Soup is often listed as one of the foods it’s a good idea to add to your diet if you want to lose weight.

But with so many different varieties to choose from, ranging from thin consommés to rich, creamy soups – not to mention myriad slimming soups from cabbage to crazy – many of us are left wondering what the best soup for weight loss is.

Soup and weight loss: the scientific evidence
Increasingly, research has revealed that consuming soup improves satiety (the feeling of fullness at the end of a meal) so that we eat less and take in fewer calories which is great for weight loss. Eating soup appears to be far more effective – and a whole lot tastier – than drinking a glass of water with a meal to help fill us up, the latter of which is often a top diet tip. In a study from Pennsylvania State University, researchers asked women to eat chicken casserole, chicken casserole with a glass of water, or chicken casserole with the same amount of water added to make a soup. They were then allowed to eat whatever they liked for lunch.
Those women who ate the soup consumed around 100 fewer calories at lunchtime – enough to shift 10lb in a year – and didn’t compensate by eating more during the rest of the day. It’s thought that when water is consumed separately from food it satisfies thirst not hunger. But when it’s mixed with chunky ingredients, the body handles it like food. This study isn’t a one-off either. In another study carried out by the same researchers, when adults received a bowl of low-calorie vegetable soup 15 minutes before a pasta lunch, they consumed 20% fewer calories in the complete meal. Even though the soup provided 150 calories, overall they consumed 135 fewer calories for the entire meal.

How to select the best soups:
If you choose to eat a bowl of soup to better reach your weight loss goal, the following factors are discriminating:

calories - the calories in a serving must fall within 150 (women)-200 (men) calories; therefore, it’s better to avoid soups containing cream as they are high in calories.

low sodium content - sodium has water retention capacity so choose soups that are low in sodium. Anything with 0.3g salt per 1200g or less is considered to be low in salt; anything with more than 1.5g salt per 100g is a high-salt food;

homemade soups - ready made soups may contain preservatives so homemade soups are a healthier choice.

Thus, soups provide necessary nutrients to the body without increasing the weight. Here you can find four easy, low-calorie but delicious recipes: they are really worth a try!

Quinoa and spinch soup

Quinoa has more fiber and protein than most grains with 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein per quarter-cup serving. That means it's more effective at keeping your blood sugar levels stable, leaving you feeling satiated and less likely to start eating again hours later. For this reason, it's also a smarter carbohydrate option than white rice and pasta if you want to shed some pounds.

This satisfying soup gets its thick texture from quinoa. Feel free to throw in 2 cups of your favorite frozen vegetables to add flavor and nutrients.

Servings 6 - Start to finish: 30 minutes or fewer

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, diced (1¼ cups)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
¾ cup quinoa, rinsed
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
10 oz. spinach leaves

Directions
1. Coat large saucepan with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in broth and 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Add quinoa, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes and spinach leaves. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, or until spinach and quinoa are tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
calories: 138, Protein: 6 g, Total Fat: 1.5 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 591 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 7 g

Carrot and chili pepper soup

Researchers at Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan found that those who regularly ate chili-based food managed to burn more energy and fat than those who didn't. A previous study that lasted 12 weeks found the capsinoid ingestion led to significant body fat decreases in mildly obese people. This recipe balances the spicy taste of chili peppers with the sweet, antioxidant-packed carrots.
Servings: 8 - Start to finish: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 14 1/2 ounce can vegetable broth
16 ounce package peeled baby carrots
1 onion
1 4 ounce can diced green chili peppers
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
Fresh purple basil leaves (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine broth, carrots, onion, chili peppers, chili powder, and cumin. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat Simmer, covered, 12 minutes or until carrots are very tender.

2. In a food processor bowl or blender container process half of the mixture until smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in half-and-half or light cream. Heat through.

3. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. If desired, garnish with purple basil. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving:
cal. (kcal) 75, Fat, total (g) 4, chol. (mg) 11, sat. fat (g) 2, carb. (g) 10, fiber (g) 2, pro. (g) 2, vit. A (IU) 6463, vit. C (mg) 6, sodium (mg) 510, calcium (mg) 61, iron (mg) 1- Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Salmon chowder

The omega-3 fatty acids found only in fish oil, may have the power to dramatically boost your metabolism -- by about 400 calories per day, researchers from the University of Western Ontario report. Fish oil increases levels of fat-burning enzymes and decreases levels of fat-storage enzymes in your body. Try this tasty recipe: eating more of it might help jumpstart your body’s metabolism.
Servings: 6, about 1 1/2 cups each - Start to finish: 30 mins

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup chopped celery
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 12-ounce skinned salmon fillet, preferably wild-caught
2 1/2 cups frozen cauliflower florets, thawed and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions, or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried chives
1 1/3 cups instant mashed potato flakes (see Note), or 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables just begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, water, salmon, cauliflower and chives (or scallions) and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, maintaining a gentle simmer, until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the salmon to a clean cutting board. Flake into bite-size pieces with a fork.
Stir potato flakes (or leftover mashed potatoes), dill (or tarragon) and mustard into the soup until well blended. Return to a simmer. Add the salmon and reheat. Season with salt and pepper.Note: instant mashed potato flakes gives creamy texture to soup without adding extra fat. Look for a brand that has the fewest ingredients possible (and therefore little to no artificial additives or flavoring). - Tip: to skin a salmon fillet, place on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving:
115 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 27 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 15 g protein; 2 g fiber; 552 mg sodium; 496 mg potassium. - Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (50% daily value), Vitamin A (25% dv), source of omega-3s.

Light cream of celery soup

If you're trying to lose weight and struggling with always feeling hungry and unsatisfied, try eating more celery. It can help you feel full while cutting back on calories. Celery is very low in calories and is full of water and fiber to leave your stomach feeling full.

Servings: 6 - Start to finish: 30 mins

White sauce ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp chick pea flour OR white wheat flour
1 tsp gr. fennel seed
1 tsp gr. coriander seed
2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk

White sauce directions

Heat the olive oil on medium low in a shallow saucepan
Mix the flour, fennel and coriander with the oil to form a thick paste
Heat for 10 minutes
Add the almond milk to the flour & oil, and stir with a whisk until smooth
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens

Soup ingredients:

4 cups chopped celery
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme leaf or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaf
3 whole garlic cloves
1 ginger slice
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Fresh gr. black pepper to taste
Optional: Croutons

Soup directions

Prep the celery, potatoes and garlic
Add them to an 8 qt soup pot with the bay leaves, thyme, garlic cloves and ginger slice
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer the soup until the veggies are tender – about 15 minutes
Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves from the soup
Add the chopped parsley, reserving 2 Tbsp for garnish
Blend the soup in 2 batches in a blender, or use a blender stick. It should be very smooth and a uniform bright green
Add the white sauce to the soup and stir until well mixed
Heat the soup gently for 5 – 10 minutes, but don’t boil
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve cream of celery soup immediately sprinkled with chopped parsley and optional croutons

Nutrition Facts

Per serving:
131 cal, 6g fat, 220mg sodium, 18g carb, 3g fiber, 2g sugars, 3g protein, low cholesterol, good source Riboflavin, Manganese, Vit K, Vit C, Vit A. Estimated glycemic load 7

Sources: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/, http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/, http://www.bhg.com/recipe/, http://www.eatingwell.com/, http://www.savvyvegetarian.com