First, why souping? Well, when I saw Rachel Beller on the Rachel Ray show I was intrigued. Since my surgery, heavy food such as meat, pasta, and even some veggies just land in my stomach like lead bricks. Also, I am not a measuring kind of gal. I did it when necessary, but figuring out everything down to the ounce was slowly driving me nuts. Frustration with the process interfered with me eating properly. Soup has been my comfort since surgery. I feel like I am eating more when I have a cup of soup vs. a couple ounces of chicken and some veggies. The main problem with eating soup, though was that I never really made soup before my surgery, so I was spending a lot buying premade soups and making runs to Panera--their soup is the bomb! I also thought soup making was hard. Plus, with store-bought soups you don't always know exactly what is in them. Add to that, I was not really losing the weight I wanted. Then, I see Rachel make these soups and they looked EASY! High protein, natural--and did I mention, EASY? So I hopped on Amazon and ordered her book, Power Souping, immediately.
I read through the book and was so excited to get started, I told everyone I met about it! I am even making soup for my mom and a friend who is following the program with me. While I've had bariatric surgery, she she has not. I will be sharing some of her insights in future posts so we can compare our experiences.
Nutritional Benifits of Souping
In the book, Rachel's detailed explanation of the differences between store bought, restaurant, and homemade soups was quite eye opening. I was shocked by the loads of chemicals we put into our bodies, all the while we're thinking we are eating "healthy." On that note, Rachel makes it clear that souping is not a trend, but a lifestyle that it is Cleansing, Controllable, Comforting, and Convenient. I plan to put her assertions to the test!
Here are all the nutritional areas Rachel Beller's soups cover:
Fiber
Antioxidants
Protein
Essential Fats (Yes, we need some fat in our lives!)
Lifestyle benefits of souping according to Rachel:
Easy
Tasty
Affordable
Satisfying
Cleansing
Effective
I will share the basic details of the program and the names of the soups I made along with my reviews of them over the next few weeks. I will share tips on how I adjusted the program to meet my needs because of the surgery and post my results. I will not give recipes or exact program details. For the complete program, I highly encourage you to get the book. It really is worth it. If you try souping, I'd love for you to share your results with me.
So, let the souping journey begin! Next time I'll tell you how my 3-day detox went. See you then!