The "Progresso Soup Diet" evolved from a contest sponsored the manufacturer that challenged participants to lose weight while eating Progresso soup. Its line of light soups offers fair flavor and few calories, making the emergence of the Progresso Soup Diet on the Internet a natural and unsurprising development.
The Soups
Progresso offers a more than a dozen types of light soups, each under 100 calories per serving, so you can inject some variety into your low-cal meals. Types include Italian-Style Meatball with Penne, Roasted Chicken and Vegetable, Chicken Vegetable Rotini, Savory Vegetable Barley, Chicken & Herb Dumplings, Beef Pot Roast, Chicken Noodle, Italian-Style Vegetable, Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetables, Zesty Santa Fe Style Chicken and New England Clam Chowder. Most of the soups are low fat, including the clam chowder and pot roast.
The Pros
For people on the go, Progresso soups feature an easy-open lid. After a few minutes in the microwave, you can enjoy a hot bowl of soup in front of you in 5 minutes. Each of these soups provides only 1 or 2 Weight Watchers points, and Progresso is the only soup endorsed by Weight Watchers. None of the soups have trans fats, all have fewer than .5 g. of saturated fat and all are relatively low in cholesterol.You can always add some vegetables or hot sauce if you want to perk up the nutrition or flavor.
The Cons
Each 19-oz. can of soup has about two servings, so you don't get lulled into thinking that a full can has only 100 calories. A single 1-cup serving typically has over 650 mg. of sodium, providing 20 to 30 percent of your recommended daily allowance of sodium. The soups are low in fiber, protein, and many other nutrients you need to maintain optimal health and keep your metabolism stoked if you plan on making the soup your primary source of daily nutrition. For example, at most, one serving provides 6 or 7 g. of protein so an adult would have to eat 6 or 7 servings in a day to reach daily recommended levels of protein, which would still leave you short on many other nutrients. While most of the soups have vegetables, overall, the soups don't have a broad, balanced nutritional profile.
The Approach
For a quick meal or even as a routine item in your weekly menu, Progresso soups provide quick, easy, relatively benign dining. However, they don't have the nutritional muscle to meet your daily nutritional needs. Include Progresso soups in your diet, if you want, but round out your meal plans with fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain products and lean sources of protein.
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