Find out if you should use a variety of soups if you are on a strict, low-carb diet. In Russia, soup has always been considered a healthy dish. Parents and grandmothers have always taught us this. Recently, however, this statement has been questioned and it is necessary to find out what the benefits and harm of the soup can be on the diet for the athlete.
Soup on a diet for an athlete: benefits and harms
The benefits of soup
Let's start with the benefits of the first course. Most often, soup is a hearty yet light meal. It warms up in cold weather, normalizes the digestive system and is quickly absorbed. In comparison with other methods of thermal processing of products, it is cooking that is the most gentle and allows you to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.
Although in terms of the number of nutrients, soups are not inferior to second courses, at the same time they are less high-calorie. Healthy first courses are essential for those people who care about their health, including athletes. Vegetable first courses have no competitors in terms of stimulating and preventive effects. By consuming liquid meals, a person restores fluid balance, which has a direct effect on blood pressure.
For example, it is known for sure that chicken broth is able to improve the tone of blood vessels. In addition, soups can alleviate the symptoms of colds, as they contain substances that suppress inflammation. It is useful to periodically introduce into the diet a soup-puree, which has a thick consistency. They are very well processed by the body and provide a large amount of nutrients.
Soup can be considered an ideal dish for people adhering to dietary rules. It perfectly satisfies the feeling of hunger, since it has a liquid component, which at the same time does not have a high indicator of energy value. It is this fact that distinguishes soups from full-fledged second courses. Note that the body needs about the same amount of energy to process the soup and the second course. As a result, the athlete on the diet consumes fewer calories, and spends the same amount.
Soups are very relevant in the cold season, because they perfectly warm, normalize metabolism, and also charge the body with heat and energy. In summer and early autumn, we have an excellent opportunity to use all the gifts of nature with the maximum possible benefit. For example, a large amount of vegetable ingredients can be added to a fragrant hearty borscht in meat broth.
Soup harm
It's time to find out why, with all the benefits of soup for athletes on a diet, the dangers of this dish are being talked about more and more often? To answer this question, it is necessary to make a small historical excursion into the past. Surely not many people know what the meaning of the word "restaurant" is. For most of us, this is just a place to eat. At the same time, bones were cooked throughout the night in French taverns in the Middle Ages.
The wealthy classes ate meat, while the lower ones got only bones. As a result, the resulting broth was then considered very useful and was given to soldiers who received wounds in battle, as well as to treat exhaustion after serious illnesses. In French, the verb "restore" sounds like "restoren". In turn, restaurant means revitalizing broth.
That is why those taverns in which bones were cooked for the poor were called restaurants. The result is that the modern gourmet establishment has previously served the poor. Note that if the broth is consumed daily for a long time period, then it is actually able to restore strength.
And now let's note all the negative points that, according to nutritionists, soup has:
- The liquid dilutes the gastric juice, making it difficult to process food. This is the main reason why it is forbidden to drink water during a meal according to the rules of separate food intake.
- Heat treatment leads to the destruction of some of the nutrients. Almost all vitamins and bioactive substances are destroyed at a temperature of 60 degrees.
- After entering the body, warm broth from meat or chicken is absorbed by the intestinal tract in a short time, which makes it difficult for the liver to process a large amount of meat extracts. This leads to the fact that these substances in the form of unbroken poisons pass through the liver and, while traveling through the body, causes harm to all internal organs.
- When meat is cooked, a large number of dangerous chemical elements, in particular creatinine and creatine, pass into the broth. It should be remembered that today in animal husbandry, chemicals are often used that have the ability to accumulate in meat and bones.
The last point is one of the main factors that opponents of soups often mention. During one experiment, the following results were obtained. The broiler carcass, which was given such a strong antibiotic as tetracycline during rearing, was cooked for half an hour. As a result, traces of the drug were found in the muscles of the chicken. After the next 30 minutes of cooking, the tetracycline was completely transferred to the broth. Note that according to Russian legislation, poultry farms can use a certain amount of antibiotics when growing chickens.
In this regard, I would like to give some useful tips for soup lovers:
- Cook the soup in the second broth. First, you need to cut the meat into pieces of 100 grams and put them in cold water. The broth should be boiled for about five minutes, after which it is drained and the meat is filled with new water. It is the broth obtained in this way that is used to make soup.
- Boil the meat (chicken) broth, after which it must be cooled and the visible fat removed. Then dilute it with water in a ratio of 2 to 1. As a result, you will get a weak broth.
- Better yet, boil the vegetable broth first and then add the boiled meat to it.
The benefits and harms of the most popular soups for an athlete on a diet
We only talked about the benefits and harms of the soup on the diet for athletes. Today it is known for sure that a person can easily do without first courses. However, if you like soup, then you shouldn't give it up right away. Now we will tell you about the most useful soups that cannot harm the body.
Chicken
This dish contains substances that can quickly suppress inflammation. It should be consumed during colds and infectious diseases, as well as with atherosclerosis. Many people appreciate its excellent taste and the feeling of warmth and comfort that it gives. Here are the main benefits of chicken soup:
- The work of the stomach, gallbladder, and also the pancreas is stimulated. This dish is recommended for people suffering from diabetes, pancreatitis and high acidity.
- It has a positive effect on the central nervous system and increases the overall tone.
- Normalizes the work of the digestive system.
- Slows down the development of infectious processes.
- Able to thin phlegm in the lungs.
However, some of the benefits of chicken soup are offset by some diseases - urolithiasis, gout, ulcers and high acidity. In addition, the dish should not be consumed during an exacerbation of pancreatitis.
Soup-puree
When preparing a puree soup, all the ingredients must be finely grated and added to the broth. The resulting creamy consistency has a positive effect on the work of the stomach and the entire digestive system. Let's not forget about the excellent taste of the puree soup. Here are the main positive properties of the dish:
- is comfortable for the stomach;
- able to unload the body;
- quickly processed;
- has an appetizing appearance;
- increase the peristalsis of the intestinal tract;
- normalizes water-salt balance;
- perfectly absorbed and gives a person strength.
Puree soup is useful not only for athletes, but also for children and the elderly.
Pea
Pea soup can be considered a unique dish, as there are many recipes for its preparation. Depending on the country, various products can be used as ingredients, which directly determines the energy value of the diet. However, the benefits of pea soup completely negate its disadvantages:
- metabolic processes are improved;
- has a positive effect on the work of the cardio-muscle;
- suppresses depression;
- increases the activity of the immune system;
- normalizes blood pressure in hypertension;
- normalizes sugar levels, which is important for people with diabetes.
Also note that pea soup contains a lot of nutrients.
Vegetarian
If we talk about the benefits and harm that soup can bring to an athlete on a diet, then, first of all, it is excellent for losing weight and maintaining a normal body weight. First of all, this concerns a lower energy value in comparison with most other dishes. At the same time, vegetarian soup is quite nutritious and able to supply a large amount of nutrients to the body.
Vegetarian soup is very beneficial for diabetes and digestive disorders, which involve limiting the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. During the heat treatment, the gifts of nature are fully transferred to the broth. Since the calorie content of this dish is low, it perfectly cleanses the body of toxins. Many nutritionists recommend that you periodically arrange fasting days, using only vegetarian soups.
Onion
Not everyone loves onions and has a negative attitude towards soup made from this vegetable. However, the taste of this dish is simply great. Note that onion soup is the most popular in France. Among the positive properties of the dish, we note:
- strong antimicrobial properties;
- contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals;
- normalizes the level of hemoglobin;
- helps to strengthen bone structures and tooth enamel.
Due to its ability to activate metabolic processes, onion soup can be considered the optimal choice for weight loss. More recently, a study was conducted that proved the benefits of the dish for cancer, pancreatitis, gastric ulcer and diabetes.
Lactic
Many of us remember milk soup from childhood. This dish is suitable for all people who want to lose weight. Here are the main positive effects of milk soup:
- has a positive effect on the gastric mucosa;
- rich in amines, micronutrients and protein compounds;
- goes well with pasta, vegetables and cereals;
- able to diversify the menu of children;
- neutralizes a large amount of harmful substances that enter the body from the environment.
In conclusion, I would like to say that about 70 percent of soups consist of water, which has the ability to record and store information about various phenomena and objects with which it came into contact. If you cook the first dish with love, putting all your soul into it, then the benefits from its use will be multiplied many times over.
Read more about the benefits and dangers of soup in the video below:
