Click here to view Mushroom Soup recipe. Who can refuse a cup of creamy Mushroom Soup! And if you were told that it is a healthy version, you would enjoy it all the more. Mushrooms have a low carbohydrate level, and hence a low glycemic index too, which makes it a helpful ingredient for diabetics. Being rich in potassium, mushrooms also keep blood pressure under control, making it doubly beneficial. Further, by using whole wheat flour as a thickening agent along with low-fat milk as the base, we have also taken the guilt off the creaminess!

Is Mushroom Soup healthy?

Yes, its healthy. Made from mushroom, low fat milk, whole wheat flour and onions.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

1. Milk and Low Fat Milk : 1 cup of milk provides 70% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Calcium. Milk promotes strong bones. Milk low in carbs and therefore does not raise blood glucose levels. One cup of Milk gives 10 grams of carbs. Low fat milk has lower fat and the same benefits of milk. 

2. Mushrooms : One cup of Mushrooms contain only 18 calories and is safe to be consumed by those who have high blood pressure. Mushrooms has a Glycemic Index of 15 which is very low and is diabetic friendly. The B-vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6) and Folic acid (B9) which are present in good amounts in mushrooms are involved in various metabolic reactions in the body. to convert into energy. See the detailed 8 benefits of mushrooms.

3. Whole Wheat flour : Whole wheat flour is excellent for diabetics as they will not shoot up your blood sugar levels as they are a low GI food. See detailed benefits of whole wheat flour and why it's good for you.

4. Onions (pyaz, kanda) :  Raw onions are a very valuable source of vitamin C – the immune building vitamin. Along with other phytonutrients from onions, it helps to build WBC (white blood cells) which serves as a line of defence against illness. Yes, it’s a source of many antioxidants, the most important one amongst them being Quercetin. The quercetin which promotes production of HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol in the body. The sulphur in onions act as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting too. This in turn would lower blood pressure and good for heart,  diabetics. Read the benefits of onions. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Mushroom Soup?

Yes, this is a very healthy soup. Low fat milk and whole wheat flour are used. All good and better than other soup recipes which use plain flour. Mushrooms has a Glycemic Index of 15 which is very low and is diabetic friendly. The B-vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6) and Folic acid (B9) which are present in good amounts in mushrooms are involved in various metabolic reactions in the body to convert into energy. The quercetin in Onions promotes production of HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol in the body. The sulphur in onions act as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting too. This in turn would lower blood pressure and good for heart,  diabetics.

Can healthy individuals have Mushroom Soup?

Yes, this is a very healthy soup. 

Mushroom soup is good for

1. Healthy Lifestyle

2. Weight Gain

3. Diabetics

4. Heart Patients

5. Kids

6. Weight Loss

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.    

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym.

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover.

How to burn 54 calories that come from one serving of Mushroom Soup?

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individua