8 soups that will make you feel healthy and happy

The city is witness to a myriad health trends and healthy food hotspots catering to the discerning health buff on eat streets, one of them being a healthy concoction of superfoods and herbs served piping hot between 6 am and 8 am in the morning everyday at some of the hotspots.

The outlets, most of which have been serving an array of freshly brought to boiled and freshly made anti-oxidant rich soups and juices since more than a decade provide much succour to the health conscious. Here’s taking a look at how your morning sip of soup can add a dash of health to your entire day ahead.

The mixed veg soup
Known to be anti-oxidant rich and full of fibre, the mixed vegetable soup is one of the most sought after nourishing soup alternatives. The home styled mixed veg soup, which usually is made of beetroot, tomato, spinach, cabbage or broccoli is given a generous dash of ginger and fresh lemon juice extracted in front of you.

Spinach soup
This, one can say is the king of all soup variants that health freaks want to sip soon after finishing off their morning workout routine. Also available in most of the joints as a juice variant, spinach with all its nutritional benefits and fully loaded minerals, makes it another preferred soup/juice alternative for soupaholics.

Wheatgrass soup
Another green ingredient known to enrich healthy living, wheatgrass happens to be another must to have ingredient in the morning fare of soups. While it may look like an acquired taste in the beginning, but with a sprinkle of taste enhancing natural herbs, fresh fruits like apple, avocado make it a complete healthy way to start your day.

Juice it up right
In addition to freshly made soups, the healthy mix of juices available taking from the wheatgrass juice to mint, ginger and honey with fresh lime, and freshly extracted beet and spinach juice also make the fare healthy.

Creamy green soup
Made using an assortment of greens like spinach, fennel seeds, freshly sourced chives, spring onions, spring garlic and freshly ground pepper, prepared in olive oil or butter according to your calorie preference can also make your mornings deliciously healthy and light.

Italian cold soup
One can also take a break from the piping hot fare by choosing cold soup alternatives. The Italian cold soups are a perfect mode to add variety to your soupy affair. The vegetarian soups like the cold cucumber cream not only enhances the gourmet effect, but also lets you experience a different taste.

Tomato soup
The evergreen tomato soup is often associated with a tangy and scrumptious feeling. And when you add a mix of other ingredients like the mint, ginger and fresh lime juice that make the tomato soup the elixir of morning wellness. The menu is incomplete without it.

Lentil soup with coriander
One can prepare this deliciously healthy lentil soup using all the home based ingredients like onions, pepper, cream and coriander, fresh lime juice. An energy booster rich in proteins, the lentil soup known for its health benefits. So go ahead and indulge in this guilt free lentil soup.

Use homemade scrubs during monsoon
The hidden benefits of chamomile tea5 easy steps to get silky straight hair at homeMonsoon tips for healthy skin3 basic ways to have a glowing skinHand and nail care 101 Regular exfoliation helps to remove excessive oil and dead skin cells. So gear up to explore kitchen ingredients like oatmeal, milk and more for glowing skin in monsoon season, says Blossom Kochhar, chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies.Kochhar, a pioneer in the Indian beauty and cosmetic industry, shares how to make your own scrubs at home:Take crushed oatmeal and mix it with a small amount of milk. Make it into a paste and use it to exfoliate your skin. Apply and scrub it with dry finger tips for two to three minutes and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then rinse it off. Make a paste by mixing sandalwood powder in orange peel and Fuller’s Earth (multani mitti). The paste will help in exfoliating dead skin cells, and bring a glow to the skin.Prepare a homemade scrub by mixing two tablespoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, juice of half a lemon and five tablespoons of honey. Apply the paste and rinse off after five minutes. Make sure not to use it more than twice a week as over usage of baking soda can harm the skin.Detoxification of the skin is essential during monsoon season as it prevents allergies, puffiness and skin diseases. Rather than using harsh soaps that have a drying effect, make your own special powder. Mix equal amounts of green gram powder and Bengal gram powder and half the quantity of fenugreek seeds. Prepare a paste by mixing all these in rosewater and apply the paste generously on the entire body. The method deeply cleanses and refreshes the body.Mix together Fuller’s Earth, gram flour and sandalwood powder in equal quantities. Store in an air tight container. For applying, mix one tablespoon of the powder in water to make a paste. Apply evenly on the face and leave it on to dry then rinse with cold water. The homemade face mask will help remove flakes and dust.-IANS