Soups Instead of Smoothies for Breakfast
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As the weather turns cooler consider Soups Instead of Smoothies for Breakfast. Soups are rich in vitamins & minerals that support your body’s overall health.
Drinking a green smoothie in the morning has many health benefits. The vegetables in smoothies are rich in many vitamins and minerals that support the human body’s overall health. Vegetables are nutrient powerhouses that improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support your bones and heart and give your skin a healthy glow.
But now that the weather is turning colder I find myself wanting something warm for breakfast. A smoothie is just too cold, so this time of year I get into making soup for breakfast.
I got the idea of having soup for breakfast from my travels to Asia. Steaming cauldrons of soup are served in every hotel and guest house. It is a common part of bustling morning markets and street fare.
On my first trip to Thailand I started out every morning with a soup that is commonly served for breakfast – a bowl of broth with rice noodles and a bit of fish or chicken with greens and herbs.
In India and Sri Lanka they made breakfast soups with staple ingredients like lentils or chickpeas. They’re designed to be economical, filling, and quick for the busy worker on the go.
Ever since then soups have become a regular part of my breakfast repertoire.
Soup is not exactly considered a breakfast food here in America.
But soups are full of vegetables and offer many of the same nutritional benefits as green smoothies. Vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins and phytonutrients that support balanced hormones, good digestion and stable blood sugar.
As the weather gets colder soups can be even more satisfying than smoothies.
Having a soup or smoothie for breakfast is way better than starting your day with a starchy, sweet breakfast of cereal, bagels or muffins, that spike your blood sugar, making you feel tired and craving sugar later in the day.
8 Reasons To Have Soup For Breakfast
Poached Eggs with Dandelion Greens in Broth
1. Warming
As the weather gets colder nothing sounds better than a warm bowl of soup in the morning.
2. Easy Way to Consume More Vegetables
Eating lots of vegetables as part of your daily diet gives you better health and more happiness.
Many people have trouble getting their daily requirements of vegetables. Soups make it easy to get more vegetables. I love easy to make blended vegetable soups. (recipes below). Green vegetables are excellent sources of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll replenishes and rebuilds red blood cells, rejuvenating your body.
3. Improves The Health of Your Gut
Soups are easy to digest and won’t make you feel bloated. Prepared at home from your own stocks, soups are also incredibly nourishing and support your gut lining which benefits your overall health.
Homemade bone broth can improve your gut health, strengthen immunity and joint health, since nutrients in the bones contain proteins such as collagen and gelatin.
Homemade vegetable broths boost immunity and are very hydrating. Vegetable broths are loaded with alkaline minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants that work together to keep you healthy.
4. Better Nutrient Absorption
Some nutrients in vegetables like carrots are better absorbed when cooked, they yield more absorbable beta carotene. It’s the same with lycopene, the red pigment responsible for the color in tomatoes. In addition the soup broth holds water soluble vitamins, so cooking kale, spinach or Swiss chard in water or stock increase the amount of B vitamins you get.
5. Easy
Soups are easy to make. Most soups only require a cutting board, knife and pot. It’s a one pot meal with easy prep and clean up.
6. Can Be Made In Advance
Making a soup on Sunday will give you breakfast for quite a few days. You’ll be happy to have a delicious healthy breakfast ready for you in the morning when things can get a little hectic. Most soups are even better the next day as the flavors meld together. I encourage all my clients to get into the habit of making a soup each week to have on hand for instant food. They also make a great snack.
7. Filling
Because soups contain high amounts of water and fiber, they’ll make you feel full. If you’re trying to lose weight soups will keep you full and prevent cravings.
8. A Lasting Source of Energy
Because of their high content of vegetables, minerals, fats and protein, soups will give you all day energy. Depending on what you like, choose soups with more protein (you can even add eggs), more fat or hearty beans.
Delicious Healthy Soup Recipes
Here are a few healthy soup recipes I make regularly. They have lots of vegetables and are great smoothie replacements.
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Spinach
This is an easy to make blended soup that warms you up, satisfies your taste buds and soothes inflammation. It’s paleo, gluten free and can be made vegan using vegetable broth.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
This soup has a hearty umami flavor that is very satisfying. Even though it’s rich and creamy it’s vegan and paleo, made without any dairy or nuts.
Cleansing Turmeric Vegetable Soup
This soup is a delicious anti-inflammatory brothy vegetable soup full of powerful ingredients; ginger, turmeric, bone broth & spices that restore balance.
Satisfying Spinach Mushroom Soup with Middle Eastern Spices
This Satisfying Mushroom Spinach Soup with Middle Eastern Spices is a hearty soup filled with chunky bits of browned mushroom and silky baby spinach.
Peruvian Qunioa Soup
This is a traditional soup made with the Peruvian people’s favorite grain. Quinoa is a high protein, low glycemic grain that fills you up & gives you energy. A great breakfast soup.