A bowl of soup helps you stay warm and cozy during the cold winter. Soups are often very healthful, and trying out different recipes and ingredients is a great way to introduce new food to your child. In December, we are going to talk about tasty soup during Tasty Tuesdays. Share your favorite soup recipes, and help us stay healthy in the winter!
1. Stay healthy by eating soup!
We are not necessarily talking about soups with lots of heavy cream and grease, but soups that contain chicken or vegetable broth and a variety of vegetables, beans, and lean meat – the kinds of ingredients that can help you stay on a healthy diet.Vegetables and meat come with a variety of good nutrients, but it’s often hard to eat all your nutritionally rich foods at once. Soup is a great way to incorporate seasonal veggies and combine a range of healthful ingredients together to offer nutrients that are important for the health and growth of your children!
2. Have a picky eater? Soup might help!
If you are introducing a new food or if you want your child to eat a food that she generally refuses, making soup with those ingredients might ease the process of trying them out. For example, if your child does not like eating carrots, try adding minced carrots and other minced vegetables/meat that she can eat to a soup. The warm soup makes these ingredients easier to swallow, and the taste or texture that your child may not like in certain foods on their own can be alleviated when you mix small pieces of vegetables or meat together with a yummy broth.
Soup also offers different textures that meet your child’s preferences. You can cook your soup longer or shorter to vary the crunchiness of the vegetables, or you can also purée the ingredients to give creaminess. Try serving soup in different combinations of ingredients or consistencies, and have fun with it!
3. And there are still more benefits of eating soup in the cold winter!
Soup has more health benefits than just offering good nutrients. People talk about hydration in summer when they are hot and sweaty. However, staying hydrated is just as important in the winter time. Eating soup increases your fluid intake. Moreover, the steam that you are getting from cooking and eating soup helps humidify your kitchen and gives your nose and throat some moisture. Because the common cold and the flu are more prevalent in winter’s dry air, it’s important to stay hydrated and humidify the air so that you and your family stay healthy for the whole winter!
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