Is Soup Healthy? Allow Me To “Blow The Lid Off” And Expose The Truth
Something in the Ingredients will Utterly Shock You!
You know it’s a sad shame when I just walk to my pantry, get shocked by an ingredient I see, and it ticks me off enough that I produce an article! Or maybe it’s not a shame. Maybe that’s where I derive my drive! Getting pissed in the pantry! Sorry for my mild profanity. It just made me mad.
All of us have seen the television ads! Mama’s and Grandma’s alike, stirring up small batches of Progresso soup — in the factory! Looks kinda like they are serving up wholesome, or canning it fresh from the fields! NOT!
Let me explain here what the soup companies hope you never realize!
First, I will always alert my readers to things that might be detrimental to your health. That’s just a given with me. I’m one soul that actually does have your best interest in mind. Call me your medical ambassador. JK!
So, with that being said, if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, poor vision, or you don’t drink enough water…
LISTEN UP YA’LL! (In my Southern accent)
Now, I’m not a little guy by any stretch. I’m a tall, 6’9 guy who weighed 243lbs at my last doctor's office visit. When I get hungry, I don’t exactly want a snack. With soup, for instance, a can of Progresso or Campbell's soup to ME was the perfect meal. If that’s ALL I’m going to have that evening. And notice how I said, “was”. Now stay with me here!
So this afternoon I go to my pantry and pull out a nice can of Progresso Chicken & Herb Dumplings soup! It’s a cold night here in Georgia, and there’s a freeze warning, but right here in this article there’s a BS warning! I found this out when I read the label. I got angry and very frustrated at these companies who “appear” to be wholesome. Smiling and lying on television.
I’m going to show you photos now, because we humans are visual creatures. Many of us must see to believe. Well, here is the wholesome soup I pulled out of the pantry…
Looks mighty good for a cold winter night, huh? Just wait!
That’s what I thought as well. Now, sometimes, I’ve been known to sling in a few crumbled up soda crackers. The salted variety, of course, into my soup.
Now… ready for some real Halloween fright?!
Let’s turn the can around and see the label…
Here’s where the lid pops up and smacks you in the face with a reality check! Take a look above at the amount of Sodium PER CAN. That’s 1430mg! That’s 62% of your DAILY recommended sodium intake. The 640mg you see next to it?!
Well, in each can of Progresso, you see, there are actually TWO servings! Meaning, that in order to eat only that little 640mg of sodium, you’ll need to cut back and start eating just HALF A CAN! Seems almost like a joke, huh?!
About where my pen is. That’s about half. Save the rest for tomorrow. Now to me, that’s just a snack! But tonight, I’m actually going to consume just half a can of this here soup! Soup makers hope you don’t notice this label.
And cans of Chili like Hormel and Wolf Brand Chili…they’re as bad or worse! Low Sodium varieties are made, but shockingly, they are not all THAT much less in the salt-tripping-over-n’-spilling-party! Always carefully read the invite. They are inviting you to try! But you’ll leave red-faced with sodium-induced hypertension (high blood pressure)!
NOW, after that disheartening news, you are sitting there saying, “Well dang, Steve! What the hell am I supposed to do?! Toss out all my soup?”
Nooo. Don’t waste food! There’s starving kids in Cambodia and other Third World countries. Mama always told me that to make sure I chowed down.
But I WILL provide a little cheat for you that may save your life! So, let’s dive right in:
- For Canned Soups, using a can opener, go and slice that lid almost all the way off, but then stop. Carefully lift the lid up just enough to pour out HALF of the liquid. The most sodium can be found in there.
- For Ramen Noodles, I often times will cook the soup up as normal, and then drain off half or ALL of the water and just eat the noodles by themselves with a little bit of the seasoning. I know I’m weird. When I say a little bit, I mean LESS than half of that seasoning packet!
- For Chili, God help Us! If you buy canned Hormel, Wolf Brand, or other canned variety of chili, there IS NO WAY to alter the sodium. If anyone has any ideas on this one, let us know in the comments! The chili is mixed together pretty well. So, my best advice on this?! Get out the crock pot and learn how to make chili yourself!!
We have enough sodium packed into the things we consume on the daily, that this is absolutely nonsense! Stay away from processed foods! Most are just packed with salt! And please guys, drink water, water, water. See my article on the importance of water for our bodies. It’s a recent one I did.
Until next time, please stay healthy, because I care for each of you like you were my family. I didn’t spend 25 years in healthcare by not giving a damn. If I discover something mind-blowing that’s been hanging out in my pantry, I’ll expose the culprit! Just like I did here. Thanks for reading.
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