Lose Weight Easily with Asian Style Soup

Would you like to stay full and still lose weight? One easy method is to eat soup as your appetizer. One of the secrets why Asian people stay slim is they eat soup before eating the main course.

When we eat soup, our stomachs quickly recognize the soup as a warm meal. As we empty our bowls, our stomachs are about ¼ full.

Asian-style soup is very light in calories. Asian people enjoy clear soups as well as thick ones. The clear soup is similar to American chicken noodle soup; Asians are just more creative with the ingredients. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, squash, beans, shrimp or tofu can be added. This kind of soup is healthy and satisfying but low in calories and fat.

For creamy soup, Asians use cornstarch instead of cream or milk to thicken the soup. Cornstarch is a complex carbohydrate (good carb) that has zero fat.


Compare the Soups

Asian Style Soup (thickened with cornstarch)
Asian-Style Corn & Egg Flower Soup (1 cup)
93 calories
1 gram fat

Western Style Soup (thickened with cream)
Cream of Broccoli Soup (1 cup)
200 calories
12 grams fat

You can eliminate 520 calories, 60 grams of fat and 200 milligrams of cholesterol in your favorite soup and still achieve the same thickness just by replacing a cup of cream with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Or, if you like the taste of cream, you can use ¼ or ½ cup of cream instead of a whole cup and still eliminate a lot of calories and fat.

If you use evaporated fat free milk instead of cream, you will eliminate 380 calories and all the fat and cholesterol per cup.

Directions: When using cornstarch, always mix it well with a few tablespoons of cold water before use to prevent lumps in your soup.