Celery Soup Health Benefits

Celery soup is a light soup made using the succulent stems of celery along with a stock base. Celery is a vegetable that is packed with nutrients. While some vegetables lose their nutrients when cooked, those found in celery are heat stable and do not degrade. This makes it an ideal vegetable to turn into soups. To make this soup really low calorie, all that needs to be done is to replace stock with water. Celery has quite some salt in it so go easy on the added salt. It is a good idea to add salt at the end of the cooking process. Unlike regular salt that negatively impacts hypertension, the salt in celery can be safely consumed by all.

Take Advantage Of The Low Calories

All celery soups are not low in calories. If the soup is cream based or milk based, it can be calorie packed. On the other hand if it is made using skimmed broth or water, many calories can be shaved off from it. A single large stalk of celery contains only 14 calories making it a great way to consume filling food when on a diet. You can increase the nutritional value of the soup by adding complimentary vegetables like carrots, cabbage and leeks. Addition of other vegetables helps to make the soup more interesting. For those who can afford to have butter, a tiny pat of butter will up the taste quotient dramatically. All parts of the celery plant can be consumed.

Low In Fat Too

A single stalk of celery contains only one gram of fat. Celery is a low glycemic food making it ideal for dieters. Celery soup had plain day after day can turn boring. It is a great idea to add herbs and spices like pepper grated ginger, cilantro, mint etc to make it interesting. Thyme, parsley and bay leaves are other possibilities. These herbs and spices add more fiber too. Spicy foods are said to aid in reduction of cholesterol. So the soup can be spiced up with black pepper too.

Fiber Rich Celery

Fiber in food ensures that you feel pleasantly full at the end of the meal without making you put on weight. Fiber rich foods are generally low GI foods. This means they are digested slowly making sure you do not feel hungry for a long time after consuming them. To make a complete meal of celery soup more balanced, you can try having whole meal crackers with it. This also ensures that you get your quota of carbohydrates too. Many people who have no carbohydrates during dieting find they are listless and lack concentration and focus. Such diets are unhealthy and those on such diets find that they regain weight doubly fast when they go off it. Celery soup made with extra vegetables added makes sure it is a balanced meal and well rounded in long and short term benefits for the body, mind and soul.