Soups may promote higher levels of satiety.

I was recently asked a question of whether soups promote satiety. I though back at the winter soups, stews, and chili and remember that some of them seemed to make me feel fuller. In general, liquids promote a lower level of satiety but not all liquids are equal. High-calorie fluids that are high in low quality and empty calories such as sugars will promote a low level of fullness, but some fluids can actually increase fullness.

I began to look at the research to find what I could find. I found a study from 2004 that looked at satiety and soup consumption​[1]​. The study looked at various foods and how they affect satiety. The research took individuals that had fasted overnight and gave them one of three meals that were either isocaloric, solid, and liquefied versions of identical foods high in protein, fat, or carbohydrates.

Researchers used diet records and questionnaires to measure success. were kept for the balance of the day. They found that soups led to reductions of hunger and increases of fullness that were comparable to the solid foods. The beverage had the weakest satiety effect. Daily energy intake tended to be lower on days of soup ingestion compared to the solid foods or no-load days and was highest on days with beverage consumption.

The bottom line: Soups promote satiety. In fact, the research supports the high satiety value of soups that may be superior to solids and beverages. I would recommend soup as a means to reduce caloric intake as long as you choose your soup wisely.