Minestrone is also loved at Harvard University: it satisfies, nourishes and hydrates

If technology projects us into the future, nutritional science invites us to look back at how they ate grandmothers and grandfathers. For example, you open the blog of researchers at Harvard University and find praise for minestrone: There is no more comforting food on a winter day. With the right ingredients, it can help increase your intake of plant sources and important nutrients. Indeed, the soup satiates, nourishes and hydrates.

Satiet

A minestrone makes you feel fuller than eating a solid dinner (study onEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition). A first reason that, compared to pasta or a slice of roast, occupies a larger volume in the stomach, given by vegetable fibers and liquids, but researchers have noticed that the influence on blood glucose levels is also different.

Single dish or not

When cooking only vegetables, the calorie content is low but, to complete the meal, you should add proteins and carbohydrates: for example, an egg and a slice of wholemeal bread. The soup, on the other hand, can be a single dish if it also includes legumes and potatoes or croutons. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, at the end of the preparation, provides the fats needed to absorb some substances.

Phytocompounds

By cooking for 20-30 minutes the contents of the ingredients are reduced or eliminated thermolabile vitamins from some vegetablesbut substances such as carotenoids, phytocompounds found in pumpkin or carrots, and minerals, which partly transmigrate into the liquid of the dish (not to be drained, obviously), are not lost.

Below zero

Frozen minestrone is practical, as long as it is among the ingredients there are no additives, thickeners, salt or fats. The wording vegetable broth is suspect if the ingredients used are not specified. There are products on the market that advertise the presence of 15 vegetables but potatoes, beans and peas are part of the bouquet. If so, it's fine as a main dish (with a small addition of cereals or bread if the amount of potatoes is small).

* The review by Stefania Ruggeri, first researcher at Crea (Food and Nutrition Research Centre).

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