ConAgra Foods markets the Healthy Choice line of soups as a healthier alternative to other canned soups. The soups in this product line have less sodium, cholesterol and fat than similar products. Three of the all-natural soups in this line have no artificial flavors or colors. Understanding the nutritional content of these soups can help you determine if they would make a good addition to your diet.
Types
The canned soups offered by Healthy Choice include bean and ham, chicken and dumplings, chicken with rice, fiesta chicken, beef pot roast, chicken tortilla, country vegetable, garden vegetable, Italian-style wedding, old fashioned chicken noodle, hearty chicken, New England clam chowder, tomato basil, split pea and ham, vegetable beef and zesty gumbo.
Healthy Choice also produces microwaveable bowls of soup for easy portability and convenience. Soups in this product line include chicken with rice, cheese tortellini, beef pot roast, chicken tortilla, minestrone, hearty vegetable barley, country vegetable, Italian-style wedding, red beans and rice, tomato basil, steak and noodle, old fashioned chicken noodle and traditional lentil.
Features
The microwaveable bowls of soup contain 90 to 150 calories and 0.5 to 2.5 g of fat per serving. The canned Healthy Choice soups have 100 to 180 calories and 1 to 3 g of fat per serving. The soups in this product line contain up to 40 percent less sodium than other brands, but even this reduced amount is a significant amount of this mineral. One serving of the hearty chicken canned soup, for example, contains 480 mg of sodium. This represents 24 percent of the recommended daily amount of sodium for a person following a low-sodium diet, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
Special Diets
Anyone with a food allergy should carefully review the product labels for these soups. Some of them contain allergens such as egg, soy and wheat. Both the canned soups and microwaveable bowls have Weight Watchers point values ranging from one to three points, making it easier to incorporate these products into your diet.
Nutrient Content
Some of the nutrients in Healthy Choice soups include vitamin A, protein, iron, vitamin C, calcium and fiber. The country vegetable, beef pot roast, split pea and ham, old-fashioned chicken noodle and country vegetable soups contain 10 to 20 percent of the RDA for vitamin A. Thirteen of the 16 canned soups contain at least 10 percent of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. All of the canned and microwaveable soups contain at least 4 g of protein, with the exception of the tomato basil and cheese tortellini soups.
Considerations
Those with kidney disease, diabetes and other medical conditions that require dietary restrictions should use caution when selecting a Healthy Choice soup. People with kidney disease need to restrict their sodium intake to prevent swelling and increased blood pressure. Because some of these soups have high sodium levels, they may not be suitable for someone with advanced kidney disease. People with diabetes need to restrict their carbohydrate intake to prevent high blood sugar levels. Some of these soups contain noodles and rice, which contain carbohydrates. If you have any concerns about including Healthy Choice soups in your diet, discuss your nutrition needs with a physician or dietitian.
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