Enjoy some soup this winter

Who doesn’t love a bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day?  Soup can be a way to add to your daily nutrition.  However, there are some soups that one should leave on the shelf.  Eat This, Not That recently wrote,  The Worst Chicken Noodle Soups on Shelves.  What soups are ones you should be putting in your grocery cart and which ones should you avoid?  What about homemade soup?  How can you make a healthy soup at home?

Chicken Noodle soup is a favorite of most people.  A great soup when you are feeling ill or just want something hot on a cold day. 

What to watch for in canned soups?

Sodium – we all know we should “watch our sodium” but canned soups can pack a high amount of sodium in each serving. 

Little or no vegetables – a good way to get some nutrition in your day is to choose a soup that has some vegetables in it.  Even tomato soup is a healthy

Added sugar – we don’t need added sugar in our soup.  Most of us get way too much added sugar in our diets.  Save the added sugar for desserts, not soup. 

What are some healthy chicken noodle soups?

  1. Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle soup.  No added sugar, a good amount of protein from the chicken, and only 390 milligrams of sodium per serving. 
  2. Healthy Valley Organic Chicken Noodle Soup:  A good serving of vegetables in this soup with carrots and celery along with a good amount of chicken.  The low sodium version has only 130 mg of sodium per serving (1 cup).  I am not a fan of “no salt added” soups as the taste seems to suffer.  But for those on low sodium diets, this is a good option.
  3. Annie’s Organic Chicken Noodle Soup – Higher in sodium (580 mg per 1 cup) and little fiber in this soup (<1g fiber).  So not rated as high as other soups. 
  4. Amy’s Soups:  No Chicken Noodle – a chicken noodle soup without the chicken, a vegetarian soup.  Tofu replaces the chicken.  But this soup packs a wallop of sodium.  The can says there is only 1 serving per can and that one serving packs in 1080 mg of sodium.  You may be skipping the chicken but you aren’t skimping on the sodium.
  5. Lipton Extra Noodle in the box, not the can.  Eat This, Not describes this soup as having “a super long list of processed ingredients and more sodium than three bags of Lay’s potato chips”.  So this is a soup to leave on the shelf.
  6. Progresso Chicken Noodle soup.  Good points are that is offers good protein from the chicken, no antibiotics in the chicken, is low in fat and has some carrots.  It is also has no artificial flavors.  But once again, the sodium content is high at 680 mg per serving.  

A healthy choice for chicken noodle soup.

 
What is a soup to leave on the shelf?

       Campbell’s Creamy Chicken Noodle soup.  Eat This, Not That recommends leaving this soup on the shelf.  The soup does provide a good serving of protein, but is higher in calories, fat and sodium than the other soups.  The fat is also high in saturated fat so not a heart healthy soup.  If you limit yourself to one cup, you are packing in 790 mg of sodium and if you are hungry and eat the whole can, you are packing in 1720 mg of sodium. 

How about Tomato Soup lovers?

Tomato soup is actually quite a healthy soup to choose.  Interesting that according to Nutrition Today, we should be encouraging tomato consumption to increase our intake of vegetables and one way of doing so is to enjoy some tomato soup.  I have relatives that won’t touch a raw tomato but do enjoy a cup of tomato soup.  Why is tomato soup so healthy?  Think antioxidants and tomato soup is loaded with them.  Tomato soup is loaded with the antioxidant, lycopene.  Lycopene is an antioxidant that is actually better absorbed from cooked tomatoes like tomato soup, than from raw tomatoes.  Tomato soup also adds a number of minerals to your day like potassium, selenium and copper.  Not just minerals, but tomato soup is an easy way to add some vitamin C and vitamin A to your day.  But soup does provide sodium, about 480 mg per half cup or 960 mg per cup.  Still a healthy choice given all the other nutrients tomato soup provides.  Tomato soup is low in calories, about 90 calories per ½ cup serving and only 180 calories for a full cup serving.  

Full of good nutrition. 

Homemade Turkey Noodle soup

After Thanksgiving we package up some leftover turkey for homemade turkey soup.  Actually, it is easy to make and since you can control the sodium to some extent, you can make a healthier soup.  We modify the Swanson’s Sensational Turkey Noodle Soup recipe to give it an extra nutritional punch. 

  • 3 ½ cups Swanson Chicken Broth
  • General Dash: Ground black pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup sliced carrots)
  •  2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
  • ½ c. medium egg noodles – whole grain for extra nutrition
  • 1 cup cooked cubed turkey pieces
  • Optional:  ½ cup frozen peas

Mix:  broth, pepper, carrot and celery (and optional peas) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 

Stir in noodles and turkey.  Cook over medium heat 10 minutes, or until noodles are tender.

Note:  To lower sodium content, choose Swanson Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth. Or buy the Swanson’s Chicken Broth with 33% less sodium.    

We really enjoy the Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup.  If you family isn’t used to whole grain noodles, use ¾ regular egg noodles and about 1/4th whole grain noodles.  I bet your family won’t even notice the addition of some whole grain noodles.

Enjoy some soup as a way to add some vegetables to your day.  I was eating out with a friend today and she said the only ways she likes tomatoes is cooked like in tomato soup.  I said tomato soup is a healthy choice.  Full of good nutrition.  So, enjoy some soup this week.  Choose one of the healthier chicken noodle soups or some tomato soup.  And if you have any leftover turkey in the freezer, try making some nutritious turkey noodle soup.  And soup can help you lose weight.  Livestrong notes: “Research shows soup is a helpful weight-loss food”.  On the next cold day, enjoy a bowl of soup. 

Use to lower the sodium in homemade soup.

Sources:  The Worst Chicken Noodle Soups on Shelves. , Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle soup , Healthy Valley Organic Chicken Noodle Soup , Annie’s Organic Chicken Noodle Soup , Amy’s Soups:  No Chicken Noodle , Lipton Extra Noodle in the box , Progresso Chicken Noodle soup , Campbell’s Creamy Chicken Noodle soup , Tomato soup , Nutrition Today , lycopene , Swanson’s Sensational Turkey Noodle Soup , Swanson Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth , Livestrong , weight-loss food    Image Sources: chicken noodle , tomato soup , Swanson Chicken Broth 

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