Nutrition in Carrot & Ginger Soup

Nutrition in Carrot & Ginger Soup
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Carrot ginger soup, generally a puree of cooked carrots and onions, chicken stock and cream flavored with ginger, is a hearty, high-calorie and high-fat soup. You may opt to serve this soup for lunch or dinner accompanied by a sandwich, salad or bread roll. Due to the high concentration of carrots in this soup, the dish is highly nutritious.

Basic Nutrition

A 1 cup serving of carrot ginger soup contains 395 to 560 calories, according to MyFitnessPal, as well as 12 to 22 g of fat, 5 to 6 g of which are saturated. The number of calories in this soup vary, based on the ingredients and volume of cream used. One portion of soup also provides you with 22 to 40 g of protein as well as 46 g of carbohydrates. Your meal plan should include 130 g of carbohydrates and 46 to 56 g of protein, as suggested by the Institute of Medicine.

Vitamins

Including 1 cup of carrot ginger soup in your meal plan gives you up to 31 percent of the daily recommended intake of calcium. Your bones and teeth need this mineral to maintain their strength--not getting enough in your diet may result in weakened bones as you age. Osteoporosis, a condition known for brittle bones and increased risk of fracture, may occur if your body doesn't have enough calcium. A 1 cup serving of carrot ginger soup also provides you with 18 to 23 percent of the iron you need every day. To get the most iron from this soup, do not overcook the carrots.

Minerals

Carrot ginger soup can give your meal plan a boost of vitamin C--each 1 cup serving provides you with 28 percent of the daily recommended value of this important vitamin. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, influences the strength of your immune system. It also aids your body in efficiently and effectively absorbing iron. Check your diet to make sure you do not ingest too much vitamin C; however, as high vitamin C levels may cause you to experience nausea, diarrhea, and headaches. It may also cause kidney stones.

Benefits

Eating carrot ginger soup can help protect your eyesight. Carrots are known to improve vision. The vitamin A and beta-carotene content in carrots can prevent age-related macular degeneration and improve night vision. Natural Food Benefits also reports that consuming carrots every day may decrease your risk of stroke and some types of cancer. The ginger in carrot ginger soup offers benefits to your digestion, and it may decrease inflammation as well.

Considerations

Consuming high levels of carrot ginger soup may cause your skin to discolor. Although it would take ingestion of many gallons over several days, Carotenemia occurs when you have too much carotene in your bloodstream. Your skin--primarily the hands--turn an orange/yellow color when this happens. The condition clears up in a few days, however, after your diet returns to normal.

You may need to monitor your diet plan when including carrot ginger soup, to make sure you do not ingest too much sodium. A 1 cup serving contains 1,021 to 1,131 mg of sodium. The American Heart Association suggests consuming no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

References

Article reviewed by Ellen Parson Last updated on: Dec 16, 2010

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