Secret of Soup

Soup is an old weight loss secret of people in Asia.

It's no wonder. Scientific research shows that people who consume a lot of soup (2 to 4 times per day) lose more weight ... up to 50% more than those who don't. Other evidence indicates that by eating soup as an "appetizer" you may reduce total caloric intake at a meal by up to 20%. (This idea is part of the Pre-Fill method).

The power of soup is the high water content, which lowers the calorie density (CD) strategy yet fills you up.

Here's a little-known fact about soup: Eating soup seems to work even better than if you drank plain water with similar ingredients eaten separately from the water. The theory is that when water is blended or cooked with food, the whole volume of food sticks around longer in your stomach, whereas plain water exits the stomach and small intestines more quickly. This is especially true with fiber-based food and resistant starches.

So ... eat a lot of soup! Have it for any meal ... including before meals (Pre-Fill).

It's hard to go wrong with any soup, but are are some tips:

• The lowest-CD soups tend to be made with a broth or tomato base.
• For extra low-CD soup, check the fat content and replace with fat-free or low-fat substitute ingredients (example, use fat-free half and half in clam chowder)

Either smooth or chunky soup works well ... it's your choice.