Soup For YOU! By Ann Morrell RN Soup doesn’t get the attention it should. Especially at this time of year, who doesn’t love a grilled cheese and bowl of tomato soup? Classic comfort food, right? But soup offers so much more. Whether bone broth (the newest craze) or creamy broccoli cheese, soup has many options. Gumbo, stew, chowder, or bisque to name a few. Now, some will debate whether a stew is a soup and what defines a soup vs stew, and I just heard the term “stoup” which is a new one; but I can see the reason for it. When does a soup become a stew? And where does chili land in this debate? Is it the amount of meat to vegetable, is it thickness, cooking time, spoon vs fork to eat; seems like a good debate to have on a stormy day over a bowl of thin stew with lots of meat.
Soup is usually made with broth based from bone, vegetable or meat. These broths often contain essential vitamins, minerals and collagen. When combined with super foods such as kale, spinach, shitake mushrooms, beans or root vegetables, the benefits become undeniable. It seems every culture has soup in its diet. In fact, I remember my first realization that classic Jewish Chicken Soup started with a whole chicken in a pot of water with classic veggies and a few herbs which cooks down to a flavorful stock. It is said that this soup has superior healing properties. Maybe the benefits are from sitting over a steaming cup of said soup or perhaps the nutrients come from the stock itself. Many a Jewish grandma believe it is the love that goes into it. I say, it’s all three.
Soup helps with hydration and has electrolytes essential for bodily functions. There is a special comfort that comes from sipping a mug of soup on a frigid day or even as a light meal on a warm day. Soup is a great way to get a concentrated amount of nutrition in an easily digestible form. It can be easy to prepare, frozen for another day and is often cost effective. A simple soup and salad or sandwich can be an easy way to get needed nutrition and comfort. For weight management, soup can be filling but low in fat and calories or rich in healthy fats and calcium if cream based. Everyone has different needs and happily, there is a soup for everyone.
Benefits from immune support with key ingredients such as protein, vitamin C and zinc are even more important for those living with cancer. When the thought of food turns your stomach, a simple broth can be manageable. Cooking might be a challenge as well, which is why The Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine has a free soup program available to patients in treatment. The center provides homemade frozen soup in individual containers that are easy to thaw and several kinds of soup are available. Don’t settle for canned soup, please call or stop in during our open hours on Thursdays to pick some up. You could pop in for Chair Yoga with Kat from 1-2pm and grab some soup for later. Also, new this year, a Women’s Cancer Support Group gathers on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Please come meet other women to gather or give support during the challenges of navigating cancer treatment. You might trade a great recipe along the way!