Canned soup is one of the easiest meals you can make, but it begs the question, “Is this really good for you?”
A soup company can easily just slap on a label that says it’s healthy without actually following through on it. There are a lot of things you need to be on the look out for in canned soups that can potentially be dangerous for your health.
BPA
The stuff you’ve been trying to keep out of your plastic water bottles can actually be commonly found in your canned soups. BPA is a chemical that works like an endocrine disrupter in your body. It can lead to bodily issues like high blood pressure as well.
It’s still being tested on by the FDA, but it’s not something you’d want to ingest in large doses. BPA is not an ingredient of the soup, but most cans are lined with a BPA resin that can lead to BPA seeping into the soup itself. An alternative to buying canned soup with BPA is making your own.
Some soup brands that have BPA: Progresso, Campbell’s, Healthy Choice and Wolfgang Puck soups.
MSG
MSG is also known as processed free glutamic acid. That’s right, the stuff you’ve been warned about for years can be found in your soup. It’s usually added to flavor the soup but can have some seriously unfortunate side effects. MSG can cause migraines, abdominal cramps and even more side effects if you’re sensitive to it.
The FDA requires products to be labeled if they contain MSG, but there are ways to get around it. MSG can be found in some of the ingredients that are added to soup as well such as yeast, broth or bouillon, citric acid or other ingredients.
Some soup brands that have MSG: Campbell’s, Progresso, Wolfgang Puck soups, Healthy Choice, and Trader Joe’s soups.
GMOs and Pesticides
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) have shown in studies to cause gastrointestinal problems in animals and have been shown to leave residue in humans. GMOs also are more likely to have pesticides used on them, so these two go hand in hand.
Luckily, this is easy to spot—if the soup has “USDA Organic” on it then it doesn’t contain GMOs or pesticides. If not, the soup could contain plants like soy, corn or sugar that are GMOs, or that have been treated with pesticides.
Some soup brands that have GMOs or Pesticides: Campbell’s, Progresso, and Healthy Choice soups.
High in Sodium
Sodium is already consumed in large amounts by Americans, but soups can have anywhere from 400 mg to 800 mg a can. The recommended limit is 2300 mg per day, but sodium can have some adverse health effects.
High sodium can lead to high blood pressure which often results in heart disease, so if heart disease is a genetic problem for you already, it might be worth it to watch how much is in your soup.
Some soup brands with high sodium levels: Campbell’s, Progresso, and Healthy Choice soups (some soups have more or less depending on the type of soup).
While canned soup can be one of the quickest meals to make, it might not be worth it. There are other alternatives that are quick and easy too, like this homemade minestrone soup. It’s important to check the label to see what’s really in your soup and your health just might thank you for it.