Want to make your soups more complete or healthy? Add cereals.

Soups are a complete meal. With a mixed vegetable and legume soup, you can meet most of your daily nutritional requirement. But still missing something? Well, you are probably missing those whole grains and cereals that you are so used to in your daily meals. Don't worry. Cereals have a place in soups too. So go ahead and add those whole grains to your soup and enrich its nutritional value.
Here are 5 reasons why adding cereals to soups is healthy -

• Whole grains (cereal grains containing cereal germ, endosperm, and bran) like wheat, oats, barley, maize, brown rice, etc. are rich in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, oils, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
• Bran, or the outer layer of a grain, is rich in niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. The endosperm or kernel, which is the core of the grain, contains protein, and carbohydrates. The cereal germ is rich in Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, and Zinc. Cereals are also rich in protein.
• Cereals are also a healthy source of lipids and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 linolenic acid.
• Cereals are cholesterol-free, and a great source of antioxidants and phytochemicals. The phytochemicals in cereals have been found effective in lowering the risk of coronary diseases and high cholesterol levels.
• The high-fiber content in cereals has been found effective in reducing the risk of colon cancer and diverticulitis and maintaining stable blood sugar levels.

So go ahead and add whole grains to your soups. Avoid refined cereals (white rice, white flour, etc.). Cereals complement legume soups too. This is because legumes lack the amino acid methionine that is abundant in whole grains. So the next time you make your vegetable soup, keep a handful of oats, barley or wheat germ handy!