendency to bind excess sodium, it helps rid the body of excess fluid. So yes, while the weight loss benefit may not be that great, there is a certain amount of fluid lost and this can contribute to a general feeling of well-being .

Soup makes the perfect meal at any time. It is easy to prepare and packed full of nutritional goodness. The way to a perfect soup is to make it yourself from scratch.

By all means avoid packet soup mixes, which are packed full of sodium. When I was a child my particular favourite was chicken noodle soup made by my mother, it was a concoction of packet soup to which vegetables such as potato, carrot and leeks were added.

This was because the packet soup was so salty that diced potatoes carrots and chopped leeks had to be added to it to reduce the saltiness and make it more palatable.

I am sure there are many of you out there who will remember packet chicken noodle soup, clear but with a few bits of pasta floating in it. Needless to say chicken noodle soup has remained a firm favourite of mine over the years, but I no longer rely on the packet variety for flavour. Chicken soup for many of us is soul food ,try this easy recipe for your family this winter, and pack any left-overs for your office lunch:

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil 1 onion or leek finely chopped 1 carrot diced 1 stick celery sliced thinly 1,5 litres chicken stock 300 grammes chicken breast fillets cubed 50 grammes spaghetti broken into small pieces 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Three Easy Steps Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan until hot, add onion and stir until translucent, do not burn. Add the carrot and potato, keep stirring, cook for about five minutes.

Add stock, cover and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the diced chicken pieces and pasta and cook for a further eight to 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Be careful not to over cook the chicken, as this has the tendency to toughen the chicken.

Stir the parsley through, season to taste and ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls. Serve with whole-wheat bread or rolls. Enjoy. If you are watching the kilos, go easy on the bread!

This makes a perfect snack or meal.