When temperatures drop, a delicious hot soup can warm and comfort us. Butternut, chestnuts, mushrooms or even potatoes, there is something for everyone. The fashion at the moment is for legumes. Thus, coral lentils and chickpeas have joined our soup recipes, with many health benefits. But be careful not to overdo this winter’s star soup because its main ingredient can complicate digestion.
It’s the soup that we see everywhere since the cold set in again and like all dried vegetables, its main ingredient is rich in fiber, excellent for the health of our microbiota. This dried vegetable has a low glycemic index, which means that it does not raise blood sugar levels and that it provides prolonged energy to our body. Very rich in group B vitamins and minerals, we are talking here about split pea soup. “Split peas are interesting for health because they are also rich in vegetable proteins and they improve lipid parameters”explains Dr Karen Elbaz, doctor of pharmacy, nutritherapist and micronutritionist.
Only here, “like many dried vegetables, split peas often have a deficiency in essential amino acids”warns the specialist. These are acids that humans do not know how to synthesize, “it may be relevant to combine split peas with cereals, for example rice, quinoa… and then we have a complete dish!” Due to their high fiber content, split peas can cause digestive problems such as “bloating, gas, intestinal discomfort with sometimes disturbed transit”specifies Dr. Elbaz. This is even more true in people with irritable bowel syndrome. Better to limit yourself to one split pea soup per week and choose other vegetables for the following ones.
This disadvantage does not only concern split peas, “if you consume a lot of dried vegetables, you risk having digestive problems.” Also, our expert advises eating it only 1 out of 4 meals (3 to 4 times per week), at a rate of 20 to 30 grams per meal. In addition, she recommends from time to time limiting your consumption of dried vegetables for 2 to 3 months. “In fact, we rest the intestine, because dried vegetables are difficult to digest.” Then simply reintroduce them little by little once the intestine is better, ensuring that they are well tolerated.