Pumpkin and chayote soup with yogurt and pepitas

Why it is filling

Pumpkin and chayote are mild vegetables with lots of water and some fiber, and blended they make a light soup you eat slowly that also helps you stay hydrated. On its own the soup is low in protein; nonfat Greek yogurt and pepitas raise it and add texture. It is a warm dish with no beans or cruciferous vegetables, so it usually sits well on days with nausea or bloating.

In numbers, each serving has 8.5 g of protein and 4.1 g of fiber, with an energy density of 32 kcal per 100 g of the dish. In the satiety index by Holt and colleagues (1995), the foods that were most filling per calorie were those with more protein, fiber, and water and less fat.

Easy to digest

A soft dish with little fat (20 g or less per serving) and no large amounts of ingredients that often cause gas or nausea. This is an editorial call, not a measurement.

Low energy density

100 kcal or less per 100 g of the dish: plenty of volume for few calories.

Hydrating

At least 85 g of water per 100 g of the dish, not counting cooking water.

If your appetite is small

• Freeze the soup without the yogurt or pepitas, in single portions.
• To make it a full dinner, add a chopped hard-boiled egg or some shredded chicken to each bowl.