January 2020 Newsletter

SIMPLY SOUP
A warm bowl of soup can hit the spot on a cold day. It can also be a healthy way to start
off a meal because it tends to be high in vegetables, filling and low in energy density.
Homemade soup is a better choice than canned soup, however, because canned soup
often contains the chemical BPA and is high in sodium.
It Increases Vegetable Consumption
Many Canadians don't get the
recommended amount of vegetables.
Adding soup to your diet can help you
increase your vegetable intake, especially
if you choose a vegetarian soup, such as
gazpacho, a tomato-based soup that is
served cold.
It's Filling
Unlike many liquids, soups can be about
as filling as solid foods. This means you
can serve soup as a meal without
worrying you'll be hungry again shortly
after you finish eating. If you make a
meal out of soup, however, be sure to
choose one that contains protein (ie.
beans, quinoa, lean meats)
Choosing the Right Soup
Cream-based soups can be high in fat
and calories, so they are less healthy than
broth-based soups. For example, New
England clam chowder has 201 calories
and 10 grams of fat per cup, compared to
90 calories and 0.8 gram of fat in
vegetable soup. Regularly eating canned
soup can increase your levels of
bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical that may
increase your risk for heart disease and
diabetes, notes a study published in "The
Journal of the American Medical
Association" in November 2011. Canned
soups are also one of the major sources
of sodium in the Canadian diet. Even
reduced-sodium soups can have almost
20 percent of the DV for sodium. Make
your own soup at home using fresh
ingredients, and you can avoid the BPA
and limit the sodium in the final dish.