FitSugar

Campbell's Chicken Noodle BPA-Leaching Soup

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:23 -0800

It's uncertain how risky bisphenol A (BPA) is to humans, but I figure better safe than sorry. I threw out my potentially risky water bottles and containers but now a new study from Consumer Reports says there's BPA in my canned goods, too. Metal cans are often lined with plastic that contains BPA to protect the food.

The magazine tested 19 canned food products, finding levels of BPA in each product, including cans labeled "BPA free." The biggest culprits were Progresso Vegetable Soup, Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup, and Annie's Home Grown Organic Cheesy Ravioli. Though the FDA has said in the past that BPA is safe in food contact materials, it's now revisiting the issue to see if BPA exposure limits should be revised.

If you are concerned about the effects of BPA, try limiting or cutting out canned goods from your diet. Also, look for foods packaged in glass, paper, or freezer bags.

Minestrone Soup Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Chillier weather always makes me crave a warm bowl of savory soup. I don't always have time to make a big pot, so canned soups can come in handy. Minestrone is one of my favorites, and I wanted to see how all the different brands of canned soup compare.

If you're curious too then read more.

1 cup of soup	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Amy's Organic	90	1.5	580	17	3	3
Amy's Light in Sodium	90	2	290	17	3	3
Campbell's Condensed	90	1	960	17	3	4
Campbell's Healthy Request	80	.5	480	15	3	3
Campbell's Select Harvest	110	1	480	20	3	5
Healthy Choice Microwaveable Bowls	200	2	470	40	5	7
Progresso	110	2	980	19	4	4
Progresso Minestrone with Chicken	110	3	880	16	3	6
Progresso Microwaveable Bowl	90	1.5	930	17	4	4
Progresso Reduced Sodium	120	2	470	23	4	5
Trader Joe's Chunky Low-fat	110	2.5	890	19	2	3
Wolfgang Puck Organic	110	3.5	660	17	2	2

These soups are low in calories and fat, but you've got to watch out for the sodium content. Especially since one serving is only half a can. Most people end up eating the full can - I know I do - which adds up to two servings and a considerable amount of sodium. Since the RDI of sodium is 2,300 mg a day, if you're going eat the entire can, choose a soup that has 600 mg of sodium or less.

Healthy Eating Tip: Don't Salt the Pot

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Has this ever happened to you? When cooking up a big pot of soup, you add salt to enhance the flavor. When you taste a spoonful, you can't even taste it, so you keep sprinkling more and more salt into the pot. In doing so, you can end up adding huge amounts of sodium without realizing it. When you finally pour yourself a bowl, you don't really know how much salt you're actually eating. Next time you put the pot on the stove to start a soup, I suggest not salting the entire pot of soup. Instead, after ladling out individual servings, allow your family or dinner guests to salt their own soup. Everyone will be able to monitor their salt intake more precisely, and I find you're able to taste the salt and other flavors more. You can also reduce the need for salt by flavoring your soups with fresh herbs, spices, and garnishes like Italian parsley.

Source

Food Review: Imagine's Organic Creamy Butternut Squash

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0800

What's Winter without a warm, creamy cup of goodness? When it's cold out, all I crave is soup, but some kinds can take a long time to make, especially Butternut Squash. If you don't feel like making it from scratch, Imagine has done all the peeling, de-seeding, and chopping for you and made an Organic Creamy Butternut Squash.

Want to see the nutritional info? Then read more

Serving Size	1 cup	2 cups
Calories	90	180
Total Fat	2g	4g
Saturated Fat	0g	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Sodium	460mg	920 mg
Carbs	18g	36g
Fiber	2g	4g
Sugar	7g	14g
Protein	0g	0g

This soup has a deliciously warm nutmeg flavor, but since it's a little on the thin side, one cup just wouldn't cut it as a realistic serving. The small container on the left is equal to two cups, so I included that in the chart. As you look at the label, it starts off pretty healthy since it's very low in calories and has a small amount of fat. The sodium is pretty high though (almost half your daily recommended amount), but I guess that's to be expected from pre-made soups. It also doesn't have as much fiber as I would have expected and no protein whatsoever.

To make this soup a little healthier, take the large 32 ounce container on the right and add two steamed carrots (sliced), a half a steamed sweet potato (diced), a half a can of kidney beans, and a half of a cup cooked barley. It makes four hearty servings that are more filling, more exciting, and also have more fiber and protein.

Healthy Recipe: Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

FitSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

I'm a huge soup lover no matter what the temperature is outside, but I especially love it in the Winter. There are so many great seasonal veggies you can use in soup recipes, and Butternut Squash is one of my favorites because it's so creamy, hearty, and flavorful. Here's a super easy recipe that includes carrots for beta carotene and sweetness.

Want to see it? Then read more.

What you need:

16 ounces of veggie broth
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 butternut squash
5 carrots
Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

Pour the broth into a big pot and place it on the stove on high.
Cut up the onion and place it in the broth. It's OK if the pieces are big since you'll be blending everything in a food processor at the end. Put the garlic in too.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, cut it in cubes and place it in the broth.

Wash and slice five carrots.

Place them in the broth with the onions and squash.

Let this cook until the squash is soft.
In small batches, blend until smooth in a food processor.

Place the creamy soup back in the pot, add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot and enjoy. This soup stores really well in plastic containers in the fridge.

Print recipe with images | without images

Source

Lentil Vegetable Soup: Trader Joe's vs. Amy's Kitchen

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

You know I'm a huge fan of anything from Amy's Kitchen, but I also love products from Trader Joe's since many of them are organic and all natural.

Both companies make a Lentil Vegetable Soup. Want to see how they compare? Then read more

As you can see, these soups look very similar. Amy's had a few more green beans and the one from Trader Joe's had a few more potatoes. As for taste, Amy's was a little bit more herb-y, and Trader Joe's had a slightly sweet tomatoe-y flavor. Honestly though, they tasted so much alike that it was difficult to tell the difference.

Serving Size	Can of Trader Joe's (410g)	Can of Amy's (445g)
Calories	260	300
Total Fat	7g	8g
Saturated Fat	1g	1g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Sodium	1160mg	1360mg
Carbs	38g	46g
Fiber	10g	12g
Sugar	8g	10g
Protein	12g	14g
Ingredients	Filtered water, organic onions, organic lentils, organic carrots, organic celery, organic potatoes, organic tomatoes, organic spinach, organic green beans, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic garlic, organic balsamic vinegar, organic spices.	Filtered water, organic onions, organic lentils, organic carrots, organic celery, organic potatoes, organic tomatoes, organic spinach, organic green beans, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic garlic, organic balsamic vinegar, spices.

Nutritionally speaking, these are both pretty much the same. I showed you the info for the entire can of soup, since most people probably won't just eat half the can. Amy's seems to have more of everything since there's a little bit more soup in one of her cans as compared to Trader Joe's. The ingredients are practically mirror images of one another (weird, huh?), except Trader Joe's is made with organic spices and Amy's isn't. They're also both a little high in sodium, as canned soups tend to be, but they're high in fiber and protein, which is a plus in my book. I go with Trader Joe's soup because it is less expensive.

If you have the time, why not make your own lentil soup. Here's a recipe for my new favorite soup: Lentil Tomato.

Healthy Cooking Made Easy: Pacific Broth

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Since Thanksgiving is almost here, I'm sure you're all thinking about the delicious food you'll be making. If you're like me, I know you have a lot to prepare, so whatever makes things easier is always a plus. That's why I love the broths made by Pacific. You can find them at most health food stores, and I've seen them in the health food section of regular grocery stores too. They come in 32 oz. aseptic containers like these that hold four cups of broth, but they also sell smaller containers in packs of four if you only need a cup or two.

The organic vegetable broth is my favorite, but they also make beef broth, low sodium chicken broth, free range chicken broth and mushroom broth. They are gluten-free, casein free, yeast free, and all are fat free (except for the beef broth, which is lowfat).

In the veggie broth, when you look at the ingredients, all you'll see are carrots tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, leeks, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and sea salt. It's all natural and as close to homemade as you can get, without going through the trouble of making it yourself.

You can use broth in tons of recipes, so instead of using water in your soups, casseroles, rice or stuffing, use broth for a richer, more delicious taste. I've tried many different brands of broth, and Pacific broths definitely have the best flavor in my opinion.

Fit's Tips: If you check out the Pacific website, they have a whole list of wonderful recipes you can try out that use their broths.

How Much Do You Know About Miso?

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Now that Fall has blown in, it makes me crave bowls of steamy, warm soup. Miso is one of my favorites, since it has a light salty flavor that you can add just about anything to.

I remember the first time I heard about miso, I knew nothing about it. So let's test your knowledge to see what you know.

Take the quiz

Soups On Weight Loss

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:30:00 -0700

Good news for soup lovers...

A new study out of Penn State has found that when served a low calorie soup (made of chicken broth, broccoli, potato, cauliflower, carrots and butter) and entree, diners consumed 20 percent fewer calories compared to when they did not have soup.

If you're thinking, "I've got to get my hands on that soup recipe." Don't worry because the researchers say that you just need to stick to broth-based soups that are about 100 to 150 calories per serving. This way you get an extra course at your meal, while eating fewer total calories. Good news too, because my favorite lentil tomato soup is broth based.

Catch Fewer Colds

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

If you have made it this far through cold and flu season, congratulations. The viruses are still lurking in all their usual hideouts so stay vigilant. Here are a few reminders of how to avoid catching a flu or a cold.

Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Doorknobs, public faucets, and waiting room magazines are full of germs. Shake hands or use the telephone right after that sneezing secretary, then touch your eyes, and you've got it babe.
Keep your hands away from your face. Viruses love to find their way into your body through your eyes, nose and mouth.
Avoid sick people if you can. Just leave them chicken soup on their stoop.
Don't share utensils, cups or towels. (Duh.)
Open windows as much as possible to get fresh air in and get germs out.
Stay healthy by getting enough sleep, nutritious foods and exercise.
If you're sick, do everyone else a favor and please stay home. I'll write you a doctor's note if you need one. You're contagious for up to 5 days after your symptoms start. And get into the habit of coughing and sneezing into the crook of your elbow so you don't pass those germs along. We all thank you.

Fit's Tips: Keeping a little bottle of hand sanitizer in your purse is the best idea yet. Use it often. Germs don't deserve to live.