Avoid these soup ingredients to keep your meals healthy

Soup is an excellent idea for a wholesome, nutritious meal, ideal for cool autumn and winter days. However, not all ingredients we often add benefit our health. Some can significantly increase the dish's calorie content. Which ingredients should be avoided to keep the soup healthy?

Heavy cream is one of those ingredients best avoided when preparing soup. It's an actual calorie bomb. The soup should be cooked based on vegetable purée or lean chicken meat to minimise fat and calorie content.

Also, avoid broths with high sodium content. Frequent consumption of products high in salt increases the risk of hypertension, retains water in the body, and causes bloating. Bouillon cubes containing monosodium glutamate are also not recommended as they negatively affect concentration and stimulate appetite, leading to weight gain. This additive is still extremely popular - this should change.

Ready-made broths may contain caramel colouring, which is responsible for the characteristic colour but also has carcinogenic properties. Although adding sausage to soup enhances the flavour, it reduces its health benefits. Sausage is rich in empty calories and raises the level of bad LDL cholesterol, which can lead to atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. Its absence will undoubtedly be felt health-wise.

Cheese is another ingredient that negatively affects health by raising cholesterol levels and body weight. Many people add white pasta to the soup, which is made from refined wheat and lacks essential fibre and protein. A better substitute would be chickpea or whole-grain pasta. For health reasons, it is also better to give up white rice. Also, avoid additions such as croutons, salt, sugar, wheat flour, tortillas, or tomato purée. All of these affect cholesterol levels.

People with diabetes should also stop adding potatoes to soups. They have a high glycemic index and do not help reduce sugar levels.