Soup and salads; they’re a common feature in many “diets”. You think you can’t go wrong if you stick with these for your lunch when you’re trying to lose weight; you might even go a step further and have them for your main meal too. It’s starting to sound a bit like the cabbage soup diet isn’t it? Unappealing and monotonous. It’s not just that though; the idea of relying heavily on these for your meals isn’t necessarily as healthy as you might have thought.

You think that you don’t really need any ham or cheese with your salad and you’ll go without a bread roll with your soup; it seems a good way to save on calories. However, if you don’t include some protein or carbohydrate with your soup or salad, they’re unbalanced. You wouldn’t eat a Mars bar for lunch, would you? Yes you’re getting certain vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, but not the full range that your body needs to remain in optimum health; you’re likely to be missing out on iron, zinc, calcium and certain B vitamins. Carbohydrates provide energy, so excluding these from meals can leave you flagging and more likely to reach for the biscuit tin; excluding protein can be at the detriment to your body’s ability to replace damaged tissues and carry out any repair that it needs to, as well impacting on the immune system. So while these two light meal options can help while you’re keen to watch your waistline, it’s important not to underestimate the importance of ensuring you continue to include all food groups with your meals. Your body won’t thank you if you develop anaemia as a result of a lack of iron or osteoporosis further down the line because you significantly cut your dairy intake.

While you don’t need to eat either soup or salads to lose weight – contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing wrong with sandwiches, you just need to watch your portions and the fillings you choose – if you do want to include these more often, take a look at the following ideas:

Soups
These soups all contain carbohydrate, so if you have a good bowlful, there is no need to also have a slice of bread.
Minestrone. There are no set rules for which vegetables you need to include in this hearty Italian soup, but onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes and a green leafy vegetable usually feature. Chuck whichever vegetables you fancy in with a stock, so if you have peppers, courgette or leeks that need using up, add those to the pan. Don’t forget to add pasta of your choice and some beans; cannellini, haricot and kidney beans from a can are popular and will cook in a matter of minutes.
Spiced root vegetable. Sweet potato, carrot and parsnips make a lovely combination in a soup flavoured with chilli, cumin and coriander. Add some lentils for a portion of protein.
Leak and potato. This is another quick and easy soup to make, which is very cheap into the bargain. As this soup lacks protein, follow with low fat yoghurt to help compensate.
Chicken noodle. As a low fat source of protein, chicken makes a great addition to soups. Although recipes for this soup often don’t include vegetables, consider adding diced carrot, beansprouts and Chinese leaves to make a more balanced meal.

What to add to salads
Thinking beyond the leaves, tomatoes and cucumber, try the following with the green stuff:
Cottage cheese. If you like to add cheese to a salad, be aware of the type you choose. A hard cheese such as Cheddar, Wensleydale or Red Leicester really needs to be limited to an ounce (30g) per serving due to their fat content, so softer cheese are a better choice, as these are lower in fat. If you asked someone to name a “diet food” cottage cheese might be one of the most common answers. However, don’t let this put you off cottage cheese if you haven’t previously tried it; you can easily have half a tub, so it makes a filling option. Although you can buy it with pineapple already added, choose the plain variety to add whichever chopped fruit you wish; consider adding dried fruit and a spice such as cinnamon. Alternatively add diced salad vegetables such as spring onions, peppers and carrot.
Pasta, rice, bulgar wheat or couscous. As a change to a bread roll or boiled mini new potatoes with your salad, try adding one of these grains. Toss whatever salad items you wish in with it, along with some beans, diced chicken or lean meat. These grains can seem a little bland, so spice them up with ground pepper, Balsamic vinegar or another seasoning; though try not to reach for the salt shaker.
Fish. Tuna might be a favourite, but what about other tinned fish? You might associate mackerel with being served on toast or salmon in sandwiches, but there’s no reason these can’t be added to a salad too. Serve mackerel canned in a tomato sauce as a filling for a small jacket potato with all the trimmings on the side; while stir salmon through pasta, sweetcorn, chopped cucumber and tomato.
Mixed beans. For quickness you can buy tins of ready to eat bean salad, but you can make your own with two or three different types of canned beans. Add diced pepper and spring onions, add a drizzle of vinaigrette and season with herbs or spices. Serve with some crusty bread.

Salad dressings aren’t necessarily a no-no, but be wary of creamy dressings such as thousand island, Caesar and blue cheese; reduced fat versions of these are available. Salad cream is a lower fat and calorie option than mayonnaise, but if you choose the “lighter” versions of these, still watch the amount you use. One of the best dressings to choose is to simply drizzle or spray a mist of Balsamic vinegar over your salad; a tablespoon contains under 15 calories, but the chances are you’ll use even less than this. If you’re usually one for mayonnaise-based sides such as potato salad, coleslaw or creamy pasta salads, you can make your own replacing the mayonnaise with low fat natural yoghurt or choose a pasta salad with a tomato dressing; still go easy on the amount of the latter if you’re already having another carbohydrate in your salad. Alternatives to add on the side of your plate include pickled onions, beetroot and gherkins.

Enjoy your soup and salads, but remember to strike a balance.

Attributions:

Soup – jeffreyw via Wikimedia Commons

Bean salad – Paul Goyette via Wikimedia Commons