RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Turbo Weight Loss Soup

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

Now that the holiday feasting is over, the three food thoughts running through my mind are: I need to lose the pounds I gained over the holidays, I don't want to sacrifice eating good food in order to lose the weight, and I want something warm in these freezing temperatures. In case you're thinking like I am, I thought it was a good time to reincarnate this recipe that I posted in the early days of the website. My mom introduced me to this recipe after both she and my aunt lost five pounds in four days of eating the soup. I've experienced the same results.

The recipe was taken from Woman’s World, and created by renowned nutritionist, Jackie Newgent, R.D. I now make this soup whenever I’ve indulged a bit too much. I tend to lose a pound a day, and the good thing is I continue to maintain the weight loss even when I resume my normal eating habits. In a Penn State study where participants ate equal calorie servings of other foods, the soup eaters lost twice as much weight. This soup consists of ingredients which have been found to contribute to weight loss, and it’s full of nutrients.

The soup is tasty and filling enough that I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself. It can be made in half an hour. The “Extreme Soup Diet” plan recommends eating 2 cups of the soup, two times a day in addition to eating two mini-meals. I tend to eat the soup once a day and eat a light meal for the other meal, and I still achieve results.

Turbo Weight Loss Soup (slightly modified)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large white onions, very thinly sliced
1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, diced (vegetarians can substitute tofu)
1 large carrot, finely shredded
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper with seeds, minced
2 tsp. dried thyme or oregano (or 1 tsp. minced fresh)
8 cups fat-free organic chicken broth (I recommend Wolfgang Puck’s)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
6 packed cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, finely diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
7 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or plain old parmesan)


Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken for 5 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through and onions are lightly browned. Add carrot, garlic, jalapeno and thyme; cook another 2 minutes. Stir in broth and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil. Add beans, spinach and tomato. Bring back to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmagianno Regianno. Top each bowl with a splash of lime juice, if desired.

Here’s how the ingredients contribute to weight loss:

Olive oil: Fights belly-fat and prolongs feelings of fullness between meals.
Black Beans: Stop and control hunger, and prevent absorption of some calories.
Chicken or Turkey: Protein accelerates metabolism and stops hunger better than any other nutrient. Plus, poultry is the lowest calorie protein.
Hot Peppers: Contain a chemical that increases metabolism up to 25 percent. Reduce hunger and cravings for salty foods.
Tomatoes: Increase levels of a fat-burning amino acid, carnitine.
Carrots and Spinach: Eating low-calorie, high volume superfoods such as these has been show to result in 25% less consumption of food at mealtimes. Because you’re ingesting superfoods, you won’t have craving due to nutritional deficiencies.
Parmesan Cheese: Promotes weight loss. Dieters who ingest two to three servings of dairy a day lose up to 61% more fat than those getting the same calories, but no dairy.

Experiment with different combinations of these weight-loss promoting ingredients to create other “diet” recipes. If you come up with something good, be sure and share it with us.

[Josh Zimmer]

Nice job at explaining the recipe! You can't say everything about an ingredient but you can take a stab at hitting the high points. We'll keep your soup in mind when we're ready for another one.

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

Great, Vicky! Can't wait to hear your results.

[Vicky M. Lodge]

I'll go grocery shopping this evening and start this tomorrow. I'll let you know how I do. Thanks for the recipe. Sounds delicious.