Nothing beats chicken soup when it comes to fighting a cold or the flu. Click here for recipes.

Now we hear of the "Cabbage Soup Diet," in which one can lose 10 to 15 pounds a week just by eating soup.

A basic recipe of vegetables - such as cabbage, onions and tomatoes - flavored with bouillon, onion soup mix and tomato juice is reportedly all that's needed to take off those unwanted pounds.

The diet itself is rather strange in that one can eat all the cabbage soup one wants but in addition is required to eat fruit one day, a baked potato another day, as many as eight bananas on day four, a piece of beef on days five and six, and brown rice on day seven.

Personally, I prefer the other studies that show why soup can help with weight loss or at least weight-control.

Many of these suggestions are in the new book, "An Exaltation of Soups," by Patricia Solley (Three Rivers Press).

No. 1: By eating soup at the beginning of a meal, it signals the brain to curtail appetite.

No. 2: Eating soup fools the body's natural sensors into thinking more calories have been consumed than actually have been.

No. 3: Eating soup satisfies a need for the total amount of food weight the body requires daily.

No. 4: Soup takes longer to eat than many foods. It also requires more motor skills, especially if you use a spoon and don't slurp it from the bowl.

Another benefit of eating soup is the convenience.

This feature may have roots in the Campbell Soup Company's discovery of packaging condensed soups in 1897. By eliminating the water in canned soup, the costs for packaging, shipping and storage were such that a can of soup could be sold for a dime.

From the convenience of the canned soups, we now have the prepared hot soups available in many grocery stores.

Frank DePanise, prepared foods team leader at Whole Foods Store in Annapolis, reports the store's chefs prepare up to 60 gallons of soup a week to be sold, ready to eat.

"The salad bar, which includes the soups, is our No. 1 seller in prepared foods," he said.

The ready-to-eat soups at Whole Foods are prepared in the store's kitchen by the head chef, John Toohey and his staff.

"They are all natural, made from scratch of fresh foods," said Diana Love, marketing director.

The origins of soup are lost to history, but it's commonly thought the word soup comes from the English term "sop," meaning a piece of bread soaked in liquid.

With the cold of winter upon us, there's no better time to put together a pot of hot, warming, fresh soup. With all of its positive points, you have nothing to lose.

Making homemade soup worth the effort

• Split Pea Soup
• Tomato Soup With Fennel and Basil
• Fish Chowder
• New England Potato Soup
• Pizza Soup
• Butternut Squash Bisque
• Red Fox Tavern's Corn Chowder
• Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
• Cabbage Soup Diet

Split Pea Soup

• 1 pound fully cooked kielbasa sausage or cooked ham cubes
• 1 pound dry split peas
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Tomato Soup With Fennel and Basil

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ to 1 teaspoon saffron threads, pulverized then steeped in 1 tablespoon boiling water
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
• 4 cups peeled and finely chopped tomatoes and juice or use a 2-pound can of tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ to ½ cup basil leaves or fennel fronds for garnish

Fish Chowder
From "Mariner's Menu"

• 1 pound skinless firm fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 strips bacon
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

New England Potato Soup
From the "Best of Country Soups"

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 12¼-ounce can chicken broth or use homemade
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2½ cups milk, divided
• 1½ cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1 cup frozen peas

Pizza Soup
From the "Best of Country Soups"

• 1¼ cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce can pizza sauce
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• ½ cup cooked Italian sausage
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Butternut Squash Bisque
From the "Whole Foods Market Cookbook"

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 2 to 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 quarts vegetable stock or cold water
• 1/8 cup grated orange zest
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Red Fox Tavern's Corn Chowder

• 2 slices bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1½ cups diced peeled potatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1½ cups water
• 2 cups corn kernels, fresh, canned or frozen
• ¼ cup diced, cooked chicken
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

• 1 pound boneless round steak, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 14½-can ounces, diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups water
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 celery ribs, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• ½ teaspoon, each, dried basil, dried oregano and salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables

Cabbage Soup Diet

• 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded or chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 16 to 28 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped with juices
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• ½ pound green beans, ends snapped, sliced on the diagonal
• Black pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, dill, cilantro, thyme

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Published 01/19/2005, The Capital, Annapolis, MD
Copyright © 2007 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc. , Annapolis, Md.