Soups—Filling, Comforting and Helps keep the weight off!

From the kitchen of the Healthy Foodies:

Pama Mitchell and Mary Ann Barnes, MD

How soup can help with weight control

            It follows the holidays every year just as surely as gridlock on the highways follows a snowfall: our annual regrets about the over-eating we’ve done since Thanksgiving. And those regrets actually are good, since it would be detrimental to our long-term health to just accept a few extra pounds every winter and let the pounds add up to a serious weight problem.

            The good news is, one of the best comfort foods of winter can also fuel our determination to lose weight. Because many soups are low calorie-density foods, they make us feel full with relatively few calories. Be sure to avoid cream soups and don’t add a lot of red meat or other high calorie ingredients.

            In this issue we’re sharing recipes for two soups that you can make in a crock-pot or on your stovetop. Good luck with the battle of the bulge!

Mushroom Tofu Soup

Serves 6

3 c. sliced mushrooms, any variety

1 onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. diced garlic

2 14.5 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp. dried basil

14 oz. medium-firm tofu, cut into small pieces

½ tsp. dried jalapeño or cayenne pepper flakes

1 tsp. Beau Monde herb seasoning mix

1 tsp. dried rosemary

2 ½ c. water

Place all the ingredients in a crock pot, or a large pot with a lid.   For crock pots, cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.  On stovetop, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.  Cook while covered with a lid.   Add more water if necessary.

Dr. Barnes comments:

The spices in this recipe add flavor and health benefits.  Beau Monde seasoning includes celery seeds, which may have a diuretic property, although the small quantity would have only a small effect. Jalapenos contain Vitamins E and C, antioxidants, and capsicums, while the tofu, tomatoes and mushrooms also have many health benefits. 

Avoiding Vitamin D deficiency in winter

These cold winter months entice us to retreat into the comfort and warmth of our homes.  Daylight is in short supply and when we do get out in sunshine, the cold makes us cover up with hats, gloves and coats. But the seasonal lack of sun exposure on our skin puts us at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. 

            Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets (weak, bendable bones) in children, osteoporosis in adults, and may be related to multiple sclerosis and some types of cancers.  It is common in persons who live above the 40 degree latitude because of the short winter days. Here in southern Ohio, Indiana and Northern Kentucky we are near the 40 degree line and thus are at risk.

So this time of year, try harder to get Vitamin D from dietary sources. It’s in fortified milk products and cereals and occurs naturally in eggs and some fish.  Vitamin D increases also increases the body’s absorption of calcium--but too much Vitamin D actually can leech calcium out of the bones.  Most people need 200 to 400 IU a day.  Blood tests are available to see if you are depleted and require higher dosages.  Because of the potential for toxicity, we don’t recommend taking mega-doses unless you are directed to do so by your physician.

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Winter Harvest Soup

Serves 6

Vitamin D is heat stable, so it’s not destroyed in cooking and baking. The milk added to this hearty soup gives the soup more body—and gives your body much-needed Vitamin D.

1 small eggplant, unpeeled and cut into one-inch dice

1 acorn squash, peeled and cut into one-inch dice

1 small pumpkin or other orange colored squash, peeled and cut into one-inch dice

1 leek, white and pale green sections only, washed well and cut into thin slices

2 apples, unpeeled, cored and coarsely chopped

1 vegetable bullion cube

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ginger

½ tsp. turmeric

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 – 2 tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. black pepper

1 ½ c. fat-free milk

1 ½ c. water

¼ cup olive oil

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

Mix all the ingredients except for the pine nuts, in a crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, until the squashes are tender.  Serve warm with toasted pine nuts sprinkled on the top.  Note:  This recipe could also be made in a stove-top pot, cooked on low heat for 1 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Tip:  You may want to cut the squash and pumpkin into halves, remove the seeds and microwave on high for 1 – 2 minutes per each half, or roast them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes before cutting off the peel and dicing them.  Precooking them makes the preparation much easier!

Dr. Barnes comments:

Antioxidants are packed into the squashes and spices of this recipe.  There are some good, heart-healthy fats, too--vegetable fat in the squashes and nuts, and mono-unsaturated fat in the olive oil.