The Perfect, Filling Weight Loss Soup Recipe

One of the biggest hurdles when trying to lose weight is having to worry about counting calories and portion control. 

As a nutritionist for nearly twenty years, I do not believe in either of those methods for healthy, sustainable weight loss. In fact, they usually cause more weight gain in the long run.

When you eat the proper foods in the correct way, you have zero need to worry about any type of restriction. I teach all about how to do this within the guidelines of the Stay Skinny Method™ program.

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Ingredients 101

A huge reason I don’t believe in low-calorie foods or portion control is ingredient integrity. Neither calorie counting nor portion control account for poor-quality ingredients.

Here is an example of what I mean. Most soups on the market are processed with highly inflammatory ingredients, like refined sugar, natural flavors, food dyes, gums, thickening agents, preservatives, low-quality animal products, corn starch, and other chemical concoctions that don’t belong in your body.

Here is a popular store-bought soup on the market that is 180 calories of pure junk:

“Chicken Stock, Spaetzle Dumplings (Water, Enriched Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Eggs, Enriched Durum Wheat Flour [Durum Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Salt, Spices, Natural Flavor, Turmeric Extract For Color), Chicken Meat, Carrots, Celery, Vegetable Oil, Peas, Contains Less Than 2% Of: Modified Food Starch, Corn, Water, Salt, Wheat Flour, Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Flavoring, Cream, Spices, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Phosphate, Yeast Extract, Chicken Fat, Potato Flour, Onions, Beta Carotene For Color, Carrots*, Chicken*. *Dried Contains: Egg, Wheat, Milk, Soy.”

While this particular soup will likely fit into your calorie-counting journal, these ingredients are the culprits behind weight gain and are detrimental to your overall health.

When it comes to sustainable, healthy weight loss, what matters is prioritizing real, whole foods that don’t sound like a science experiment.

My Why

In addition to being a holistic nutritionist, I also owned my own meal prep company where I prepared healthy meals for my clients ever week.

Growing up Italian forced me to be around food. I can still smell my grandmother’s infamous minestrone soup the way she made it—mhm. Now as you probably know, many of our cultural comfort foods are not aligned with healthy eating, so I decided to challenge this.

Rather than preparing the standard chicken and broccoli meal for my clients, I decided to recreate my favorite meals in alignment with my food philosophy: whole, real foods found in nature.

You do not have to give up the foods you love, go low-carb, or be low-sodium. You just have to get creative and make healthy, conscious swaps from processed junk to real foods.

Lentil and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Here’s an easy soup recipe that also makes the perfect, filling soup for weight loss and your health.

Thanks to the carrots in this recipe, you’ll get in a ton of veggies, like carrots, which means your body will be flooded with vitamin C and vitamin A. These vitamins directly impact your immune health and skin [1].

This lentil soup is high-protein and high in fiber, thanks to the lentils and peas in it. It will keep you feeling full and satiated, so say goodbye to those unwanted cravings.

Here is one of my favorite lentil soup recipes for you to enjoy. ZERO PORTION CONTROL required…

Ingredients

• 1 bag split red lentils

• 1/3 bag frozen organic corn

• 1/3 bag frozen organic peas

• 3-4 large potatoes peeled and diced

• 3-4 carrots peeled and cut into rounds

• 1-2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

• 2 stalks celery thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp turmeric (powdered spice)

• Himalayan salt to taste

• Cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot, instant pot, or slow cooker. Add as much water as your bag of lentils calls for. Add 1-3 more cups to account for your veggies. If you like a thinner soup, you can add more as you go.

2. Season the mixture generously with Himalayan salt and other spices. If you like a little spicey kick, add some red pepper flakes.

3. Let this cook for 30-45 minutes on low to medium heat.

4. Feel free to enjoy this soup with some carbohydrate-rich, healthy whole grains, like brown rice or quinoa.

The Stay Skinny Method™  combines healthy soup recipe ideas like these (and more) with ready-made juices and smoothies from us daily to help you lose 2-3* lbs every week and feel your very best.

This weekly weight loss system includes 38 of my tried-and-true Stay Skinny recipes, which are amazingly delicious and super simple to make. These recipes make it easy to stay on track and continuously lose weight. 

Stay on Track and Lose Weight With The Stay Skinny Method™

Weight Loss Cooking Tips From a Nutritionist

• For more flavor, add vegetable broth from a trusted source. Companies often sneak in added sugar, thickening agents, and other additives. Opt for cleaner options here. Something so small can make a huge difference in nutritional value.

• If you’re not trying to be 100% plant-based, feel free to add chicken broth or beef broth from pastured chickens and grass-fed beef. Always look at ingredients for additives here.

• Feel free to add extra veggies like chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, or bell peppers if you’d like. You can also experiment with different beans, like black beans or chickpeas. The same rule applies to herbs and spices like sage and coriander.

• You can recreate your favorite comfort soups, from chicken soup to tomato soup and broccoli soup to white bean soup. The key is sticking to simple, whole-food ingredients that you can pronounce.

• Avoid egg noodles, creamy soups, low-calorie soups, or processed premade soups. These foods tend to have low-quality ingredients.

• Never use oil of any kind (not even olive oil) when you saute or cook. Heating oil changes its chemical composition, making it unhealthy and leading to weight gain. It is ok to use it unheated for dressings, etc.

• This may sound strange, but making oven-baked sweet potato fries or russet potato fries is a great side to any soup. I often dunk my fries in my soup for a little treat. Who doesn’t love French fries?

Success With The Stay Skinny Method™

The Stay Skinny Method™ is so successful because it does not require calorie cutting or restriction.

This weekly system was designed to be effective super easy to follow so that anyone can manage it.

The Stay Skinny Method™ weight loss system includes:

1. Starting your morning with green juice to cut cravings and flood your system with nutrients.

2. A tasty meal replacement smoothie for lunch. Some of my favorite flavors are in this pack, Clementine Creamsicle and Cookies & Cream being two of them.

3. A digestive boost to prime your stomach with digestive enzymes from pineapple to help you de-bloat and digest your biggest meal.

4. Clean-eating guidelines, healthy swaps, 38 recipes, and tips and tricks to stay on track, even if you want to have a night out in town.

You can eat the foods you love AND LOSE WEIGHT as long as you follow my guidance. And guess what? They taste just as good—if not better.

Eat and Lose Weight With The Stay Skinny Method™

Sources:

1. Vitamin A