People tend to think that a good soup must be thick in texture (for example, pork bone soup that is boiled to a milky white colour). Yet, thick soups pose risks to our health as they are higher in fat and cholesterol. Some types of meat have a high-fat content. For instance, pork ribs and squab meat contain 14.7g and 14.2g of fat per 100g respectively. The same weight of chicken meat has 9.4g of fat (Table 1). To reduce the amount of fat in a soup, blanch the meat before making the soup or use a fat skimmer afterwards. You may also let the soup cool down and then scoop the solidified oil off the surface.

People tend to think that a good soup must be thick in texture (for example, pork bone soup that is boiled to a milky white colour). Yet, thick soups pose risks to our health as they are higher in fat and cholesterol. Some types of meat have a high-fat content. For instance, pork ribs and squab meat contain 14.7g and 14.2g of fat per 100g respectively. The same weight of chicken meat has 9.4g of fat (Table 1). To reduce the amount of fat in a soup, blanch the meat before making the soup or use a fat skimmer afterwards. You may also let the soup cool down and then scoop the solidified oil off the surface.

Soups prepared with pork bones are commonly thought to be helpful in replenishing the calcium in our body. Sharon called for attention to the fat in bone soups. “Even after prolonged boiling of bones, very little calcium ends up in the soup.” Sharon explained. “Instead, it is the fats that dissolve the most in the soup. People with hyperlipidemia or coronary artery diseases are advised not to consume bone soups too often.”