The thought of eating tomato soup with a grilled cheese may bring back nostalgic memories of your younger days. Tomato soup is always and will forever be an amazing dish. You do not have to be a kid to enjoy its creamy, rich taste. Not just because it is comfort food, but it also provides a myriad of health benefits. Here are some incredible health benefits to eating tomato soup at home that you probably did not know.
Give You A Lycopene Boost
Livestrong reports that this fan-favorite comfort food is packed to the brim with lycopene. Lycopene is a red-colored nutrient that gives the soup its bright red-orange color. It also provides powerful antioxidant protection as it looks for and neutralizes reactive oxygen species. It can also reduce your chances of developing prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Just one cup of tomato soup provides your body with 16 milligrams of lycopene.
So Many Minerals
Tomato soup is packed with potassium as it has 550 milligrams of potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that we need more of, according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This super soup is also packed with things like selenium, an essential nutrient that helps to protect our body against oxidative damage and infection to our reproduction and thyroid hormone metabolism, as it has about 3.7 micrograms of our recommended daily intake. Copper is also one of the main minerals found in this soup. Copper is important for neurotransmitter and connective tissue synthesis and a cup of tomato soup contains about 620 micrograms of copper which are 69 percent of our recommended daily intake.
It Can Help You Lose The Pounds
People who regularly eat soup have a lower risk of obesity, according to a study reported by Livestrong. That study surveyed people and researchers found people who regularly eat soup weighs less, have smaller waists and better overall diets. That is enough to start eating tomato soup by the gallon!
Has Tons Of Vitamin A And C
This super soup contains vitamins A and C as only one serving of tomato soup has six milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IUs of vitamin A. That is 8 percent of the daily value for both vitamins. They are very important for intake. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, boosts iron absorption and helps support a healthy immune system. Vitamin A is imperative for healthy reproduction and immune system as well as healthy vision.
Increases Male Fertility
A bowl of tomato soup can boost fertility to men according to research done by a university in Portsmouth in which six healthy men were asked to consume tomato soup daily for two weeks and the results found an increase in their sperm count. It also helps to fight against free radicals, which can cause infertility in men.
Stop reading and make yourself some homemade tomato soup already! You will be glad you did on all accounts.