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Increasing your levels of one specific gut bug (Akkermansia muciniphila, or Akk) has been shown to improve the overall diversity of beneficial microbes in the gut to make slimming effortless. And all it takes to get the benefits is a daily bowl of prebiotic-packed soup, says Travis Stork, M.D., author of The Lose Your Belly Diet (Ghost Mountain, 2016). “Science is telling us we can quickly increase our chances of burning off belly fat,” he notes. “You get a lot of bang for your buck with soup. It’s easy to make, there are limitless variations and it’s portable.”
Most women who have had success with this strategy say they prefer to prepare two or three large batches of soup over the weekend to reheat and enjoy throughout the week. Once the soup is prepared and cooled slightly, simply ladle it into storage containers. If you plan to enjoy your soup at work or only need single servings, try heatproof individual-serving-size containers like glass pint jars. For family-size meals, store the soup in gallon- or quart-size zip-top freezer bags and freeze them flat to save space. Just be sure to label your containers with the date—soup will keep in the fridge for about five days and in the freezer for up to three months. For Michelle Wells, who lost 110 pounds by incorporating soup into her diet, prepping soup in advance made losing weight feel effortless. “The key for me was to always be prepared,” she explains. “All I had to do was come home and heat up the soup.”
In addition to eating a bowl of soup each day at either lunch or dinner, Dr. Stork recommends rethinking your protein sources, opting to enjoy plant protein at least three times each week. “I’m not going to suggest that you become a vegetarian,” he says. “Just replace some of the meat in your diet
with plant protein.” Because plant proteins, like beans or soy, act as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut, eating plenty of these picks can boost overall microbial diversity to help speed slimming and ease hunger. Successful slimmer Beverly Lordman says three-bean soup was one of her go-to recipes as she lost 101 pounds: “It was so good and so easy,” she cheers. “Soup kept me feeling full without a lot of calories.” To whip up your new favorite bowl of slimming soup, follow the instructions below.