According to a new diet book, eating more soup is the secret to staying slim.

As Fiona Kirk, best-selling author of diet books, So What The F**k Should I Eat? Eat Live & Lose The Flab and now Soup Can Make You Thin, explains:

“[Slim people] know that a tasty bowl of soup fills them up, crushes cravings, keeps them energized for hours and is hard to beat for good all-round nourishment.”

What’s more, adds Fiona Kirk, sticking to soup can mean shifting those stubborn pounds in as little as 10 days.

So is this really something new or just the cabbage soup diet in disguise? Most certainly not, says Fiona Kirk, who goes on to expound the virtues of variety – as long as it’s soup.

Fiona Kirk says: “There are as many reasons why some of us struggle to lose weight and others don’t as there are varieties of soup to choose from but increasing evidence shows that the main stumbling blocks to getting slim and staying slim are hunger, cravings, diet boredom and lack of essential nutrients.

“Soup is simply a miracle in a bowl for fat loss. The combination of water and solids fills you up more effectively and for longer than if you eat exactly the same food but drink the water separately – plus the water and water content of the vegetables in soup allows for efficient exchange of nutrients into body cells, greatly reducing the possibility of bloating.”

In short, not only does soup keep you slim, but it keeps your nutrient levels topped up too – a double whammy of benefits according to Fiona Kirk.

“The wealth of ingredients in a bowl of soup provides a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats as well as the vitamins and minerals required to create energy and keep us firing on all cylinders,” she said.

“Vegetables which are always in evidence in soup provide good levels of fibre to keep digestion in good shape and make getting our five a day a no brainer.

“And, soup is easy on the pocket, quick to make, widely available, easily transportable and diet boredom won’t be on the cards as the choices are endless.”

Fiona Kirk’s Soup Can Make You Thin claims that eating more soup is the secret to staying slim

What’s more, adds Fiona Kirk, you won’t risk dropping the ball at breakfast because, surprise surprise, soup happens to be a brilliant choice for breakfast too.

Fiona Kirk says: “Breakfasting on soup might be alien concept to many but once you have tried it you may never again want to run out the door on just a slice of toast!”

Luckily for those worried about getting soup fatigue, there are 26 different soup recipes in Soup Can Make You Thin, split into three categories.

SuperSkinny Soups are for when you want to lose flab fast, Skinny Soups for continued fat loss and FatBustForever Soups for when you are close to your goal and want to maintain your new lean look.

There are also plenty of recommendations about which ready-made soups to choose off the shelves and when eating out.

And, if you want to see rapid results look no further than the Flab Fighting Soup Diet which should see you losing around 10 lbs in 10 days with barely a cabbage leaf in sight.

Fiona Kirk’s top tips:

• Choose soups rich in protein or add protein toppings to keep you nourished for longer while keeping the calorie count low.

• Add healthy fats such as olive oil to fill you up, keep you energized and stem cravings.

• Eat soup before bed for a restful and restorative night’s sleep.

• Make soup your snack of choice to avoid energy slumps during the day.

• Include herbs and spices in your soups to fire up your metabolism and cut down on salt.