6 Hearty Bean Soups That Will Keep You Full For Hours

bean soup recipes

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VEGETARIAN VENTURE

It’s the dead of winter. And that New Year’s resolution to have salad for lunch every day—though well intentioned—just isn’t cutting it. Nope, this time of year calls for soup. Hot, steamy, soul-warming soup.But not just any soup. We’re talking about bean soup. When it comes to a meal-in-a-bowl that’s high on the heartiness factor and will keep your belly filled for hours, it just might be the perfect choice.That’s because beans are one of the only foods out there that are loaded with both protein and fiber—a combination that packs a serious satiety punch. They might even be more filling than meat. One recent Danish study found that participants who feasted on bean-based meals ate 12% fewer calories at their next meal compared to those who dined on pork or veal.So grab your wooden spoon and pull out your stockpot. It’s time to make a big batch of one of these hearty bean soups.

PERFECT SPLIT PEA SOUP

Perfect Split Pea Soup
1/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MOSTLY VEGAN
Perfect Split Pea Soup

Split peas might not be trendy like chickpeas, and they don’t show up in nearly as many recipes as lentils, white beans, or black beans. But they’re delicious in The Mostly Vegan‘s simple split pea soup with onions, carrots, and potatoes. And with an amazing 16g fiber and 16g protein per cooked cup of peas, they will keep you full all day long.

Ribollita
2/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FEASTING AT HOME
Ribollita

Most recipes for the Tuscan soup ribollita are more vegetables and bread than cannellini beans—making them great for an appetizer, but not for an actual meal. Feasting at Home‘s version is big on the beans, so it’s way more substantial. And a drizzle of rosemary lemon garlic oil makes it taste extra special. (Try one of these 10 slimming soups that still satisfy.)

thai coconut lentil soup
3/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CAFÉ JOHNSONIA’S
Coconut Lentil Soup with Lemongrass and Ginger

A cup of cooked lentils serves up a whopping 16g fiber and 18g protein. But if you’re bored with your usual lentil soup, try Café Johnsonia‘s Thai-inspired version. It’s loaded with warming spices like ginger and curry powder, and gets a rich, velvety texture from full-fat coconut milk. (Follow these tips to sneak more fiber into your diet.)

Creamy Vegetarian White Chili
4/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VEGETARIAN VENTURE
Creamy Vegetarian White Chili

A generous amount of white beans isn’t the only thing that makes Vegetarian Venture‘s chili stick-to-your-ribs delicious. It’s also got two cups of whole milk, which won’t just help you stay full (thanks, protein and fat!). Full-fat dairy products might also keep you leaner, suggests Journal of Nutrition research.

Leblebi (North African Chickpea Soup)
5/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA COOKS
Leblebi (North African Chickpea Soup)

Yup, chickpeas are good for way more than just hummus and salads. They’re downright delicious in this North African-inspired soup loaded with tomatoes, cumin, paprika, cilantro, and fiery harissa, says Alexandra Cooks. And at 13g fiber and 14g per cooked cup, they’ll stay with you for hours after your meal.

Creamy Broccoli White Bean Soup with Garlicky Yogurt
6/6 PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WITH FOOD + LOVE
Creamy Broccoli White Bean Soup with Garlicky Yogurt

What’s the secret to making creamy broccoli soup without the cream? Pureed white beans, says With Food and Love. Not only do they bring the calorie count way down, they load your soup up with protein and fiber so you stay full for the long haul. Smart, right?
The article 6 Hearty Bean Soups That Will Keep You Full For Hours originally appeared on Prevention.

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This article is originally posted on Rodal’s Organic Life

The Advantages of Eating Beans

Pinto soufflé, garbanzos a l’orange, black bean flambé…if we afforded beans gourmet status, we may well reduce the burden of many of our most common degenerative diseases. That’s because the incredible health benefits of beans are simply undeniable. Let’s take a look at how the many benefits of beans can positively affect your health and well-being.

Health Benefit of Beans #1: High in Protein

Though lean meats and fish typically get all the glory, one important health benefit of beans is their protein content. A cup of cooked beans—black, pinto, or kidney, to name a few—contains roughly 15 grams of satiating, muscle- and tissue-building protein. So whether you’re a vegetarian or just looking for something other than chicken, fish, or turkey to add to your plate, try beans instead.

Health Benefit of Beans #2: Loaded With Fiber

Did you know that the average American only consumes about half the daily recommended amount of fiber? Instead of getting the 30–35 grams required for optimal health and proper digestion, most people only eat about 16 grams. Adequate fiber intake can lower cholesterol, ward off diabetes, enhance intestinal health, help with weight loss, and relieve a number of other health concerns. In fact, a recent study showed that every 7 additional grams of fiber consumed by study participants helped to significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. Another health benefit of beans? You can get that amount of fiber (about 7.5 grams) in just one half-cup serving.

Health Benefit of Beans #3: Bursting With B-Vitamins, Folic Acid, and Minerals

Another benefit of beans is that they are packed with vitamins and minerals, particularly B-vitamins, folic acid, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and copper—nutrients that the standard American diet tends to be deficient in. Beans also contain other phytonutrients such as plant sterols, lectins, and phenolic compounds with diverse health-enhancing properties.

Health Benefits of Beans #4: Rare Plant Source of Lysine

An interesting health benefit of beans is that they are one of the few plant sources of the amino acid lysine. Why is lysine important? For starters, it’s an essential amino acid, meaning it’s necessary for health but your body cannot produce it so you must get it from dietary sources. Furthermore, it’s required in the formation of collagen and connective tissue, the conversion of fatty acids into energy, and the absorption of calcium. Meat, fish, cheese, and eggs are good sources of lysine, but the clear winner in the plant world is beans.

Health Benefit of Beans #5: Low on the Glycemic Index

If you are watching your weight or your blood sugar, you are probably familiar with the glycemic index (GI) of different foods. In laymen’s terms, glycemic index basically refers to how quickly foods are broken down in your body and how they affect blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin (and subsequent crashes), and foods lower on the GI list tend to be digested more slowly and have less of an effect. The slower breakdown of foods helps keep blood sugar on an even keel, makes you feel full longer, and has positive effects on several aspects of health. Foods with a GI of 55 or lower are considered low glycemic. And guess what? Another health benefit of beans is that they have a GI ranging from 10 to 40, with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) being the lowest.

Health Benefit of Beans #6: Boon for Heart Health, Diabetes, and More

The benefits of beans really are undeniable. Regular consumption of beans has been linked to improvements in heart and intestinal health, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, weight control, and more. Everyone should try to incorporate more of these nutritional powerhouses into their daily diets. (Check out the healthy bean recipes below for ideas on how to get started.)

How to Overcome One Downside to Beans

Despite all the health benefits of beans, they can produce intestinal gas, which can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. It’s caused by the human body’s inability to completely digest resistant starches and other carbohydrates in beans called oligosaccharides. We simply lack the enzymes to break them down into simpler molecules for absorption. When these undigested carbs arrive in the intestinal tract, they are metabolized by the trillions of bacteria that reside there, which break them down in a fermentation process that releases hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases. (The odor is caused by sulfur compounds.)

There are two ways to reduce this problem. First, soak dried beans plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda in cold water for eight hours or overnight. Pour off the soaking water and rinse well before cooking. This will get rid of a significant percentage of indigestible oligosaccharides.

Second, take Beano or digestive enzymes when you eat beans. Beano contains alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme that converts the indigestible carbohydrates in beans into simple, readily absorbed sugars.

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This article is originally posted on Dr. Whitaker