Health experts have discovered that adding low-calorie vegetable broth to the start of a meal can actually help to lose weight.
Because you tend to feel full sooner, you eat less of your main course.
The soup regime was tested by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, led by Dr Barbara Rolls.
They found that when participants in the study ate a first course of soup before lunch they reduced their total calorie intake by 20 per cent, compared with those who did not begin the meal with soup.
But those who favour creamy soups should beware. Researchers stressed the soup must be low-calorie and based on stock, not cream.
All of the soups tested in the study were made from identical inGREdients - chicken stock, broccoli, potato, cauliflower and carrots.
They were blended to create four different textures and thickness from separate stock and vegetables through to pureed soup.
Scientists thought that thick soups with chunks of vegetables which required chewing might be more filling, but to their surprise they found all forms had the same effect.
The findings were presented to the Experimental Biology conference in Washington, DC, this week and the research was partfunded by the National Institutes of Health.
