A bowl of soup a day could keep the pounds at bay A bowl of soup a day could keep the pounds at bay. Health experts have discovered that adding low-calorie vegetable broth¹ to the start of a meal can actually help to lose weight. Because you tend to feel full sooner, you eat less of your main course. The soup regime was tested by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, led by Dr Barbara Rolls. They found that when participants in the study ate a first course of soup before lunch they reduced their total calorie intake² by 20 per cent, compared with those who did not begin the meal with soup. But those who favour creamy soups should beware. Researchers stressed the soup must be low-calorie and based on stock, not cream. All of the soups tested in the study were made from identical ingredients - chicken stock , broccoli³, potato, cauliflower and carrots. They were blended to create four different textures⁴ and thickness from separate stock and vegetables through to pureed soup. Scientists thought that thick soups with chunks⁵ of vegetables which required chewing might be more filling, but to their surprise they found all forms had the same effect. The findings were presented to the Experimental Biology conference in Washington, DC, and the research was partfunded by the National Institutes of Health.

健康专家发现，在吃正餐之前喝一碗低热量的蔬菜汤有助于减轻体重。 因为喝汤会让你很快觉得饱了，所以正餐就能少吃点。 由宾夕法尼亚州立大学的芭芭拉·罗尔斯博士带领的一组研究人员对这种喝汤减肥法进行了测试。 他们发现，与那些饭前不喝汤的人相比，如果研究对象在午餐前先喝了一碗汤，他们这顿饭所摄入的总热量就会减少20%。 但喜欢喝带有奶油成分的汤的人得注意。研究人员强调，这种汤的热量必须低，要以汤为主要原料，而不是奶油。 研究中用于测试的所有汤原料都相同--鸡汤、菜花、马铃薯、花椰菜和胡萝卜。 之后，这些原料被混合调制成四种不同质地、不同浓度的汤，包括纯汤、蔬菜汤及浓汤等几种类型。 科学家认为，由于用大片蔬菜熬制而成的浓汤需要咀嚼，可能更容易让人产生饱意，但令他们惊讶的是，他们发现所有类型的汤功效都一样。 这些研究结果在华盛顿实验生物学研讨会上公布。此项研究的部分资金由全国卫生部提供。