Canned soups, good or bad?

I am just wondering what people think of canned soups such as Campbells, Progresso, etc.... I personally like canned soups because you know exactly what you are getting. Everything is on the lable for you. Ingredients, calories, fat, so on and so forth. The only thing I dislike about canned soups is that they are so high in sodium. Sure they make low sodium soups that have like half the sodium, but that also jacks up the price per can. Anyway, let me know what you think. Also some of the effects of having that much sodium per day.

I also enjoy the convenience of canned soups--Progresso especially.  Love the labels, too.  You are right about the sodium, tho.  When I have the time on the weekends, I make my own from low sodium canned broth, frozen veges and seasonings.  Toss in some cooked chicken or turkey for protien.  It's really low in calories, so I guestimate the nutritional value similar to the Progresso soups, except for the soduim.  Super filling.

Are the lower sodium progressos more expensive than the regular ones???? I hadn't noticed.

Anyway, I thrive on soup. It's one of the things to get me through this diet with success. As long as you keep it in moderation (don't eat a bunch of cans per week) the sodium isn't that bad.

I just put more water in it b/c it's really too  salty for me.  I end up with a huge bowl of soup, but it's still a filling, cheap meal

The Progresso low sodium soups are actualy very good, adn I think they are the same price.  One caveat about canned soups - I just found out this morning in the paper that anything on the nutrition label that includes "hydrolyzed" contains MSG, so for anyone sensitive to MSG..........

That being said, one really good way to make good homemade soup is to save all your leftover veggies and their liquids in the freezer - I put one plastic container in there and just keep adding to it.  Once it's full, defrost it - you'll be amazed at how good the resulting soup tastes - and you can add canned broth and some more veggies if you need to, along with any seasonings you may need.  It will depend on how well-seasoned your original veggies were in the first place.

Unless you need to really watch your sodium, a can of soup can be an effective part of a balanced diet (in my opinion). If you can make your own soup... better/great ... if not, keep reading labels and make some healthy choices.

And I agree about adding extra water .... that really can help!

Besides, soup is a great wintertime, cold weather food! (Of course, it is 107 degrees here today... but at least I can DREAM about cool weather, right?)

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nycgirl:

Are the lower sodium progressos more expensive than the regular ones???? I hadn't noticed.


Where I am there is a big difference. Take Progresso for example.I can get a can of regular soup for $1.79-$1.85. The low sodium in the same flavor of soup is $2.39. It's crazy. I'm not sure what they do different, but I guess I will just deal with the sodium. In my meal plan I eat 2 cans of soup a day. So I am taking in alot of sodium. I have thought about maybe draining the liquid and then filling it back up with water. It will most likely be more bland, but there will still be some juices left over to flavor the water. I think most of the sodium is in the juice/liquid anyway.

I guess another good thing about eating canned soup is I only spend about $5.50 a day for my entire meal plan. That's 2 cans of soup, an apple, a banana, 2 ganola bars and crackers. I stay full and spend around $165 a month.

mmm soup. i love campbells chicken noodle healthy soup. problem with the progresso low sodium soups is they are full of onions.

my favorite meal is a 1/2 can of campbells chicken noodle soup w/ a 100 calorie pack of Ritz chips. Now I know it's not healthy and it's super salty, but its just so yummy for the occasional quick meal. 

I'm a soup lover as well! PC has a line of Blue Menu soups that are very tasty. I believe there is less sodium but I'm not 100% on that.

oh...i used to live on Progresso Clam Chowder! but now, I actually make my own soup. It takes a little more time than a 3 minute nuke in the microwave, but you know every single thing you put into that soup.

 If not, I used split the soup into two bowls and fill them a little with water to knock out the sodium (or rather...the salt flavor...i have a really sensitive tastebuds). most of the soup is water or some stock base anyhow, so putting water doesn't hurt. Plus, the soup lasts a lot longer. :] 

 Hope that helps! <3

jades--I usually add water too, but the cans say not to.. does anyone know why?

It's because they are not condensed soups, so there is no reason to add water. The only reason to add water would be to make more soup or delute the salt flava.

I like them ,they will become a big part of my diet when the weather gets colder. Right now i drink a slim a soup if im hungry for a snack, they're only 60 cals mmm. 

I can wait to have a big bowl of soup and a toasted wholemeal pita mmmmm

I like progresso lite soups too, they do have low sodium ones, but my trick is always to drain the soup, save that broth and freeze it for when broth is needed and eat my soup MINUS the liquid. I prefer it that way, sort of like a stew and its just as tasty but lower in sodium since I am not drinking the broth at all, just all chicken and veggies and pasta. Don't know how much it helps draining, but its gotta be something since there are calories and sodium in the liquid, try it  you'll like it!! I also do this for ramen noodles, NEVER drink the liquid and also only put HALF the seasoning packet into it. this way, I get to eat things I like but minus the extra liquid.

I like canned soups as a once in a while thing, but I prefer to make my own - less sodium, you get more soup for the price, the flavor's more developed than store-bought, and there are less preservatives since the veggies are fresh.

I agree Novi, when I had 4 kids at home, I always made my chicken soup from scratch...but now living alone, I like the variety from the canned soups, but you have me thinking again of making a pot of soup and just freezing it for later use. thanks.