Soup: An Ideal Meal For Kids

There are many features that transform a soup dish into a very practical and healthy meal for children, especially because it is versatile in preparation and ingredients.

The combination of foods that make up soups are a way to provide children with important nutrients . Also, soup is a meal that can be eaten early.

This meal brings many benefits, in addition to varying according to the recipe we use. A good broth must have the right balance so that its nutritional intake is ideal, especially when it comes to the food we are going to give our children.

Both poultry, fish and beef can be included in the soup. We can also include any type of vegetables, making soup a perfect option if children don’t like to eat these foods. Since  the combinations that the soup admits are so varied, it is very likely that we will be able to come up with a tasty recipe for children.

What are the benefits of eating soup?

The soup can be taken in different versions, times and tastes. Furthermore, its benefits are also very varied. We can prepare a soup with products that we have in the fridge or buy others, which are generally cheap; and it fits into a meal as both  a main course and a starter.

It is a very useful dish to heat up in cold weather or to start the expected complementary diet. We can use a very nutritious broth in case of a cold or  to restore electrolytes lost by the body during a fever or physical activity.

Other benefits related to soup consumption can be:

• As it is made with a large amount of water, it is a hydrating food, allowing a better absorption of nutrients.
• It is a simple dish to prepare, as it is usually a combination of food and boiling water. They are also available in industrial versions for microwaves, envelope soups or cream of vegetables.

• Helps prevent childhood obesity or overweight when the recipe is low in calories.
• As a first course, it serves to reduce the amount of food we eat at meal. Since they are very nutritious, they can fill up quickly; we save about  20% of calories  when we incorporate soup into the menu.
• It is ideal for regulating energy density, as each serving has more volume and less caloric content.
• Promotes healthy eating . Once children acquire an eating habit related to soup consumption, they will prefer this type of food.
• It favors the ingestion of food slowly. Eating slowly is something children should learn from an early age because it is safer for them. In addition, it favors the digestive process, allows you to better appreciate the taste of food  and control the amount of food consumed.

• Soup allows you to take advantage of the nutrients in vegetables and legumes more effectively. Something that is usually lost in the water where they are cooked when served in another way. This implies that children get nutritional values ​​from a product they don’t always like.

How to prepare the ideal soup for children?

As we have already said, preparing soup is not a very complicated process. However,  there are some doubts about which ingredients are  suitable  for younger children. Regardless of whether you are an “expert” in the kitchen, this recipe can help you specialize in a tasty version.

As a good broth is enough, you do not need to follow the ideas that we are going to present to the letter, just add what you like. This is the suggested recipe for today.

• To start, choose the meat to be used for the base ; the bone is highly recommended if the choice is beef. Chicken is also indicated. If the choice is fish, we recommend using the bones and the head.
• Bring the meat or whatever you’ve chosen to a boil with enough water while  you chop some vegetables:  carrots, zucchini, potatoes, onions, leeks, broccoli, cilantro, peppers, they all fit together.
• We recommend putting half of these ingredients together with the meat  and the other half after the water has boiled for about forty minutes.
• Seasonings and salt can be added at once to your liking, and if you need more flavor, try adding a little fried onion with garlic just before putting out the heat.
• As it is for children, one option is to mix a blender with some pieces of meat. If you made the soup using fish, remember to run the soup through a cotton napkin or even a paper coffee strainer to separate the bones and impurities.