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There’s nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup after a long day. Want to know the best part about your favorite comfort food? Different ingredients that you can add to a variety of soups can actually aid weight loss. In fact, there are certain natural herbs and spices in soups that speed up metabolism and burn calories.
It’s time to get a little more creative than opting for your ordinary chicken noodle soup for dinner. Let’s think of herbs and spices that will be both affordable and beneficial. Soups are a great meal that give you the opportunity to sneak in extra ingredients into your diet that benefit you and your overall health.
It’s important to be mindful that while soups can be a healthy meal idea–not all soups are good for you. Canned soups are convenient, but it actually best for you to try to whip up your own soup recipe. According to Livestrong, homemade soup is better than canned soups because canned soups often contain the chemical BPA and are also high in sodium. So, keep these four herb and spice ingredients in mind the next time you prep for your own amazing soup recipe.
Cayenne peppers have metabolism boosting effects due to the capsaicin in them, according to Healthline. Consumption of the peppers adds to the heat your body naturally produces, which therefore makes you burn more calories. Ground cayenne red pepper can easily be added to a variety of soup recipes such as this Red Pepper Soup recipe from Taste of Home.
Let’s turn down the heat and move onto our next recommended spice. According to Prevention, just one daily teaspoon of cumin could help you to lose three times as much body fat. Cumin can be sprinkled into your traditional chicken noodle soup recipe, or you can get more creative and include it in carrot or tomato soup.
Think of all of the usual garnishes that restaurants add to your food-- rosemary comes to mind, right? Although rosemary is sometimes ignored, it can actually help with weight loss. According to Livestrong, rosemary can help to prevent the formation of fat cells. Consider adding rosemary to a creamy potato soup the next time you’re meal prepping.
Ginger is also an incredible ingredient to add to soup. According to Healthline, ginger’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can help you to lose weight. We suggest trying this Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup recipe from Martha Stewart for even more health benefits.
