讀後心得

Research shows that drinking soup can reduce the risk of obesity by 15%, as most soups are low in calories and high in water content, which can enhance feelings of fullness. However, the soup-drinking habits of people in Taiwan differ from those in the West, as they typically consume soup after finishing their meal, which may lead to excessive intake of fats and calories. Care should be taken when choosing soups, avoiding high-fat varieties to prevent increased risks of cholesterol and hyperlipidemia. It is suggested to enjoy food in moderation and pair it with high-fiber vegetables to help lower cholesterol levels.

In 2020, scholars conducted a statistical analysis of seven observational studies involving 45,292 people, concluding that drinking soup can reduce the risk of obesity by 15%. The main reason is that most soups are low in calories and high in water content, which helps enhance satiety, thus reducing overall calorie intake. Therefore, frequently drinking soup may not easily lead to obesity. However, most of these studies come from the West and Japan, where soups are typically lighter, such as Japan's miso soup and Thailand's tom yum, which have lower calories and are less likely to cause weight gain after consumption.

For Taiwanese eating habits, it is common to drink soup after having "had enough" of the main dish, which differs from the Western practice of treating soup as an appetizer. Many soup lovers consider warm soup to be the essence of food, often drinking bowl after bowl, sometimes finishing an entire pot without realizing if they are already full. This can lead to excessive intake of fats and calories; for example, a bowl of sesame oil chicken soup contains 450 calories, equivalent to two bowls of plain rice, making it difficult to avoid weight gain from excessive soup consumption.

When choosing soups, caution is needed to avoid risks of high cholesterol and high blood lipid levels. Recently, a Vietnamese woman married to a Taiwanese man was found to have severe fatty liver during a check-up, weighing 83 kilograms, which is quite unusual for someone raised in Vietnam, as the average weight there is among the lowest in the world. She mentioned that she weighed only 52 kilograms before pregnancy, but gained 30 kilograms postpartum due to daily consumption of sesame oil chicken soup, and has struggled to lose weight since then. Moreover, if the soup is made from fatty ingredients like pork ribs, its cholesterol and saturated fatty acid content will increase, and simply drinking the soup may also lead to elevated cholesterol levels, posing a potential risk for high blood lipids.

It is recommended to exercise moderation when enjoying food, prioritizing meat choices and trying to avoid drinking soup. Additionally, increasing the intake of high-fiber vegetables is beneficial, as dietary fiber can slow fat breakdown, accelerate intestinal clearance, and reduce bile acid reabsorption, thereby achieving a cholesterol-lowering effect.

• Consider calorie intake before drinking soup
• Pay attention to ingredients when selecting soups
• Combine food wisely to maintain health