4 Ways to Blast 100 Calories From Meals and Snacks

Enter soup. Soup is almost a magical food in terms of the trick it can play on your brain: A broth or veggie-based soup helps you to spontaneously eat less because it fills you up on fewer calories, sending all the right physiologic responses (including our hunger-regulating hormones, ghrelin and leptin) that you’re full and satisfied. Then, when you eat the rest of your lunch, you naturally stop eating sooner. Research from Penn State has found that, on average, people who start lunch with a broth or veggie-based soup consume 100 fewer calories per day compared to people who don’t have the soup. 

I created a fun fresh twist on this idea with Dr. Oz with some deliciously easy “soup shooters.” Made from water-rich fruits and vegetables, they are delicious, hydrating, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and can be made in your blender or juicer ahead of time, so you can quickly grab and go. Start your lunch with a refreshing shooter (a chunky gazpacho works well, too) to boost your nutrition and to naturally cut calories from your total lunch.

Chilled Ginger Cantaloupe Shooter

Recipe courtesy of chef Heidi Olson

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 ripe cantaloupe, seeded and cut into chunks

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or to taste)

Juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon of honey (or to taste)

Small pinch of salt

Julienned mint to garnish the soup

Directions

Put cantaloupe, ginger, lemon juice and honey in a blender, and process until completely smooth. Taste and adjust amounts of honey, ginger or lemon juice if desired. Serve well chilled and top with julienned mint.

Nutrition Information Per Serving

128 calories, 1g fat, 44mg sodium, 32g carb, 3g fiber, 30g sugar, 2g protein.