Health Food – Vegetable Salads and Soups
It is said that nutritional needs differ between sexes. Though, the differences are not that huge, there are distinctions between what a woman and a man should eat in order to have an optimal diet. A woman’s reproductive life – encompassing menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and menopause – means that her nutritional needs differ greatly from those of a man. The popularity of crash dieting has meant that nutritional deficiencies are especially common amongst younger women. Good nutrition means eating a wide variety of foods every day, which isn’t possible on a restrictive diet.
Vegetable salads: Eating raw vegetables has many health benefits. Vegetables are the most natural foods and contain different vitamins, minerals known to provide health benefits, among the many disease- reducing benefits, eating vegetables can also help control weight. Vegetables are low in fat and calories, a good source of dietary fiber and provide us with extra energy. All these features help control weight effectively. Being low in calories enables us to eat lots of vegetables without consuming excess energy, the high fiber content also helps fill the stomach faster limiting the total amount of food consumed.
A vegetable salad consisting of as many items as you like can be made out of all varieties of leafy greens such as spinach, methi, cabbage, shredded mushrooms, sliced carrots, grated green beans, finely sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, sliced sprouts, and so on. Any salad tastes better and crisp if the vegetables have been soaked in chilled water for a while.
Vegetable Soups – A Delicious and Tasty Snack
Vegetable Soups have answer to many needs, and they can be prepared easily. Know the benefits for sure. With the rains of the monsoon giving way to the cold of winter, soups start to find favor again with most families. A hot bowl of steaming soup in the shivering cold of the north Indian winter is certainly a great idea and most people have great memories of home-made soup prepared lovingly by their mothers. But there is much more to soups than just keeping us warm and secure. Vegetable Soups are a great evening snack – tasty and delicious. While not part of the traditional Indian diet, they provide the best alternative to the heavy and oily snacks that most of us have during the evening snack time.
Vegetable Soups also have a lot of nutrients as they are loaded with vegetables and/or chicken. The best part about soups is they give a feeling of fullness, even though they are light and low in fat and cholesterol. They can be had as a snack – just add some bread twists, some noodles or pasta to it! Or combine it with whole wheat bread and some salad vegetables for a light meal. In this season of weddings and festivals, soups can be a great way of ensuring that you don’t overeat!
Also, while savoring a bowl of home-made soup is great, when the pressures of today’s life – it’s not always possible to make soups from scratch. But one need not worry as it is easy to whip up a delicious and tasty soup for the evening snack moment. Packaged soups provide the answer. Soup is a quick, tasty, convenient, snack… A powder soup can be made in a few minutes, so even if your husband surprises you with an early return home you can prepare soup while he relaxes.
You can also add your own special touch to every vegetable soup – be it garnishing with coriander, flavoring with lemon or garlic, addition of herbs, croutons, or even adding more vegetable, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination! All of these involve addition of simple ingredients, easily available at home, and add to the soup and the moment your special signature.
Vegetable Soups are also light and healthy… they contain the goodness of real vegetables which are essential to your family. ‘Snacking of salads/salads with a low calorie dip, fruits with skin, whole grains as in sprouts, whole wheat bread, high-fiber, low-sugar biscuits and soups with a lot of veg thrown in are good sources of ready-to-eat snacks which will provide the necessary fiber, says Chief dietitian. Soup serve dual purpose
Intake of vegetables being low among children these days, soups can be an interesting way to increase the vegetable consumption among children. Having a bowl of soup when you’re just back home makes you feel refreshed and alive. More importantly, they keep your family going till dinner, and do not kill their appetite for diner… what a change from the heavy, oily snacks that most of us consume in the evening!
So start souping today – take the base soups, add water and cook them in a few minutes. Then let your imagination run wild – to capture the hearts of your family and yet keep them healthier!
