It’s supposed to be getting colder soon. At least in Arkansas it is. And the colder it gets, the more some of my food choices are altered. I tend to want more hot food in the winter. Hot food that is not just hot to the taste and in temperature, but hot food that warms your insides. The main food that I am aware of that does this is soup.
On the surface, soup usually has many benefits. Depending on the kind, it can be full of vegetables, it is usually very low in calories, low in fat, and may contain a nice amount of fiber. The biggest con to soup is its sodium level. But even with this con, if you balance your sodium level throughout the day, soup can still be beneficial for your health, weight loss, weight management, and for warming you up on those cold days and nights. Now, the soups that will probably be the lowest in sodium will usually be soups that you make yourself. However, if you are looking for good soups to buy, soup that you don’t have to make, look no further. Here are my top 5 great tasting soups (with their nutritional information):
1. Taco Bueno’s Chicken Tortilla Soup Bowl (no cheese or strips)
Calories: 150
Fat grams: 6
Fiber grams: 2
Protein grams: 20
Sodium mg: 1382
2. Chick Fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup (about a cup)
Calories: 140
Fat grams: 4
Fiber grams: 2
Protein grams: 7
Sodium mg: 1110
3. McAlister’s Deli Southwest Roasted Corn Soup (about a cup)
Calories: 120
Fat grams: 4
Fiber grams: 4
Protein grams: 3
Sodium mg: 900
4. Backyard Burger’s Chili (about a cup)
Calories: 150
Fat grams: 9
Fiber: 1
Protein: 8
Sodium mg: 690
5. Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Southwestern-Style Vegetable Soup (1cup)
Calories: 50
Fat grams:0
Fiber grams: 4
Protein grams: 2
Sodium mg: 650
Now, in looking at these soups, you probably are going crazy over the sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010) gives this recommendation:
“Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. The 1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population, including children, and the majority of adults.”
In review of this recommendation, some of these soups may not be good choices for some people that fit into the 1500 mg category. Your best bet may be to create your own soup. Especially if you have hypertension, making your own soup may be the best alternative to enjoying one of these soups. But again, you have to balance it (sodium intake) throughout the day. So if you have a high sodium soup for lunch, you would veer towards something with less sodium for dinner. It will also depend on what your priorities are. Are your priorities to have a low fat meal? Low calories? High protein? High fiber? WHAT IS YOUR PRIORITY? Because we will always find something wrong with anything we eat. If it is not the sodium, it is the fat. If not the fat, it is the amount of calories. If it is not the fat, calories, or sodium, it is the artificial flavors and preservatives. It will always be something that can be found wrong with what we eat, so my suggestion to you is to learn your body, and know what you need to prioritize health-wise for your body. Because though soups can be high in sodium, for many they are also one of the most fulfilling meals that contain less fat and calories, and a good amount of fiber and protein, and have helped contribute to weight loss and weight management. What’s your favorite soup?
Until next time…
-Jenelle Robinson
References:
Backyard Burger. Retrieved January 5th, 2012 from http://backyardburgers.com/content/resources/byb-nutrition.pdf.
Campbell’s. Retrieved January 5th, 2012 from http://www.campbellsoup.com/Products/Select-Harvest/All/120840.
Chick Fil-A. Retrieved January 5th, 2012 from http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu-Detail/Hearty-Breast-of-Chicken-Soup#?details=nutrition.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010). Retrieved January 5th, 2012 from http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/dietaryguidelines2010.pdf.
Taco Bueno. Retrieved January 5th, 2012 from http://www.tacobueno.com/nutrition/pdf/tbr010976_mch_web_PG5_4_soupsSalads.pdf.
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