Low Fat Cream Of Chicken Soup

Cream of chicken soups adds richness, fullness and flavor to dishes from chicken or meat casseroles to vegetable side dishes. In today's climate of increasing awareness of the fat content of foods and the large number of adults and children facing the challenge of obesity, using low fat versions of traditionally high fat foods is wise. Use a low fat version of cream of chicken soup when preparing your next meal to save calories and fat.

Traditional Ingredients

Preparing your own version of traditional cream of chicken soup involves using cream or sour cream, whole milk, flour, onion, chicken, chicken broth and seasonings, according to a recipe in "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" by the late Julia Child. Some of the ingredients such as lean chicken, vegetables and seasonings are healthy and low in fat, but whole milk and cream contain 4.5 and 54 g of saturated fat per cup, and 149 and 821 calories, respectively.

Calories and Nutrients

A can of regular fat cream of chicken soup typically contains 2 1/2 servings. An entire, undiluted can has 274 calories, 7.3 g of protein, 21.8 g of carbohydrates and 17.6 g of fat. Of the soup's fat, 5.2 g comes from saturated fat. In contrast, a can of low-fat cream of chicken soup has 171 calories, 4.9 g of protein, 25 g of carbohydrates and just 6 g fat. Instead of 5.2 g of saturated fat like the traditional cream of chicken soup contains, the low-fat soup has 2.5 g of saturated fat. When you dilute the low-fat cream of chicken soup with skim milk or water, you retain the low-fat nature of the soup. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend limiting your consumption of saturated fats to 10 percent of your diet or less to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Benefits

Choosing a low-fat cream of chicken soup enables you to eat fewer calories and less fat. A lower calorie diet can help you lose weight, while eating less unhealthy fats benefits your heart. Additionally, when you eat a hot soup, you naturally eat more slowly, which gives your body time to feel full and eat less. The CDC advises that you should eat mainly broth-based soups because of the lower caloric content. Using the low-fat cream of chicken soup in casseroles or side dishes lowers the overall fat and calories in the dishes.

Strategies

Making your own low-fat cream of chicken soup allows you to put in only the ingredients in you desire. Use skim milk, reduced calorie butter and fat-free chicken broth in place of cream, real butter and standard chicken broth. When using canned cream of chicken soup, purchase low-sodium versions and brands lowest in saturated fat. Use the low-fat soup sparingly in vegetable casseroles and chicken dishes, opting to use half the soup the recipe calls for to further save calories and fats. If using it as a soup, add brown rice to the dish to add healthy complex carbohydrates.