Low Carb Broccoli & Cheese Soup

A successful low carb diet is often one containing a range of foods, including low carb broccoli and cheese soup, to prevent boredom. This soup imparts a creamy, savory flavor, but it also has many nutritional benefits, including vitamins and minerals, fiber and a small quantity of calories and fat. It may not be appropriate for everyone on a low-carb diet, though, thanks to its sodium content.

Carbohydrates

One brand of low carb broccoli and cheese soup contains 3 g of carbohydrates per 1 cup serving. Comparatively, a cup of regular broccoli and cheese soup has 6 g of carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate diets generally restrict carbs to 50 to 150 carbs per day, although some diets limit them as low as 30. This soup makes a good choice for these types of diets as long as you do not add a slice of bread or crackers to your meal.

Fiber

Low carb broccoli and cheese soup is not a significant source of dietary fiber. Each serving of soup provides you with 2 g of fiber, or 5.3 percent to 8 percent of the daily recommended intake. The fiber in this cheese soup contributes to the prevention of digestive problems such as constipation and diarrhea. You can boost the fiber by adding more broccoli to the soup; however, note that this will increase the amount of carbohydrates in the soup.

Calories and Fat

A 1 cup serving of low carb broccoli and cheese soup has 78 calories and 5 g of fat, which makes this soup appropriate for diets that call for restricted calories and fat. The calories in a cup of this soup account for 3.9 percent of the calories you may take in each day if you follow a 2,000 calorie diet. While many low carb diets do not require you to count calories or grams of fat, a normal diet calls for 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fat.

Vitamins and Minerals

Eat a serving of low carb broccoli and cheese soup and you take in 17 percent of the calcium you require each day. Much of this calcium comes from the cheese and cream in the soup, but broccoli also provides this important mineral. Calcium becomes part of your bones, strengthening your skeletal system. This soup is also a good source of vitamin C, containing 11 percent of your daily recommended intake.

Sodium

Low carb broccoli and cheese soup is not recommended for low-sodium diets, and may not make a good choice for some people on a low-carbohydrate meal plan. Each serving of this soup contains 875 mg of sodium, a quantity that accounts for more than half the American Heart Association-suggested limit of 1,500 mg in a 24-hour period. You may lower the amount of sodium by making this soup at home and using lower-sodium cheese varieties.