Skip to main content

Soups and Salads

 

Are soups and salads always healthy?

Know what experts say



Hunger pangs are often difficult to ward off. They become especially challenging when you are on a weight-loss journey, and that is when you may end up consuming unhealthy foods like chips or fried snacks. However, a lot of people prefer soups and salads to satiate their cravings as they are considered a healthier alternative.


But, experts point out that soups and salads are not always a healthy choice and you need to keep some important things in mind before consuming them.


“I don’t recommend having soups or salads as the three main meals as they don’t make a balanced meal. It’s advisable to stick to them only for breakfast or dinner. For lunch, you should consume carbohydrates like rice, wheat, jowar or millet,” nutritionist Soumya B Hegde told indianexpress.com.

She added that soups and salads are “good for people who want to lose fat or weight quickly”. “Make healthy and thick soups like mushroom soup, broccoli soup or mixed vegetable soup. If you are aiming to make a healthy soup for weight loss, avoid adding sugar, honey, corn or butter as they have lots of calories,” she advised, adding that toppings like mayonnaise “will only add extra calories. The total calorie intake will increase, defeating the purpose of salads”.


However, to add taste to your salads, she suggested adding lemon juice and some salt. “You can also sauté your salads and add some paneer, tofu or soya chunks to add nutrition in them,” she added.

If you are on a weight loss journey, “quantify your nutrition by measuring the carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables as per your requirements”.


Dr Siddhant Bhargava, food, lifestyle and wellness expert, also took to Instagram to share how you can make your soups and salads healthy.


“Managing to eat right can be tricky, and knowing what makes meals 100 per cent healthy is trickier! Here’s how you can do right with your soup and salad combination,” he captioned the post.


Soups and salads “may be packed with vitamins and minerals, but unless made correctly this combination doesn’t work”, he said. Take a look.

He suggested the following ways to make healthy soups and salads:

1.      Make sure the vegetables are always cut fresh and you’re consuming them as close to cutting.

2.      Make sure your salad always has some source of protein (beans, dal, tofu, paneer, egg, chicken fish).

3.      Add a source of super healthy fats (nuts or seeds).

4.      Make sure you’re dressing is not store-bought.

5.      Your soup should be without sugar and filled with vegetables.

No corn starch in the soup.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Indira Gandhi

  Indira Gandhi, the second from her lineage to have wielded the position of Head of State, is the only woman to have been elected as the Prime Minister in India to date. With a long-standing political career, she served close to four terms as India’s Prime Minister from 1966-1977 and then again from 1980-1984.  Born on November 19, 1917, as Indira Priyadarshani Nehru, she was the only daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Born into a family of freedom fighters and political leaders, her entire life was spent in the realm of politics.  Indira Gandhi boasted an illustrious educational background. She studied at some of the most prominent institutions, both domestic and foreign. Her academic years were spent at Ecole Nouvelle, Bex (Switzerland), Ecole Internationale in Geneva, Pupils’ Own School in Pune and Mumbai, Badminton School in Bristol, Vishwa Bharati, Shantiniketan and Somerville College of Oxford University. She became inquisitive about p...

Infirmity

Infirmity: Understanding Physical Weakness and Its Implications In our fast-paced world, where strength and vigor are often associated with productivity and capability, the concept of infirmity or physical weakness tends to carry significant stigma. This stigma not only affects individuals grappling with their physical limitations but also reflects broader societal attitudes toward health, wellness, and the human experience of being frail. Defining Infirmity Infirmity refers to a condition of being weak, especially due to age or illness. It encompasses a wide range of physical conditions that can impact an individual’s mobility, strength, and overall physical capability. While the term is often associated with the elderly or chronically ill, infirmity can affect anyone at any stage of life. The causes of infirmity can be varied and complex. They may be rooted in genetic predispositions, lifestyle choices, environmental factors, or pathological conditions. Conditions like arthri...

World Autism Awareness Day

  World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day annually on April 2, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about autistic individuals throughout the world. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/62/139)., passed in council on November 1, 2007, and adopted on December 18, 2007. It was proposed by Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, the United Nations Representative from Qatar, and supported by all member states. This resolution was passed and adopted without a vote in the UN General Assembly, mainly as a supplement to previous UN initiatives to improve human rights. World Autism Day is one of only seven official health-specific UN Days. The terms "Autism Awareness Day" and "Autism Awareness Month" are often contested by autism rights advocates, who claim that they feed into ableism against au...