Canned Soup
ehju0901
Posts: 394 Member
So we are getting into "soup season" here in Minnesota and sometimes I like to just have a quick can of soup when I don't have time to make homemade. Has anyone found any that are "decent" in calories and sodium? I was reading some of the nutrition facts on some of the cans and found some that I find better than others, but was curious if anyone had any go-to brands they go with?
1
Replies
-
Progresso chicken noodle l
ow sodium is the best. For me, it needs a little spicy seasoning.1 -
Trader Joe's Organic Low Sodium Tomato Soup is decent. I add sour cream and a small dash of lemon pepper (note: contains sodium) to liven it up.0
-
Progresso is my go-to brand. They do have some low-sodium varieties:
https://www.progresso.com/products/?Soups=Reduced_Sodium
My two favorites are Chicken & Sausage Gumbo and Italian-Style Wedding Soup. Neither are bad on calories, but only the Italian Wedding comes in low-sodium.0 -
I love Progresso soup and can eat a whole can very cheerfully and, with many varieties, stay under three of four hundred caloies and 30 carbs. But even the low sodium varieties have almost 500 milligrams of sodium per serving. That's almost a thousand per can. It's just too much for me, at more than half my daily sodium budget.
However...a can of pureed tomatoes, for some reason, has very low sodium, and I'm fixing to see if I can make a decent tomato soup out of it by adding onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. If that works, I can mix it up in the microwave at work.
0 -
My favourite way to improve canned vegetable soup or minestrone is to stir in a tablespoon of pesto into each bowl before serving. Homemade or trattoria pesto is best but store bought pesto from a jar is good too. Add a chopped fresh tomato if you want extra freshness.6
-
I sometimes eat the Progresso "lite" soups in a pinch. I can't say that I find them all that good. The fresh soups at Whole Foods are very good, but sometimes caloric and always expensive!
I have learned that making 1-2 servings of soup from leftovers myself is really fast and easy if you keep low-sodium chicken stock around (or you can make it yourself). You do this the day after you have chicken for dinner, for example. There is a myth that it takes a lot of time, but actually, if you have the leftovers, you can make it really fast and it's as simple as it gets, in terms of prep.
You start with heating the stock in the pot. Put vegetables in first, since they need a little time to cook. Can be anything you have on hand. Once that's cooked, add some left-over (cooked) pasta, rice, or potato. Then add your left-over (cooked, cubed or shredded without skin) chicken last, and cook it just until everything gets hot. Season with what you like (I add a little more salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes). Eat immediately.
Once you've tried fresh soup like the above, suddenly the canned stuff doesn't seem all that good.4 -
So we are getting into "soup season" here in Minnesota and sometimes I like to just have a quick can of soup when I don't have time to make homemade.
I like the nostalgic taste of plain ol' Campbell's Chicken Noodle. It doesn't have too many calories and there are always a few cans in the larder.
Is there any reason you can't freeze your homemade soup in single serve containers? With the garden nearly done, my freezer is already fully stocked with soups and chili for the long winter ahead; including curried butternut/coconut, cabbage, vegetable, navy bean, lentil, bone broth, tomato and Moroccan and bean chili.
You might also want to check out those bagged dry soup mixes. They make about 8-10 servings, only take about 10 minutes to cook and allow you to add all sorts of fresh or frozen veg or a can of ready beans. Just be sure to never cook raw broccoli in the soup; I learned the hard way that it will turn your soup bitter.
4 -
Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »I sometimes eat the Progresso "lite" soups in a pinch. I can't say that I find them all that good. The fresh soups at Whole Foods are very good, but sometimes caloric and always expensive!
I have learned that making 1-2 servings of soup from leftovers myself is really fast and easy if you keep low-sodium chicken stock around (or you can make it yourself). You do this the day after you have chicken for dinner, for example. There is a myth that it takes a lot of time, but actually, if you have the leftovers, you can make it really fast and it's as simple as it gets, in terms of prep.
You start with heating the stock in the pot. Put vegetables in first, since they need a little time to cook. Can be anything you have on hand. Once that's cooked, add some left-over (cooked) pasta, rice, or potato. Then add your left-over (cooked, cubed or shredded without skin) chicken last, and cook it just until everything gets hot. Season with what you like (I add a little more salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes). Eat immediately.
Once you've tried fresh soup like the above, suddenly the canned stuff doesn't seem all that good.
I want to preface this by saying I do keep a few cans of soup on hand for convenience. I'm not brand loyal however.
That said, I do make big batches of soup and freeze them in serving size containers, generally plastic containers that food had come in. (I save sizes from 1.5 oz to 4 cups for freezer use.)
I save bones in the freezer and make stock from them. I fill up a slow cooker with the frozen bones, zap for a few minutes in the microwave, then cover with water. I cook on high until it comes to a simmer, then turn to low for 5-6 hours. After it has cooled, I will refrigerate the amount I think I'll need over the next few days, and freeze the rest, in a variety of sizes of containers. I don't add any salt at this point and find it interesting that high sodium is an issue for chicken stock.
From Michael Moss's "Salt Sugar Fat," one reason excessive salt is used is to solve the problem of "warmed over flavor."
https://scalar.usc.edu/works/uiuc-food-networks/media/MichaelMoss_SaltSugarFat2013_2.1.pdf
...Among all the miracles that salt performs for the processed food industry, perhaps the most essential involves a plague that the industry calls “warmed-over-flavor,” whose acronym, WOF, is pronounced something like the dog’s bark. WOF is caused by the oxidation of the fats in meat, which gives meat the taste of cardboard or, as some in the
industry describe it, damp dog hair, when the meat is reheated after being precooked and added to soups or boxed meals. “Once warmed-over-flavor gets going, you are pretty well dead in the water, ” said Susan Brewer, a
professor of food science in the University of Illinois’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Science.
...This is where salt comes in. Once WOF sets in, salt becomes a convenient antidote for the processed food industry, which is heavily reliant on reheated meats. One of the most effective cures for WOF is an infusion of fresh spices, especially rosemary, which has antioxidants to counteract the meat’s deterioration. But fresh herbs are costly. So manufacturers more typically make sure they have lots of salt in their formulas. The cardboard or dog-hair taste is still there, but it is overpowered by the salt.4 -
^^ That’s really interesting, and it turned my stomach to think about it! If it doesn’t totally put people off ever eating processed meat products again, I don’t know what will! 😂
I knew there was a reason I was vegetarian! (If there’s an equivalent issue with vegetarian & vegan products please don’t tell me!)2 -
I’m in Minnesota too. I usually have canned vegetable soup in the cupboard. They are low calorie and several brands have low sodium options. I make a big pot of soup/chili from fall through spring, for meals throughout the week. This weekend I’m making a Greek lemony chicken soup with veggies and orzo. I usually put in a lot more veggies and cut back on the pasta, just to lower calories a bit.0
-
Salt does not enjoy its popularity because of food processing, WOF or damp dog hair. It is universally relished by populations the world over for centuries, conspiracy theorist, Moss's view to the contrary notwithstanding. And, MSG is not a dirty word for a billion Asians. It is a beloved food.
American vegetarians think they invented healthy eating. They invented food shaming.4 -
Another Progresso fan here too.
I stock Spli Pea, Lentil and Clam Chowder. Never paid much attn to the cals or sodium content but the Split Pea and Lentil are low in both
I also stock Campell's Chicken Noodle because the taste reminds me of my childhood; als are low but sodium is high.
Don't eat/drink any of these soups often enough for the cal/sodium content to matter to me.1 -
Sodium doesn't affect most people and I'm one of them, so I actively avoid the low sodium versions. I make big batches of protein: marinated chicken breast, ham, steak, pork... and freeze 3oz baggies. Sometimes I do the same with veggies especially when its farmers market season. Sautee up a big mixed batch to just undercooked. I sometimes make my own soup w/bone broth and freeze it, but theres not much room in my freezer for any sort of variety.
A can of soup and a matching protein (and sometimes veg) is a go-to work lunch. Low cal, super filling, and fast. This week I had Annies split pea with extra ham and progresso lite chicken pot pie with extra chicken.0 -
Most canned soups are pretty easy on the calories. I don't really care for any canned soup but do keep some boxes of Pacific Red Pepper and Tomato soup I get from Costco, as well as a lentil soup I get there (can't remember the name) that comes in microwavable pouches that are convenient for those times I've not been able to prepare my lunch for work. They're both pretty good. Not sure about the sodium...I do have hypertension, but I experimented with a really low sodium diet for several months and it didn't really change anything and ended up getting a lot of cramps when exercising, so it's not something I worry about too much these days, though I don't go overboard.2
-
cwolfman13 wrote: »Most canned soups are pretty easy on the calories. I don't really care for any canned soup but do keep some boxes of Pacific Red Pepper and Tomato soup I get from Costco, as well as a lentil soup I get there (can't remember the name) that comes in microwavable pouches that are convenient for those times I've not been able to prepare my lunch for work. They're both pretty good. Not sure about the sodium...I do have hypertension, but I experimented with a really low sodium diet for several months and it didn't really change anything and ended up getting a lot of cramps when exercising, so it's not something I worry about too much these days, though I don't go overboard.
Speak to your doctor and see if he/she thinks a magnesium supplement might help with your cramps. I used to have cramps, at-night, even prior to lowering my sodium intake. I added more potassium to my diet (via food) and started to take a magnesium supplement (on the advice of my doctor), and I haven't had any problems with cramping since then.
I, personally, am not a big fan of most supplements, but if I find something THAT WORKS, then I use it. Again, speak with your doctor.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Most canned soups are pretty easy on the calories. I don't really care for any canned soup but do keep some boxes of Pacific Red Pepper and Tomato soup I get from Costco, as well as a lentil soup I get there (can't remember the name) that comes in microwavable pouches that are convenient for those times I've not been able to prepare my lunch for work. They're both pretty good. Not sure about the sodium...I do have hypertension, but I experimented with a really low sodium diet for several months and it didn't really change anything and ended up getting a lot of cramps when exercising, so it's not something I worry about too much these days, though I don't go overboard.
Speak to your doctor and see if he/she thinks a magnesium supplement might help with your cramps. I used to have cramps, at-night, even prior to lowering my sodium intake. I added more potassium to my diet (via food) and started to take a magnesium supplement (on the advice of my doctor), and I haven't had any problems with cramping since then.
I, personally, am not a big fan of most supplements, but if I find something THAT WORKS, then I use it. Again, speak with your doctor.
Yeah, I've been taking a magnesium supplement for years at night before bed. I also get quite a bit of potassium in my diet. I started at the end of 2012 and cut sodium down to less than 1500 Mg per day and that's when I started having issues with cramping. I'm an endurance road rider and a mountain bike weekend warrior and sweat heavily here in the desert. My blood work at the time showed my blood level potassium to be well within the normal range, but my blood level sodium was low...I assume I was sweating a lot out. They are both well within normal now.1 -
There's salty and then there's classic Campbell's condensed chicken soup, which has 890mg/serving and 2.5 servings per can. That pretty much sets the high bar for a salty food!0
-
OK, all this soup talk causes me to give my actual formula for Progresso Roasted Chicken Noodle.
Whole can.
Add 3/4 teaspoon Better than bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
Add 1/2 Jalapeno pepper finely minced
2 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »OK, all this soup talk causes me to give my actual formula for Progresso Roasted Chicken Noodle.
Whole can.
Add 3/4 teaspoon Better than bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
Add 1/2 Jalapeno pepper finely minced
Ooh, that sounds good!0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Most canned soups are pretty easy on the calories. I don't really care for any canned soup but do keep some boxes of Pacific Red Pepper and Tomato soup I get from Costco, as well as a lentil soup I get there (can't remember the name) that comes in microwavable pouches that are convenient for those times I've not been able to prepare my lunch for work. They're both pretty good. Not sure about the sodium...I do have hypertension, but I experimented with a really low sodium diet for several months and it didn't really change anything and ended up getting a lot of cramps when exercising, so it's not something I worry about too much these days, though I don't go overboard.
Speak to your doctor and see if he/she thinks a magnesium supplement might help with your cramps. I used to have cramps, at-night, even prior to lowering my sodium intake. I added more potassium to my diet (via food) and started to take a magnesium supplement (on the advice of my doctor), and I haven't had any problems with cramping since then.
I, personally, am not a big fan of most supplements, but if I find something THAT WORKS, then I use it. Again, speak with your doctor.
Yeah, I've been taking a magnesium supplement for years at night before bed. I also get quite a bit of potassium in my diet. I started at the end of 2012 and cut sodium down to less than 1500 Mg per day and that's when I started having issues with cramping. I'm an endurance road rider and a mountain bike weekend warrior and sweat heavily here in the desert. My blood work at the time showed my blood level potassium to be well within the normal range, but my blood level sodium was low...I assume I was sweating a lot out. They are both well within normal now.
Isn't 1500 mg per day the recommended MINIMUM? As an endurance athlete, I'm guessing you would probably require more, especially due to the hot conditions.
Do you take any electrolyte solutions during training/racing?
0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Most canned soups are pretty easy on the calories. I don't really care for any canned soup but do keep some boxes of Pacific Red Pepper and Tomato soup I get from Costco, as well as a lentil soup I get there (can't remember the name) that comes in microwavable pouches that are convenient for those times I've not been able to prepare my lunch for work. They're both pretty good. Not sure about the sodium...I do have hypertension, but I experimented with a really low sodium diet for several months and it didn't really change anything and ended up getting a lot of cramps when exercising, so it's not something I worry about too much these days, though I don't go overboard.
Speak to your doctor and see if he/she thinks a magnesium supplement might help with your cramps. I used to have cramps, at-night, even prior to lowering my sodium intake. I added more potassium to my diet (via food) and started to take a magnesium supplement (on the advice of my doctor), and I haven't had any problems with cramping since then.
I, personally, am not a big fan of most supplements, but if I find something THAT WORKS, then I use it. Again, speak with your doctor.
Yeah, I've been taking a magnesium supplement for years at night before bed. I also get quite a bit of potassium in my diet. I started at the end of 2012 and cut sodium down to less than 1500 Mg per day and that's when I started having issues with cramping. I'm an endurance road rider and a mountain bike weekend warrior and sweat heavily here in the desert. My blood work at the time showed my blood level potassium to be well within the normal range, but my blood level sodium was low...I assume I was sweating a lot out. They are both well within normal now.
Isn't 1500 mg per day the recommended MINIMUM? As an endurance athlete, I'm guessing you would probably require more, especially due to the hot conditions.
Do you take any electrolyte solutions during training/racing?
In 2012/2013 I had no idea what I was doing. Dr. wanted me to lose weight and start exercising and cut my sodium due to my hypertension. At first, it was pretty light exercise, but in 2013 I really got into road riding and started training for races and other endurance events and training 100+ miles per week which is when I started having issues with the cramping.
My first event was a half century in May 2013 (was supposed to be a century, but long story). I had started using coconut water on my training rides and my event ride. Shortly after, I met my coach/trainer and things improved a lot in regards to the way I was training as well as nutrition for what I was doing, including electrolyte support. He also told me he thought it would be fine to up the sodium and felt that was a big part of my problem with it being so low, as my hypertension had leveled off to normal levels. I found pickle juice to be a fantastic remedy.
I haven't done any real endurance stuff event wise in a couple of years now. I just kind of got tired of the training and staying on top of my mileage, etc and just wanted to ride and have fun. Not to mention life just got busy when my kids started playing soccer and doing archery with practices and games/matches, etc. The most I really do these days is 25-30 miles with my buddies on the weekend, or we go mountain biking.1 -
Pacific brand Light sodium Creamy Tomato soup is a staple in my house.
340 sodium, 110 calories, and 17 carbs per cup. Not bad for a store bought soup.
Add a grilled cheese sandwich and it’s heaven.3 -
i love that old school canned soup0
-
So we are getting into "soup season" here in Minnesota and sometimes I like to just have a quick can of soup when I don't have time to make homemade. Has anyone found any that are "decent" in calories and sodium? I was reading some of the nutrition facts on some of the cans and found some that I find better than others, but was curious if anyone had any go-to brands they go with?
I like Amy's soups. They're good quality and some are low sodium. My second choice would be low-sodium Progresso. Both are sold here in PA in all the grocery stores.
https://www.amys.com/our-foods?page=2
1 -
Wow, I guess I'm the only one here who finds Progresso canned soups utterly taste-free.1
-
I think the last 2 cans I bought were Campbell's Chunky. Not low sodium, but not as high as most restaurant & snack food (I don't watch my salt intake, but don't enjoy being extremely thirsty later on... the Campbells was fine in this regard). They won the soup comparison (between tasty looking options that I picked up to check nutritional info) based on calories and grams protein. (Most canned soups are pretty meager on the protein source to save money).0
-
I stock up on Progressi lite and Amy's Organics soups whenever they're on sale.3
-
I bought a bunch of soups pre covid in case I was unable to cook (hasn't happened). It's nice to have them here just in case even though I haven't eaten any of the canned stuff I bought (and I paid no attention to sodium) and instead have been making soup at home a lot (I love soup), but of what I bought what I consumed is some Rao Italian Wedding Soup, which I find tasty, but it's mostly for don't want to cook times -- 710 mg sodium which might bother some but I don't care, and then some Vigo beans and rice. The black beans and rice are 380 cals for 1/2 a package (2 servings), plus 14 g protein, 10 g fiber, 1900 mg sodium (so a problem for anyone worried about sodium, but I'm not, especially for something I consume rarely). This is something I used to eat a lot before I knew how to cook well and I'd add veg and feta (still do) and you can also add other sources of protein and thus reduce the serving size -- it's supposed to be a side dish after all, I just normally double the serving size and have it as a main dish with veg (whatever is in the frig). Not saying it's the best option nutritionally, but I like it and keep it on hand for no time to cook/can't manage it days.1
-
So we are getting into "soup season" here in Minnesota and sometimes I like to just have a quick can of soup when I don't have time to make homemade. Has anyone found any that are "decent" in calories and sodium? I was reading some of the nutrition facts on some of the cans and found some that I find better than others, but was curious if anyone had any go-to brands they go with?
If you have access to a dehydrator you can easily make nutritious instant soup packets.
My basic recipe is 1 part each of instant rice, TVP, and dehydrated vegetables. Season with a mix of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and any herbs you like. This keeps in airtight jars for years. Just add boiling water. Super filling too.
The name of the recipe is Granny Wobbles’ Soup For My Family1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions