The Healthiest And Unhealthiest Campbells Soups
Campbell’s Soups might be healthy on the outside, but watch out for the sodium.
When youre standing in front of a giant wall of Campbells Soups at the supermarket, its tricky to know which soups are healthier than others without checking each individual label. So weve done the work for you and figured out which of their soups have the most and least amount of calories, divided into each of their product categories including Condensed, Chunky, and Homestyle.
One thing that you should be on the lookout for when eating any canned soup is the sodium level, which is high across the board. Unless youre a member of the enlightened minority, chances are youre eating more than your daily allowance of sodium. In doing so, youre pretty much quickly volunteering your body for high blood pressure, which then lends itself to cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death in the world, according to the American Heart Association.
Pretty heavy stuff.
If commercial soups like Campbells play a frequent role in your diet, then you need to be aware of how one serving alone may be tipping you over your sodium allowance and putting you at risk for ailments far more grave then you feeling bloated in your skinny jeans.
How To Make Sure Canned Soup Is Healthy
Its always a good idea to scan labels for sodium levels and added sugar. Since youre probably doing your best to minimize your time at the grocery store these days, its a good idea to research your favorite soups online before going shopping. Most major brands post the nutrition facts for their products on their website. If you have food allergies or sensitivities, or you want to avoid certain ingredients, such as chicken or beef broth, if youre vegetarian or vegan, its also a good idea to check the labels in advance.
Campbells Well Yes Creamy Cauliflower & Potato Sipping Soup
$1.80
One container: 110 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 17 g carbohydrates, 4 g sugar, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 650 mg sodium, 4 Green, 4 Blue, 4 Purple WW SmartPts
This option by Campbells is in a little cup that you heat and serve. I was a bit terrified that I was going to set my tongue on fire with this method as you drink it like a sippy cup.
The soup itself was tasteless and reminded me of the texture of baby food. In all of my years of food tasting, this had to be one of the worst products that I have ever tried.
FAIL
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Healthiest Beef Stock: Kitchen Basics Original Beef Stock
A staple for French onion soups, beef stock is a tricky product to purchase. That’s because store-bought versions are littered with flavor-enhancing chemicals and not much beef. For example: Knorr’s Beef Stock Concentrate contains inflammatory palm oil, four versions of MSG, sugar, two types of gums, and carcinogen-containing caramel color.
If you don’t have time to make a stock at home , go for Kitchen Basics’ Original Beef Stock, which contains real beef stock rather than just beef flavor, vegetable stock, honey, salt, and spicesmuch simpler than Knorr’s. Plus, it’s a surprisingly great source of protein!
Foodsoup It Up: 16 Ways To Make The Canned Stuff Way Better
Chicken soup, in particular, can be a therapeutic choice. Chicken soup is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help decongest your nose when you come down with a cold, since the inflammation in your nasal passages makes your nose feel stuffy. Chicken soup may also help thin your mucus so you can breathe easier. In one study, chicken soup beat both hot and cold water in thinning mucus.
Not all pre-packaged soups are healthy though, so its important to know what to look for. Here are some tips to help you become a better soup shopper.
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Campbell’s Promotes Healthy Canned Soup Option With Actress Mindy Kaling In Latest Campaign For Well Yes Soups
When most people think of canned soup, they think of mushy noodles and vegetables that have lost their nutritional value.
Campbellâs wants to change this with its new line of Well Yes! Soups that offer fresh ingredients. To promote the new line, the company partnered with iconic actress Mindy Kaling for a new campaign called âEat Bright.â
âMindy Kaling truly embodies the values that drive our brand â positivity, transparency and a brightness,â said Linda Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Campbellâs Meals and Beverages. âMindyâs personality and style brings this vision to life. Well Yes! targets people with a positive outlook on life and Mindy is just that, constantly challenging the status quo and pushing for greatness.â
Kaling plays up the ingredients: âRoasted chicken soup with rich bone broth,â she asks in one :15 second spot. âCluck, yeah! Live well, donât compromise and eat bright.â In another she plays us thetomato and sweet basil soup as delicious and nutritious, exclaiming âBasil-Tov.â
âFor the campaign, themed âEat Bright,â we combined the wit and charm of comedian Mindy Kaling with the vibrant visual world created by director Autumn De Wilde,â said Isabela Ferreira, SVP Creative Director at Leo Burnett. âItâs a celebration of Well Yes! and the power of positive nutrition.â
The new campaign helps the brand position itself as a healthy option for quick meals, something that came out of consumer research.
How To Choose A Healthy Canned Soup
Soups are a wonderful way to get more plant-based foods into your body, like grains and vegetables, says Stoler. Even better, the proteins can be animal- or plant-based, meaning anyone can get in on the quickest, easiest dinner of all time, no matter their dietary preferences.
Stolers rules of thumb for choosing a healthy canned soup are pretty simple. First and foremost, take a look at whats actually in the soup before obsessing over the nutrition facts. My general guidelines include flavor, taste and ingredients, she says. And thats good advicewhy buy a healthier soup youre not going to genuinely enjoy? She also says broth-based soups are just about always a better choice than cream-based ones.
If youre intent on checking out the nutrition label, follow her lead: I like to look at the calories per serving and if theres any fiber in each serving. But before you keep yourself from your favorite creamy clam chowder, ask yourself: How am I going to eat this? One should consider if the soup is meant to be a stand-alone meal or part of a meal. This way calories and macronutrients can be factored into the meal or days calorie budget, says Stoler.
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Do Canned Soups Have A Ton Of Sodium
Canned soup has gotten a bad rap over the years, namely for its high sodium content. But there were reasons for all that salt initially, the first being preservation. Canned foods are better preserved in a salty or sweet medium. However, vacuum packing has eliminated the need for sodium as the sole mineral to inhibit bacterial growth. explains Stoler. The second reason is to please the typical American’s palate, which tends to prefer saltier foods.
But the most interesting tidbit of all? Despite Americans concerns over high-sodium soups, food companies had significant trouble getting low-sodium soups off the shelves. An industry secret is that most larger companies have reduced their sodium content over the years without notifying consumers, says Stoler. When canned soups were labeled as low or no sodium, they didnt sell well because consumers assumed the taste would be compromised.
Nowadays, there are tons of low-sodium soups on the market, many of them legitimately delicious. But if youre worried that a low-sodium soup will have less flavor, remember that you can always add your own ingredients to prepare it more to your liking. The truth is, if someone wants more salt, they can always add it. If a soup is too salty, add more water. It’s really that simple, says Stoler.
Here are 14 healthy canned soups to look for the next time youre grocery shopping.
Healthiest Lentil Soup: Pacific Organic Vegetable Lentil & Roasted Red Pepper Soup Reduced Sodium
Some of your best weapons against fighting fat are foods high in protein and fiber, and lentil soup has significant amounts of both. While Progresso packs a third of your day’s worth of sodium in just a cup , Pacific is packed with protein in their hearty, clean soup, which is why they earn the title of best soup in this category.
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What Happens If Campbell’s Well Yes Chicken Noodle Soup Is Out Of Stock And I Need To Give Specific Instructions
- Find Best Match: By default, your shopper will use their best judgement to pick a replacement for your item.
- Pick Specific Replacement: You can pick a specific alternative for the shopper to purchase if your first choice is out-of-stock.
- Don’t Replace: For items you’d rather not replace, choose “Don’t replace” to get a refund if the item is out of stock.
Pay Attention To Added Sugars
Believe it or not, canned soup can be a surprising source of added sugar. A typical can of tomato soup, for example, contains a whopping 20 grams of added sugar thats equivalent to 5 teaspoons. The American Heart Association recommends that women limit their sugar consumption to six teaspoons and men to nine teaspoons a day. Considering the average American consumes 17 teaspoons a day, the last thing anyone needs is more hidden sugar in their soup. Look for soups with no or low sugar .
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Best Bouillon Cube: Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Chicken Base
If you’ve ever examined a bouillon cube’s ingredient list before, you’ve most likely noticed that salt is often the first ingredient. That really shows in Knorr’s version, as just a half a cube racks up over half a day’s worth of the stuff, leaving you more than parched for a glass of detox water. Not to mention, it’s loaded with five versions of MSG, potentially trans-fat-laden hydrogenated palm oil, caramel color, artificial colors Yellow 5 and 6, as well as TBHQa corrosion inhibitor also used in biodiesel. Instead, grab a broth concentrate like that from Better Than Bouillon . This stock is super-reduced until it’s just a paste-like product that’s packed with flavor. Our pick is made up of real chicken meat with natural juices, spices, only one source of MSG, and colored with turmeric instead of coal-derived artificial colors.
How Much Does Instacart Delivery Or Pickup Cost
- Delivery fees start at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. Fees vary for one-hour deliveries, club store deliveries, and deliveries under $35.
- Service fees vary and are subject to change based on factors like location and the number and types of items in your cart. Orders containing alcohol have a separate service fee.
- Tipping is optional but encouraged for delivery orders. It’s a great way to show your shopper appreciation and recognition for excellent service. 100% of your tip goes directly to the shopper who delivers your order.
- There may be a “pickup fee” on your pick up order that is typically $1.99 for non-Express members. Express membership waives this like it would a delivery fee.
- Pick up orders have no service fees, regardless of non-Express or Express membership.
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Best Overall Canned Soup
While it was easy to find consensus on the best soup brands on the market, personal tastes vary so much that we didnt get many repeat recommendations for a specific brands soup flavor. That said, two of the experts we spoke to recommended Progresso Chicken Noodle. Kysha Harris, food editor at the Spruce Eats, loves this traditional soup, saying, Its as close to the real thing as youre likely to find, making it perfect when youre feeling under the weather. Chef Carolyn Timbers prefers the light version. It has fewer calories per serving and less fat, too. It is rare to find good and healthy canned soups nowadays. This one tastes great and is perfect for punching up with toppings or mixing with Mexican dishes, she says.
Synthetic Flavors And Colors
We know that some people would prefer to avoid synthetic flavors and colors in their foods and drinks. We made a commitment in 2015 to remove synthetic flavors and colors from nearly all of our North American products by the end of 2018. We made significant progress against that goal, with more than 95% of our portfolio free of synthetic flavors and colors in 2018. We have since made a series of acquisitions that have broadened our portfolio significantly, including the 2018 acquisition of Snyders-Lance brands which are now part of our Snacks division, along with Pepperidge Farm. The Snacks division accounts for nearly half of our annual net sales. The addition of over 1,000 products to our portfolio has required us to pause and reassess our plans. In the interim, we will continue to evaluate the use of these ingredients in every new product we launch.
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Healthiest Bone Broth: Pacific Organic Chicken Bone Broth
Sipping on bone broth is a great way to heal your gut. After animal bones are simmered in water, their collagen turns into a rich broth full of gelatin. “When we ingest it, it acts as an intestinal Band-Aid, protecting and healing the lining of the digestive tract which aids digestion and helps us absorb extra nutrients from the foods we eat,” explains nutritionist Lauren Slayton, MS, RD. Besides the fact that Pacific’s bone broth is lower in calories and sodium than that of Kitchen Basics, we also like their addition of cider vinegar to the brothwhich Slayton also recommends. Apple cider vinegar is another ingredient that will further improve your digestion thanks to it containing active enzymes.
Healthy Canned Soup Options
January 24, 2021
These healthy canned soup options are not all in cans. I can be accused of false advertising but I felt I had no choice.
The world of canned soup has changed since I last took a look in 2011. Ten years is a long time in the food world and it was time to do a new review since the landscape had altered.
One of the big changes is that now there is soup in cans, jars, and plastic bags – which I think is a good thing. Many canned soups taste like the can which is why I make my own Healthy Soup Recipes.
Sometimes, you dont have time to cook or you are sick to death of chopping vegetables. If it tastes good and it is good for you – why not pour it out of a can?
The biggest problem with these soups is the amount of sodium. I would not call these amounts of sodium healthy – especially if you have heart disease. Basically, I wouldnt eat these every day or even every other day. I would aim for once per week.
But, other than the sodium – you have beans, vegetables, and no bizarro ingredients to turn you off of these options. The only problem is going to be taste.
I am going to go from worst to best in terms of flavor.
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Healthiest Black Bean Soup: Pacific Organic Spicy Black Bean And Kale Soup
Looking for some protein without the beef? The beans in these soups deliver big time. But even more so if you’re grabbing a carton of Pacific’s organic as opposed to Amy’s. They both offer options with Eat This-approved ingredients, but Pacific is lower in calories, sodium, and sugar, and higher in protein than their organic comrade. For more meat-free options, check out these best vegetarians sources of protein.
Healthiest Chicken Noodle Soup: Pacific Organic Chicken Noodle Soup Reduced Sodium
Ingredients you want to see in the best chicken soup: cooked chicken, chicken broth, peas, carrots, spices. Ingredients you don’t want to see: potassium chloride, maltodextrin, yeast extract, carrot juice concentrate, sugar, flavoring, xanthan gum, carrageenan, and a slew of others. Just because both options are low sodium doesn’t mean they’re both good for you. Pick up Pacific’s organic option over Campbell’s if you don’t want to sip on the same contents that are found in a food scientist’s test tube.
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Best Soup On The Go: Campbell’s Healthy Request Chicken & Mini Round Noodles Soup
If you’re grabbing a cup to go, use Campbell’s “Healthy Request” label as your go-to guide. This series of soup choices differs in that they’re lower in blood-pressure-raising sodium. Saving 570 mg of sodiumor about 25 percent of your daily recommended intake of sodiumis definitely worth the extra gram of sugar Campbell’s adds to make up for lost flavor .
The Best Canned And Boxed Soups To Take Nutrition Up A Notch
Though a can or box of soup can certainly be an easy meal on its own, you can also toss in other ingredients you have at home to make your soup even more interesting, nutritious and filling. Here are some ideas using soups you can find on your next grocery haul:
- Add spinach to Amys Organic Light In Sodium Lentil Soup before you heat it up, and then top with feta or parmesan cheese.
- Make a DIY soup with Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth by tossing in frozen tortellini along with frozen spinach or kale, and then bringing the soup to a boil.
- Heat up Campbells Well Yes! Lightly Salted Santa Fe Vegetable Soup and top it with avocado slices and a dollop of Greek yogurt. If you want some crunch, crush a few tortilla chips on top.
And dont forget that the plant foods in canned soup count toward your daily veggie requirements, so if youre low on fresh veggies, have some soup at the start of your main meal.
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