The 5 Worst Soups for Weight Loss (and 5 to Try Instead) (2024)
Alanna Nunez
·2 min read
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. But if you're watching your weight, it can also be an unexpected drain on your calorie and fat bank. This doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite cold-weather soup. Just avoid these five soups listed below, and swap them out for the healthier alternatives we've provided:
1. Clam chowder. Anything with the word "chowder" in it is probably going to be high in cream, fat, and calories. Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder tops the list with 230 calories per serving, 13 grams of fat, and 890 milligrams of sodium. Plus each can contains two servings, so if you eat them at the same time, you're up to 1,780 grams of sodium.
2. Potato soup. Potato soup can be healthy, but it's often made with a cream base instead of a broth base, which means that it, like the chowder, can be loaded with calories and saturated fat.
3. Lobster bisque. With an average of 13.1 grams of fat (that's 20 percent of the daily recommended serving), most of it saturated, and 896 grams of sodium, this is a definite diet don't!
4. Chili. Chili's actually not that bad: It often contains a lot of fiber, protein, and vegetables. However, most of the time it's also accompanied by a huge chunk of cornbread on the side. If you're going to have chili, skip the bread, and have a salad instead.
5. Broccoli and cheese soup. Soup using broccoli as a base? Healthy! Dousing that broccoli in cheese? Not so healthy. Most restaurant versions tend to feature a few tiny broccoli florets drowning in a bowl of cheese, so if you see this one on the menu, skip it.
Try one of these instead:
1. Mushroom and barley soup. This low-cal recipe features plenty of vegetables as well as barley to make a hearty meal that will fill you up, not out.
2. Lumberjackie soup. Vegan-friendly and easy to make, this recipe calls for a hodge-podge of vegetables that's packed with antioxidants and minerals. Just throw the ingredients into your crockpot, let it cook, and you're done!
3. Chilled soups. If you can brave the cold and want to try a chilled soup instead of a hot one, try one of these healthy and slimming chilled soups.
4. Chicken, zucchini and potato soup. For the days when you want more than a snack, this flavor-packed soup's sure to please. The chicken and potatoes will help fill you up, while the zucchinis provide a serving of veggies.
5. Homemade tomato soup. Who doesn't like tomato soup on a cold gray day? Skip the canned versions, which are packed with sodium, and go for this healthy homemade version instead.
The key is to stick to lower-calorie, higher-fiber soups like vegetable bean or minestrone. Creamy or other high-fat soups need not apply for this job! A cup of broth- or tomato-based soup only has around 75 to 125 calories (depending on the recipe and type of soup).
The key is to stick to lower-calorie, higher-fiber soups like vegetable bean or minestrone. Creamy or other high-fat soups need not apply for this job! A cup of broth- or tomato-based soup only has around 75 to 125 calories (depending on the recipe and type of soup).
The worst soups are the ones that are cream-based or even cheese-based. These start with a heavy dose of fat that can be compared to the amount in a dessert. Whatever the nutritional value of the other ingredients—from clams and lobster to broccoli and mushroom—it's compromised by the decadence of the base.
Cabbage soup is low in calories but high in water content — filling and hydrating without adding extra calories. It is a healthy soup that can help individuals with weight loss. It often includes other low calorie vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and celery, enhancing its nutritional value while keeping it light.
Loaded potato soup is one of those soups that just screams comfort. On a bad day, not much hits the spot more than a big bowl of thick and creamy potato soup! Unfortunately, it also tends to be really unhealthy.
Vegetable soup. Lean protein from chicken combined with a variety of vegetables can make a satisfying and low-calorie soup that can help you feel full and satisfied.
Broth-based soup diets generally last for 7 days. However, some can last as long as 10–14 days. Over that time, proponents of a broth-based diet claim you can lose up to 10 or even 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kg). On a broth-based soup diet, cream-based soups are restricted, as they're higher in calories and fat.
People who follow the diet strictly will likely lose some weight, potentially 10 pounds per week or more. This is because it involves eating so few calories each day. However, in most cases, people quickly regain this lost weight once they return to their regular diet.
(Think: cream of mushroom, broccoli cheddar, and New England clam chowder). Unfortunately, they're also fat and calorie bombs. Even tomato soup, which might look healthy, is often loaded with high-calorie, high-fat cream and butter, says Elana Natker, R.D., a registered dietitian based Washington, D.C.
You may have heard of something called the Dolly Parton Diet — which consists of eating cabbage soup (yes, cabbage soup!) as your main meals along with fruit and vegetables. It's also known as the TWA Stewardess Diet and, well, the Cabbage Soup Diet.
Going on a soup diet may help one to stay full. However, there is no significant evidence that a soup-only diet is able to support long-term weight loss or management. Soup diets typically lack well-balanced nutrition and as such, are not ideal in maintaining weight loss.
Eating soup may help increase satiety and help you stay full, which might allow you to eat less overall. 1 While this may lead to weight loss, there is no evidence that a soup-only diet could effectively support long-term weight management.
"Soups made with heavy cream instead of broth can be calorie bombs, and they tend to contain a high amount of saturated fat (not the heart-healthy kind)," she says. Amidor agrees that the butter and other high-fat ingredients in cream-based soups can lead to an increase in the consumption of saturated fat.
Eliminates healthy foods: Experts agree that an all-soup diet would eliminate otherwise healthy food groups, such as fruit and grains, and lead to nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. Highly restrictive: Some research indicates that restricting certain foods can create an unhealthy relationship with food.
While canned soups can be a convenient meal option, it's important to be mindful of their nutritional aspects. Making healthier choices by selecting low-sodium, low-fat, and organic options, adding fresh or frozen vegetables, and opting for BPA-free cans can enhance the nutritional quality of canned soups.
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