January is National Soup Month

Save money, lose weight and eat well.

If you�ve over spent or over eaten during the holidays, now is a good time to start tightening your belts � in more ways than one.

January is National Soup Month and a timely reminder that many homemade soups are not only easy to prepare without being too heavy on the calories, but they can also be very economical in these trying times of recession.  Better still, wide range of fresh produce available to most of us makes them an excellent and natural means of getting many of the daily nutrients the body needs including vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins.

Of the seasonal ingredients available in January,  broccoli is particularly useful when making soups, being quick to cook and highly nutritious. It�s packed with vitamins A, B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B9 (Folate), and ounce for ounce more vitamin C than many citrus fruit. The mineral content is also impressive including good sources of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Furthermore, broccoli is also an excellent source of fibre, carotenoid-rich and hailed as one of the top 10 antioxidant foods.

If you�re stuck for homemade soup ideas, www.Recipes4us.co.uk has a huge collection of soup recipes, including the one pictured here which uses broccoli and Stilton cheese � an excellent way to use up any leftover from Christmas.

A high resolution photograph is available to accompany the Broccoli and Stilton Soup recipe on request or downloadable at www.recipes4us.co.uk/Press%20recipes%20with%20Pictures.htm

Note to Editors

Recipes4us.co.uk was launched in 2000 and is one of the UK's largest privately owned independent food websites, covering all aspects of food, from growing to cooking plus culinary related information.

Definition of  �Carotenoids� - A widely distributed group of naturally occurring pigments. They are thought to be associated with reduced risk of several chronic health disorders including some forms of cancer, heart disease and eye degeneration.
Source: www.carotenoidsociety.org

Definition of "antioxidant" - A substance that prevents damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that often contain oxygen. They are produced when molecules are split to give products that have unpaired electrons. This process is called oxidation.
Source: www.stjude.org/glossary

Contact: Florence Sandeman
Email: [email protected]